Seeing cars or sunken boats being pulled from bodies of water, after sitting for years, always makes me uneasy. Turns out I might have mild submechanophobia, which I just learned was a thing 14 seconds ago. Anyway, when this underwater recovery duo found a Nissan 300ZX at the bottom of a river, having sat for decades, it made me both uncomfortable and sad.
When the duo from the Wrecked and Recovered YouTube channel found the 300ZX, it looked like the last time it’d seen air, Guns N’ Roses was topping charts. It doesn’t seem to have been destroyed before going into the deep, so it’s unclear how it got there. Maybe it was an insurance scam, or maybe it was something more nefarious. Either way, it looks like the water did more damage to the old 300ZX than anything else. Calling it rusty and rotten would be an understatement.
Unfortunately, the 300ZX’s damage didn’t stop after being pulled out. Once the recovery duo got it out of the water, they needed to pull it over some rocks without damaging an adjacent boat dock. While trying to drag it, the entire driver’s side front fender, crash support, and potentially subframe ripped off. It was so rusty that parts of it just crumbled. You can see the entire front wheel assembly separate and dangle as the ruined Z is yanked. When one of the recoverers tries to open the door, the handle just falls off.
It’s painful to see such a cool car in such a tragic state. The 300ZX they found was a first-gen Z31 model, which I always thought looked better than the more popular second-gen Z32. It’s sharper, more angular, and much more ’80s-looking. I’m not sure which engine this one came with, but it was likely one of its V6 options.
This specific one had a weird life, as it appears it was originally red but then repainted blue. Then it ended up at the bottom of a lake. I’d love to know its story, who owned it, what it saw, and how it ended up as a home for retired fish. Such cool cars deserve better fates.
Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com