The Eighties. The mere mention brings to mind a rush of hit songs on cassette, timeless movies on VHS and a color palette all its own. People who love cars remember one phenomenon in particular: cars that talked back to their owners, reminding them to fasten their seatbelt or advising them of a door left ajar. Nissan’s top-line models in the early ’80s were equipped with a tiny phonograph underneath the driver’s seat called the “Audible Warning” produced by Japanese switch supplier Niles. Inside the black box, analog signals traveled a matrix of wires to actuate the correct phonograph track, which specified the exact door left ajar. 

In 1985, Nissan and Niles switched to a chip-based digital system instead of the lilliputian record player. This 1985 Nissan Maxima wagon, spotted at Pull-A-Part Birmingham, is a high-series model equipped with a keyless entry keypad used to unlock the doors. Notice the linear graphic pattern on the wheels, indicative of an era newly obsessed with seven-segment LCDs and digital futurism. The Maxima’s two-door, rear-wheel-drive stablemate, the Z31-chassis 300ZX, was equipped with subwoofer-enhanced BodySonic seats that vibrated in tune with music played through the stock stereo. All in all, Nissan’s lineup took a futuristic tack, exploring sci-fi technologies for the sake of it until relatively rational restraint set in during the 1990s.

The best way to land on hidden treasure like this Nissan retro car is to set up a Notify Me alert on PullAPart.com. You’ll receive a text message or email when your desired vehicle arrives.

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