The Nissan 300ZX featured in that legendary Super Bowl commercial was actually a replica. This recreation is more authentic.

      Chef Joni via YouTube

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      In an era when Super Bowl commercials actually held significance, Nissan demonstrated how it was done. The 1990 “Dreamer” ad featured a Z32 300ZX in a race against a motorcycle, an open-wheel race car, and a fighter jet—enhanced with CGI that, while now appears dated, was groundbreaking at the time. This ad left a lasting mark on a generation of car enthusiasts, including YouTuber Chef Joni.

      Joni managed to locate the car featured in that memorable commercial, but since the owner was not willing to sell it, he decided to recreate the ad with his own newly restored twin-turbo 300ZX. He arranged to shoot at Radford Racing School, utilizing one of their F4 cars and hiring a driver. To complete the other vehicle elements, he enlisted a motorcycle rider and a remote-control airplane pilot. Joni acknowledged that the shoot was hurried, but it nevertheless serves as a heartfelt homage to the original commercial.

      In one respect, the remake is more authentic than the initial version. The car in the commercial is claimed to be a twin-turbo model—the narrator references the turbos engaging, and the car features the distinct front bumper characteristic of a turbocharged vehicle—but it was actually naturally aspirated. For the filming, Nissan added the twin-turbo front bumper and changed the car's color from black to silver. During the iconic jump sequence in the commercial, that bumper was broken off, and Nissan merely replaced it with a black one. Subsequently, the car was donated to California State University Long Beach.

      This information stems from an old eBay listing discovered by Joni (which includes the VIN) and a discussion with the seller who purchased the car from Cal State Long Beach and later sold it to a resident of California. The current owner told Joni they paid $9,000 for it specifically because it was the car from the “Dreamer” ad, which was only aired once long before YouTube and TikTok made instant replays so accessible. Automakers continue to invest millions in Super Bowl ads—Cadillac recently used one to launch its first F1 livery—hoping to evoke this kind of enthusiasm.

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