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Originally Posted by 280z/300zx
It's all about how HP was measured back then. The 280z was measued gross HP while the zx s was measured net HP. This is a common confusion with old z owners. Will explain more when at a compute and not my phone.
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So as I already mentioned back in the 70's HP was measured gross or basically engine hp at the crank with no accessories. This was then changed towards the end of the 70's and early 80's. The 280z L28 engine was rated at 170hp or essentially 135hp net (the more modern standard people know). Of course HP measurement has changed quite a bit since the 70's with the most recent being in 07-08 time frame. The 81 280zx was rated at 145hp as there was a slight change in head design and compression.
As for weight difference between the 280zx and 280zx it was not all that different. The 280z was rated at 2890 by most accounts with the 79-80 280zx base model being weighted at 2850lbs. So the 280zx was actually lighter in comparison. Now if you got the top of the line 280zx with all the power accessories or had a 81-83 280zx the weight was anywhere from 2910-3000lbs depending on t-tops or slick top, turbo or non-turbo, etc. Point being, the 280zx wasn't really that much heavier than the 280z and in some versions it was actually lighter.
Lastly, for all intense and purposes the 240z, 260z, 280z, and 280zx non turbo were all roughly the same in acceleration with an average of 8.4 0-60 and 16.5-16.7 1/4mile. Now and days though, good luck finding a totally stock Z as most have had some type of changes. My 280z weights 2680lbs and runs low 15's non-turbo.