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DRIVING THE 1987 Nissan 300 ZX Turbo is akin to being an ascetic in abawdy house, a reformed alcoholic in a distillery, a dieter at a foodfestival.

It’s a totally frustrating experience.

How else to describe the tension of firing up a 200-horsepowermachine in a land of 55-mph and under?

It’s absolutely insane. Everything around you says “Go slow.”Everything about this car says “Spe-e-e-e-d me|”

The 300 ZX Turbo hates low gears. You try to keep it in third, try tobe peaceable and law-abiding and everything. And what’s your reward? Thecar grumbles and tries to pull away. “Spe-e-e-e-d me, stupid|”

Okay, okay. You pop it in fourth, thinking that maybe this willsatisfy the beast. It roars and smiles. You figure that everything isfine. After all, you and the car are still tooling around in your 25- to35-mph neighborhood, right?

But the 300 ZX Turbo is demonic. Its turbocharged 3-liter, V-6 enginestarts talking to you: “C’mon, man. Stop foolin’ around. Let’s get outtahere|”

And so you do. You take it to the nearest “high-speed” expressway,knowing that what you’re about to do is, well, not totally right. Youpop the knob into fifth and . . .

And then you look in your rear-view mirror. Blue lights flashing. Youget that warm, nauseating, sinking feeling. You pull over, wait, andlisten. Someone’s laughing. It’s the 300 ZX Turbo’s engine.

Complaint: The hypocrisy, stupidity and frustration of it all. Thefederal government says nothing about the myriad commercials urgingpeople to buy high-performance cars. And the folks who knock taxpayersfor billions of dollars to build and maintain super- highways do nothingto discourage people from putting those cars on the road. So what’s allthis 55-mph junk? And why all of this research-and-development to makecars run better, faster, safer?

Cars like the 300 ZX Turbo don’t belong in America. They’re toocompetent for the U.S. motoring environment.

Praise: Quality engineering and craftsmanship. This two-seater is nopretender. It’s a sports car. But in terms of construction, it alsomakes practical, common sense. You can carry luggage and groceries inthe rear of this runner. And there’s ample space for two adult bodies inthe front. The dashboard, with analog instrumentation, is morefunctional than flashy — no “Tokyo-by-night” syndrome here.

Ride, acceleration, handling: Easily among the best in this car’scategory. While some automakers tinker with automatically adjustableshock absorbers, Nissan is moving close to perfecting the system. Thecar has discernibly different handling behavior at each of the threesettings: “soft,” “normal” and “firm.” The “normal” ride suffices formost driving requirements. The “firm” setting greatly enhances the car’scornering ability and steering response in high-speed driving.

Acceleration is, of course, criminal. But the 300 ZX Turbo hasarresting brakes — four-wheel ventilated disc brakes with widecalipe rs for stable stops from legal highway speeds on dry and wetroads.

Head-turning-quotient: The 300 ZX turbo sort of resembles a sleepyChevrolet Camaro in the front. But it’s no Camaro. No way.

Sound system: Premium 80-watt AM/FM stereo radio and cassette withgraphic equalizer, by Nissan. Excellent.

Mileage: About 23 to the gallon (19-gallon tank), combinedcity-highway, running driver only and with climate control operatingmost of the time.

Price-as-tested: $22,924, including $1,300 in options and $225delivery charge. Automatic transmission would be $650 extra; leatherinterior would cost another $1,000, and optional digital instrumentationwould add $650. The “Z” begins at $18,499 for five-speed manual modelwithout T-bar roof.