Many of our readers are familiar with the original Zima drink. The advertising agency responsible for the barnstorming assault on the liquid industry created an ad campaign where the letter "s" was swapped for the letter "z." Although the drink sucked and the advertising ultimately proved to be very annoying, the Zima people were really on to something. They had "z" on the mind; the problem was just that they were a few years too early. Today, everybody has the Z on his or her mind-the Nissan 350Z to be exact. With a sweet sounding engine, a good amount of torque-based power, and a newly developed body, the 350Z doesn't just throw back to the old days of the 240Z, it's also leading the new age of Nissan.
Designed and built by Street Concepts of Huntington Beach, Calif., this 2003 Nissan 350Z started out life as an Enthusiast trim-level model. Although not packing the Brembo brakes, aerodynamic diffusers, and 18-inch Rays wheels found on the top of the line Track model 350Z, the 3.5L V6 engine and six-speed transmission are still present. With aftermarket upgrades definitely on the horizon, the choice of the Enthusiast model made more sense. You don't need to pay more for the accessories, wheels, brakes, and body parts if you're going to change them out later. The most important pieces for this buildup are the chassis, engine, and transmission; basically, whatever you can bolt parts on to.
Twin-turbo. Read it again, but say it out loud this time. Sounds good, doesn't it? Too good, in fact. The thought of twin-turbochargers has inspired such nonsense as trying to twin-charge Honda Civics, or quad-turbo old Chevy's with the credo "anything in the name of power." But people have to realize that twin-turbochargers aren't always the right weapon for the job. The combination of a V-layout for the 350Z engine, tight packaging concerns, and a need for street-usable power is what created the demand for two turbochargers, one hung on each side of the VQ motor. This 350Z makes use of the GReddy twin-turbo kit, the same kit that has propelled our own Projekt Z to success. With the GReddy supplied dual TD05H-18G turbochargers, cast exhaust manifolds, wastegates, front-mount intercooler and upgraded fuel injectors, Street Concepts has added an Injen exhaust system, upgraded fuel pump and custom GReddy E-Manage tuned by SP Engineering to boost up to 9 lbs of pressure. With boost controlled by a GReddy Profec B-Spec and engine health monitored by GReddy gauges, this Z is now ready to leave smoky, thick rubber strips at every light.
Bodywork comes courtesy of the experts down at Veilside. A full Ver. 1 Veilside body kit was installed along with a carbon-fiber front lip, and on the rear is a Ver. 3 wing sporting a full carbon-fiber blade. Up front is a Twins Custom Concepts front grille insert and a Versus Motorsport carbon-fiber hood. Adding a body kit while keeping the stock wheels on is usually a recipe for disaster. To avert this disaster, a set of Racing Hart RH Pro J8 rims, sized 19x9 inches in the front and 19x10 inches in the rear was mixed in and adds to the curves.