As a normal, functioning, non-cave dwelling member of society, you've probably heard of a little carmaker called Nissan. From off-road racing to the Super GT ranks, Nissan has the performance racing world covered. In fact, the grassroots drifting scene is undoubtedly dominated by Nissan metal, thanks to the cheap and accessible 240SX platform. Then there's Nissan's most famous little commuter car, a monster known as the Skyline GT-R. Perhaps you've heard of it?
When Nissan's latest sports creation, the 350Z, hit a few years back, nobody knew what to expect. A new body, a new frame and a new engine; it was unlike any Z produced before it. Some fears arose when the news hit that the VQ engine and the 350Z's frame would be shared with other Nissan models. Sharing parts with commuter cars and SUV's is never a good thing for a sports model, but the 350Z showed all of its doubters the true path to enlightenment. Dominating on the track, the street and even off-road in the All-Japan Rally series, the Z is the hot choice today for torque-laden, rear-wheel drive performance.
The 2003 Nissan 350Z you see before your eyes started out life as a loaner to the now-dead GT-R importer MotorRex. Built as a drifting demo car, the then-silver Z was fit with a full C-West bodykit, C-West hood and was fully gutted for competition use. After blowing up their stock VQ35 engine, the MotoRex boys switched out the six-cylinder for a turbocharged four-cylinder SR20DET engine. Driven by Chris Forsberg and Calvin Wan, the 350Z was beat on and abused, regularly taking the fight straight to Mopar's Viper Competition Coupe and Millen's GTO drift car.
When MotoRex closed its doors for good, this 350Z found itself without a home. Sent back to Nissan corporate, the Z ended up in the hands of former National Service Center manager Steve Mitchell. A longtime Nissan employee, Mitchell owns one of the nicest 500-plus wheel hp R32 Skyline GT-R's in the nation, featured on the Mar. '06 cover of our sister mag, Sport Compact Car. An IMSA racecar driver from 1986-1988, Mitchell also worked on the Nissan IMSA GT effort prior to spending eighteen long years climbing the ranks of the Nissan employee structure. As a diehard performance enthusiast and SE-R Club of America driving instructor, Mitchell knew he had to save this 350Z.
Renowned tuner shop XS Engineering expressed interest in acquiring a 350Z to do product development on, and Mitchell found his first partner. The first steps taken were pure moments of mercy, breathing new life into the Nissan. A fresh VQ35 engine was dropped in and the old roll cage was cut out of the car. Since the Z was already fully gutted, Mitchell saw no point in trying to dig up and reinstall a stereo, interior trim, sound deadening, and stock seats. Instead, he brought the car to Technosquare of Torrance, Calif., so a new 8-point rollcage and "drift-spec" e-brake handle could be fabricated.
Built as a street-legal track toy, Mitchell's 350Z features a slathering of grey interior paint to match the blazing red Bride bucket seats. An Impact Racing 5-point harness holds the driver in place, while a Nismo/Willans unit cinches down the passenger. Although there is no fiberglass gauge pod, flip-out LCD or suede headliner, this Z is actually quite the showstopper at the track. Chalk that up to the C-West body components, C-West front canards, 2006 OEM 350Z LED tails and a C-West carbon fiber wing. As a testament to Mitchell's driving skill, there has been no C-West devouring off-track excursions. To date, all the body panels have remained pristine and shining in all their bright red glory.