Innovation that Excit-ed: The Nissan 350Z

Z33s get used & abused in car culture these days…

In the drift sector, the Nissan 350Z is the new 240sx. In the show sector… 350Zs have been stanced/slammed pretty much past the point of coherence. They’ve been a dime-a-dozen for the last 10 years basically. All of which makes you start to see the Z33 chassis through certain lenses, filters, & stereotypes. But seriously… take off the dark shades, and you’ll start to see the true light within the Nissan 350z. It’s got the ingredients.

And I think when we look at the modern sports car trends…

It’s starting to redefine the decade+ old Z chassis. Because new 2-seater-type sports cars have become a critically endangered species. And when you do find them, they’ve got flappy-paddles… which is about as cool as a yellow toenail.

Hoping I’m wrong here…

But I think the 350z/370z/S2000 (and the earlier 986 Boxsters) are perhaps gonna close-out the chapter/era where sports cars were dead-on… a sport. My fingers are crossed & I’m hopeful that the 400Z carries it on. I don’t need to go into what’s obvious, but there’s a lot more to creating a great sports car than just being wicked fast. They have to come to life. Real sports cars need to rattle all your senses. They need a flow & a rhythm. A sound & a song. There needs to be a synergy & connection with the driver. A lot of these 2021 point-n-shoot sports cars are like the dude who gets on your nerves in the car flipping to the next song/track every 3 seconds… never settling in & letting something play through.

Over the next decade…

I think we’ll see a growing appreciation for, and a purity in a clean, period-correct, & well modified Z33. Like this 2007 NISMO 350z… owned by Chris Thiphavong in Nashville.

Text by Wooley Photos by Taylor Galster