We’re living in an upside-down world, where our reality has moved from what’s in front of us… to what’s on Facebook/Instagram. Our lives playing out, on a screen. Us – seeing our own selves in 3rd person video clips & highlight-reel newsfeeds. It’s mental, and it’s swallowing us. SMH. Wake up & unplug from the Matrix. 

Remember when sports cars like the Z, spoke to our soul? Remember when driving was… a sport?! Remember when it was sensory-engaging, and mechanical? Remember when it was exciting & calming all at the same time… and it realigned & re-centered us? Remember when you couldn’t put it into words… and you didn’t have to?!

Driving represented freedom. And we longed for it. Datsun z cars

But generally speaking, today’s cradled society doesn’t seem to value freedom all that much. Most are full-on willing trade it in for convenience & comfort in bulk. 

And like everything else ‘physical’, driving has turned into a burden for most of the masses. Laziness overrides all. In fact, laziness has become a marketable trait. Pay serious attention to how many advertisements & apps appeal straight to middle-aged laziness & gluttony. Everybody wants it easy. 

Well honestly… f*ck easy.  

95% of the population are driving appliances. Disposable, highly-compromised, gimmicky blobs.

5,000-pound cell phone chargers… that’s about all they are. And they come with Lane Departure… a feature that literally protects you from killing your family while you’re texting + driving. Makes you wish they had a “Hey the light’s been green for 10 seconds, you sack of potatoes” feature. 

No soul; no engagement. No commitment; no reward or growth. 

And it’s perfectly fitting, considering who’s driving them. It’s a metaphor for the the direction our society is going. We consume everything, while creating not much, and standing for ‘nothing. We invest more into our ‘social media personas’ than we do into our real life selves. We’re living on the wrong side of that smart phone screen. 

Richy Contreras’ 1977 280Z

ENGINE

2.8L 12-valve L28 engine 

Racer Brown cam 

cold-air intake 

custom headers 

straight pipe exhaust 

polished valve cover

WHEELS / SUSPENSION / BRAKES

BC Racing Extreme Low coilovers with custom Swift springs 

Techno Toy Tuning front camber arms & rear tension control rods

’79-’83 Toyota Pickup 4-piston calipers

Panasport G7-C8S wheels: 15×10″ -40 front &15×11” -70 rear 

Toyo Proxes R888s: 225/50R15 front & 235/50R15 rear

EXTERIOR 

Marugen Shoukai fender flares 

Marugen Shoukai 3-piece spoiler 

TheRetrofit Source sealed headlights with Panamera LED shrouds 

Custom grille, corner bumpers, paint, shaving and bodywork by Fast Eddie’s Hotrods  OE Bluebird fender mirrors

INTERIOR 

Custom woodgrain Z steering wheel 

Custom headliner

Eddie Olisar’s 2009 370Z

WHEELS / SUSPENSION 

Work VS-TX re-lipped and barreled, refinished in Cartel Chrome. 19×10.5 -25 front & 19×13 -23 rear, with a 20mm spacer for fitment 

Stance Super Sport coilovers 

SPL rear toe, caster and camber arms 

Whiteline front & rear sway bar end links 

Z1 front upper adjustable control arms 

Nitto NTO5 – 275/35/19 front & 335/30/19 rear

Elite performance reverse lugnuts 

INTERIOR 

Corbeau fixed bucket seats 

Corbeau harnesses 

DND extended track shift knob 

EXTERIOR 

Aimgain International widebody kit. 50mm F. 70mm R. 

OEM Nismo front bumper, purchased through Nissan 

Front bumper emblem shaved/smoothed 

Custom 1-off Alumilight front diffuser with a Zspeed skid plate 

Fly1 CF side bladed 

Fly1 concept wing off their prototype Z 

AeroJacket rear spats color matched 

Fly1 CF rear vortex generators 

Modified rear sport bumper, rear OEM diffuser removed 

Marlboro livery 

ENGINE 

Giken triple disk and light weight flywheel built to 900 TQ 

Z-Speed hydraulic slave cylinder 

650 injectors 

Walbro 255 fuel pump 

Z1 ported intake 

AEM cold air intake 

Motordyne high-flow cat 

3in catless Y-pipe 

Tomei titanium single back 

ACT clutch