New AC Cobra Mk VI to show at Monaco

AC is due to show the AC Cobra MK VI at the Top Marques Show in MonacoAC is the UK’s oldest car maker, and is about to launch at a new car – the AC Cobra Mk VI

– at the Top Marques Show in Monaco.

Despite being a UK car maker, AC is to build the new Cobra MK VI in Germany, at Gullwing GmbH, which gives a clue to the car’s unique feature – a removable hard top with gullwing doors.

The AC Cobra has a long history, and is one of the most sought after replica cars on the market (which is hardly surprising considering the cost of an original Cobra), and is said to be single handedly responsible for the UK’s national 70mph speed limit, which was brought in after some extremely high-speed incidents on the new M1, where AC was testing its cars. Why bother with a test track when you have 100 miles of fresh, straight tarmac courtesy of H.M. Govt. was obviously the thinking, but HMG had other ideas, and AC’s fun and frolics were stopped in their tracks by the new blanket 70mph limit.

The new MK VI Cobra features, together with the removable gullwing top, the Corvette 6.2 litre V8 which produces 437 bhp in the GT and a huge 647bhp in the GTS. With the Cobra weighing in at only just over 1000 kg, that translates in to 0-60mph times of just 3.3 seconds in the GTS. But the Cobra does get a decent set of brakes, courtesy of Porsche, so at least it should be able to stop.

The Cobra also gets a few home comforts such as premium leather and aircon to make the journey more comfortable. And at the speeds this Cobra can manage I guess you’ll end up with the aircon on full most of the time to cool your sweating brow.

AC are in the process of setting up a network of European dealers to service and sell the car. On paper this looks like it could be as big a blast as the Carol Shelby Cobras from the ’60s. No word on price – but it won’t be cheap.

Blue Chip Barn Find: 1963 Maserati Sebring

This 1963 Maserati Sebring needs extensive refurbishing but the seller says that rust is mostly limited to the trunk area and that he believes the remaining exterior paint and upholstery to be original. This is a desirable early Vignale example and it looks complete. Find it here on eBay in Escondido, California. Special thanks to BaT reader Axel C. for this submission! The seller is also listing an Abarth Double Bubble Zagato project stripped to bare aluminum here on eBay, which may or may not be the red car in the photo below.

The shot below shows the fantastic arched shoulder line of the Sebring. This car restored to factory black would be absolutely stunning. The bumpers both look very straight, and all the glass looks to be intact.

The factory steering wheel is in good shape and the dash is complete apart from the stereo. Seat leather is stiff according to the seller, but there are no signs of rips or damage.

The engine bay looks very complete and the twin-spark 6-cylinder retains the fuel injection system that was often swapped out for triple Webers. The rusty areas at the cowl and on the radiator support are a bit of a mystery. Why there?

This is a very complete car that is worthy of being put back on the road, and we will have to wait and see how realistic the reserve is set. Bidding is already active given the desirable model, but we can see a restoration of the car costing several times the current value. There aren’t many Sebring owners interested in driving one looking how this one does.

BaT Success Story: Decaffeinated 1974 UNIMOG

BaT,
Several months ago you featured a 1974 Unimog 406 auction on eBay in Quisnel, B.C.. I’m happy to tell everyone that it found a good home. It currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri in a private collection.

It can be seen traversing the tarmac of St. Louis County area occasionally. The vehicle really turned out to be great fun for everyone from the owner to the many people that rush out with cameras to take it’s picture. It’s a true crowd stopper. Not only does it look fantastic, but it runs the same.

Currently it is being fitted with 2004 Mercedes Black leather bucket seats and a complete interior makeover. But for BaT….we’d never have seen it. Thanks BaT!

Best,
Steve W.
(it’s lucky care taker)

Nice going Steve! That truck really looks clean. Enjoy it! -BaT

Fresh from GNRS: 1940 Mercury Garrison Kustom

This 1940 Mercury convertible was purchased five years ago from the grandson of the third owner. The current seller has since put together an amazing amount of history on the car and its travels, though not without some mystery still remaining. The Merc’ was just shown last month at the Grand National Roadster show, and has also been featured in Hot Rod Delux, Kustoms Illustrated, American Rodder, and Old Cars Weekly. It is now sorted out as a nice driver with factory flathead power and interesting details throughout. Find it here on eBay in Monterey, California with the reserve already met.

The seller purchased the car with no grille, minimal interior, and worn burgundy paint. There are many similarities between this car and a Mercury convertible built by Jimmy Summers, as shown in this photo gallery. The windshield chop and sectioning work are particularly similar. The car is shown below on a California used car lot in 1967 as purchased by the previous owner’s grandfather. It is believed that the Carson top was stolen around that time, but the shape is hinted by the window frames.

The interior has been given a clean white tuck and roll job, and the 39 dash is believed to have been installed all the way back in the 40’s when the car was first altered. The satin paint was shot after the body was thoroughly blocked. We’d think about taking in burgundy similar to the tattered paint that it was purchased with. The transmission is manually shifted on the tree and the rear seat area is blocked off.

Power comes from the stock Mercury flathead V8 with a single screened carb. The engine finish looks appropriate for a drive and the generator, fuel pump, and oil filter are all period correct.

Additional photos are available in the seller’s Flickr album slide-show below. Also check out the Old Cars Weekly article for more good info and pics. It is always great to see period builds, and even better when there is good ownership history to go along with them. We would take the paint and interior to the next level and then enjoy the ride.

New 10 Most Important Cars 1999-2009

Here are 10 of the most important (not coolest or fastest) cars from the last decade in no particular order. There was never a better decade for consumers in terms of selection, safety and performance, and until the credit crunch, it was great for manufacturers. You think differently to this list then please leave your comments below.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 (2005-present)
Since 2005 when the Bugatti Veyron was unveiled to us all, supercars have showed up that are faster and more powerful but none have come close to blending it all together so beautifully.


As the Veyron is the result of around one-third billion dollars' investment in research and development by Volkswagen, it will be a very long time before another car is built that will match its unique combination of total performance, complete driveability and marvelous engineering.

Ford GT (2003-2006)
All hail the GT. The Corvette ZR1 may be a world-beating bargain supercar, but it's still a Corvette. The Ford GT was the most covetous machine released by a major American manufacturer since, well, the Ford GT40 in the 1960s.


It doesn't much matter that it has windshield wipers from a Taurus and $.36 Focus key fob, the thing's a red-blooded, supercharged American triumph that did more for Ford's brand image than a decade's worth of Superbowl commercials. It also doesn't matter that the GT didn't break much in the way of stylistic ground, as the GT40 it apes is one of the more beautiful collection of hand-beaten panels ever to grace pavement (and kick Ferrari's ass on the racetrack).

Toyota Prius (2001-present)

The Prius wasn't the first hybrid sold in the UK, but it is undoubtedly the most successful, and Toyota has moved more than three-quarters of a billion units globally. The 2004 Prius made fuel efficiency hip and spawned a cult of douchebaggery worthy of its own episode of South Park.


The Prius is a spacious, fuel-efficient, unique-looking people mover that's as exciting to drive as a parked bus. Toyota's sales success with the Prius was sufficient to push damn near every manufacturer on the planet into hybrid strategies of their own. That's ultimately a good thing, if not for the planet than for the potential impact on performance.

Tata Nano (2008-present)
We have the Model T, Henry Ford's "car for the great multitudes," to thank for helping kick-start a manufacturing and transportation revolution that then aided in birthing a robust middle-class, urban America and modern consumer culture as we know it.


A "car for the great multitude" was Henry Ford's goal. We're not suggesting the Tata Nano will undo millennia of caste prejudices and reshape India — but a whole lot of families who used to travel by rickshaw and motorbike will now be rolling in a Tata Nano, the cheapest new available car in India, or anywhere else in the world. At $2K, the Nano is very much a real car with solid vehicle dynamics and will likely serve as the blueprint for similar mechanization elsewhere, for better or worse.

Tesla Roadster (2008-present)
There's enough controversy around this car and the company that produced it to spawn a movie. Hell, we're sure scripts have already been optioned. Regardless, Tesla managed to produce, if in very limited quantities, what established manufacturers said couldn't be built: an electric car with real range and performance that works like a real car.


We're aware of the existence of GM's EV1, but the Tesla Roadster beat in one very important area: Sexiness. People want the car, and not just posthumously. The Roadster is gorgeous, fast and usable when it's not blowing fuses. If you can get one.

Nissan Skyline GT-R (2008-present)
If we spend perhaps a bit too much time lamenting the soul-sapping impact computers have had on the motoring experience at large, the Nissan Skyline GT-R is what happens when all those zeros and ones are harnessed for a goal we approve of: the singular pursuit of speed.


The GT-R isn't world-beating because it's quick enough to reshuffle your internal organs, which it is. It whomps on various Ferraris, Lamborghinis and most other vehicles you can slap a plate on because it employs an army of processors to translate your accelerative, lateral and decelerative desires, however well or poorly informed, into improbable performance. It works well enough that a GT-R just won the One Lap of America, having beaten various Corvette Z06s and Porsche GT2s.

Audi R10 (2006-2008)
The Audi R10 did not single-handedly change the face of diesel technology, but it carved, in bedrock, the notion that diesel engines are a key component of our motoring future, and not a smoky, stinky relic from the past.


In 28 starts, it won 14 times, including the last three 24 Hours of Le Mans. Europeans clearly don't have the public perception issues with diesels that we do in the U.S., but then they weren't subjected to the Oldsmobile 350 diesel. The R10 demonstrated that far from being an oxymoron, diesel performance is now and forever a part of the enthusiast lexicon; we learned this firsthand, as it was a turbodiesel engine that bestowed our little Sipster-that-could with unlikely acceleration and fuel efficiency.

Porsche Cayenne (2002-present)
Porsche has been making cars, almost always at a profit, since before WWII. In 2002, it made a truck that helped transform this sports car manufacturer from Stuttgart into one of Europe's more cash-flush automakers.


The Cayenne SUV was created for the U.S. market, but that didn't stop it from taking the globe by storm — you'll see as many examples clogging cobblestone streets in medieval towns in Italy as you will lining the parking lot at Bloomingdale's. When Lamborghini built an SUV in 1986, the LM002 was distinctly a Lamborghini, wild-assed and delightfully over-the-top. The Cayenne, on the other hand, isn't as Porschey as a Porsche perhaps should be, but there's a moment for every rock band to sell out, and Porsche chose its chart topper wisely.

Toyota IQ (2008-present)
If it weren't first sold in 1998, the two-passenger Smart ForTwo would have the IQ's spot on this list. The ForTwo marked the first time since Fiat's lovable postwar 500 ceased production that a truly small car was successfully marketed (outside of Japan, anyway) to the masses.

Toyota has advanced the concept with its 10.5-foot, in theory four-passenger IQ. It might even make it to these shores as a Scion. If we want more cars like the Lotus Elise and Mazda Miata whose fine driving dynamics are much informed by their relatively feathery curb weights, we cannot live in fear of the hardened-steel cow catchers, er, bumpers on Hummer H2s; the IQ sports nine airbags, including an industry-first rear-curtain airbag to better cushion the delivery of a physics lesson.

Hummer H2 (2003-present)
The Hummer H2 is the apotheosis of America's love affair with the SUV. There have been bigger (barely), more expensive beasts built, but none have been as in-your-face, none as erect a giant rolling middle finger, and few feature worse fuel consumption (single-digit fuel mileage is often reported by users).

At more than 3 tons, it weighs as much as two small cars combined which, ironically, once qualified its owners for a $10K tax break. It made Time magazine's list of 50 Worst Cars of All Time and stands as one of the great mobile altars to conspicuous consumption. It was ultimately public reaction to this sturdily assembled pile of pig iron that broke the back of the mega-SUV trend; good, normal Americans who like their cars big and their Hungry Man breakfasts even bigger decided that maybe the H2 is a bit much; fuel costs and common sense pushed the public toward the cultural adoption of the now ubiquitous CUV.

When Two Turbos Just Aren’t Enough!

I was having a deep, intellectual discussion with my friend Jon yesterday. We were talking about turbos. This is not uncommon for us; exhaust-driven air compressors are a form of religion around here. We were discussing what the proper number of turbos for an engine should be. I suggested two; he said either one or four. Then the question arose: has there ever been a car with three?

“Good question,” I said. “I really don’t know.” A little research turned up a most interesting result. Of course it would come from the world of diesel truck tuning, where injecting propane into an engine is not only normal, but encouraged. A company called Bullseye Performance has a triple-turbo kit for the 5.9L Cummins 24v Turbodiesel I6 that is available in heavy-duty Dodge Ram trucks, and it’s unbelievably serious. This led me to pictures, articles, and multiple insane YouTube videos. You have to check this out.

Yup, that’s three turbochargers. THREE. Count ‘em. How does this work? It’s a 2-into-1 compound setup. The two CompR 62mm turbochargers feed the larger 66mm CompR turbocharger, in perhaps the world’s most badass “twin scroll” setup. Oh, your Celica GT-4 has a twin entry turbo? My dodge has a twin-turbo turbo. Mull that over in your head for a minute.

This engine is the very definition of nuts. It’s currently making 946rwhp and 1,916 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. That’s almost, umm, literally a ton of torque. Even wilder? It’s last dyno run, the truck was pushing almost 100psi of boost. Internal modifications? Well, the truck has a stock bottom end and connecting rods (the rotating assembly in a Cummins 5.9 is ridiculously overbuilt from the factory, but c’mon!), fire ring and upgread head studs on the stock head, with a Hamilton street cam and springs. A Level 4 CP3 pump and custom (presumably massive) injectors deliver fuel, and an enormous AFE air-to-air intercooler keep intake temperatures down when running 100psi of boost.

Of course, if you have a truck making almost 2,000 lb-ft of torque and almost 1,000 horsepower, it needs smoke stacks coming out of the bed. Naturally.

In addition to being a daily-driven street truck that Bullseye uses as a delivery vehicle, the triple-turbo beast recently layed down a 10.95 @ 124.5 in the quarter-mile. Which doesn’t sound like an especially amazing number, except this is a full-weight 2005 quad cam 4WD truck with A/C, all it’s seats, etc -- so the kerb weight is probably near or over 7,000 lbs. Under 11s in the quarter mile in a 3.5 ton vehicle? I’m interested.

The amount of unburnt fuel pouring out of the exhaust is alarming, but watching something that large move that quickly is pretty amazing. Here’s a video of Bullseye’s truck on a dyno. Quite a bit of compressor noise!

And this video is proof of why you don’t dyno a truck like this indoors. It’s what diesel tuners call a blackout. Oh, and this was back with a previous tune when the truck was only making 743 horsepower and 1,312 lb-ft of torque. You know, chump change.

Is a triple-turbocharger setup practical for a daily driver? Absolutely not. Even when it’s a tricky compound setup like this, there’s still a huge amount of plumbing and heat associated with this many turbos. It’s needless complication when today’s ball-bearing twin scroll turbos can spool off of exhaust gasses right above idle rpm. But still, what’s cooler than popping the hood and watching jaws drop as they count three turbochargers? Exactly, nothing.

A Study Of Opposites At A Stoplight

I pulled up to the 4-way intersection as I headed towards the highway, and I noticed something. A strange sense of something interesting. I looked over to my left, and realized the silver compact hatchback in the turning lane was actually a Chevy Volt, not a Saturn Astra or a VW Golf like you might think at first glance.

It’s the first time I’ve seen a Volt in person, and I was pleasantly surprised. In real life, it’s a hunkered-down low slung looking thing, without the normal reek of hybrid dullness about it. Great looking car. And considering the relative importance of the Volt in the scheme of things, that would be a good enough spotting for me for one day. But let’s zoom the frame out a bit here.

Hmm… A highway on-ramp, a Toyota Minivan for the local Toyota dealer, a stoplight, a… wait. A Cateram 7?

Now that’s not something you see every day! I don’t know if this is a Cateram, Doonkervort, Birkin, Dax, or any of the other 14 million different Lotus 7 clones, but regardless, seeing a Seven on the streets in Raleigh NC (of all places!) is pretty damn strange. Seeing one at the same light as a Chevy Volt is even stranger. Really, how different can two cars get?

On the one hand, you’ve got the Volt, which is so packed full of batteries and computers and electric motors and pistons and seat heaters and computer screens and plugs and gas tanks and probably one of those nefarious “black boxes.” On the other side, you’ve got a 7. Which has… an engine! Some wheels! Slabs of metal to keep water from the front tires off your face! A roof you can put up, if you really feel like it! I feel like two cars can’t get much more different than a Volt and a 7. And to see both of them… at one stoplight… in Raleigh. Unusual to say the least.

Which would I rather have? The 7, of course. This is CarThrottle, not Gizmodo. Sevens stand for everything that is righteous and awesome about sports cars, a design so good it’s been in production basically unchanged since the late 50′s. Light is still the easiest way to go fast. And I’d imagine that by the time the Volt is out of date and out of production, they’ll still be making 7′s, because people will still want them.

(Ed’s note: sorry for the low resolution and general crappiness of these photos. Still, Camera Phones are getting better!)

When Two Turbos Just Aren’t Enough!

I was having a deep, intellectual discussion with my friend Jon yesterday. We were talking about turbos. This is not uncommon for us; exhaust-driven air compressors are a form of religion around here. We were discussing what the proper number of turbos for an engine should be. I suggested two; he said either one or four. Then the question arose: has there ever been a car with three?

“Good question,” I said. “I really don’t know.” A little research turned up a most interesting result. Of course it would come from the world of diesel truck tuning, where injecting propane into an engine is not only normal, but encouraged. A company called Bullseye Performance has a triple-turbo kit for the 5.9L Cummins 24v Turbodiesel I6 that is available in heavy-duty Dodge Ram trucks, and it’s unbelievably serious. This led me to pictures, articles, and multiple insane YouTube videos. You have to check this out.

Yup, that’s three turbochargers. THREE. Count ‘em. How does this work? It’s a 2-into-1 compound setup. The two CompR 62mm turbochargers feed the larger 66mm CompR turbocharger, in perhaps the world’s most badass “twin scroll” setup. Oh, your Celica GT-4 has a twin entry turbo? My dodge has a twin-turbo turbo. Mull that over in your head for a minute.

This engine is the very definition of nuts. It’s currently making 946rwhp and 1,916 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. That’s almost, umm, literally a ton of torque. Even wilder? It’s last dyno run, the truck was pushing almost 100psi of boost. Internal modifications? Well, the truck has a stock bottom end and connecting rods (the rotating assembly in a Cummins 5.9 is ridiculously overbuilt from the factory, but c’mon!), fire ring and upgread head studs on the stock head, with a Hamilton street cam and springs. A Level 4 CP3 pump and custom (presumably massive) injectors deliver fuel, and an enormous AFE air-to-air intercooler keep intake temperatures down when running 100psi of boost.

Of course, if you have a truck making almost 2,000 lb-ft of torque and almost 1,000 horsepower, it needs smoke stacks coming out of the bed. Naturally.

In addition to being a daily-driven street truck that Bullseye uses as a delivery vehicle, the triple-turbo beast recently layed down a 10.95 @ 124.5 in the quarter-mile. Which doesn’t sound like an especially amazing number, except this is a full-weight 2005 quad cam 4WD truck with A/C, all it’s seats, etc -- so the kerb weight is probably near or over 7,000 lbs. Under 11s in the quarter mile in a 3.5 ton vehicle? I’m interested.

The amount of unburnt fuel pouring out of the exhaust is alarming, but watching something that large move that quickly is pretty amazing. Here’s a video of Bullseye’s truck on a dyno. Quite a bit of compressor noise!

And this video is proof of why you don’t dyno a truck like this indoors. It’s what diesel tuners call a blackout. Oh, and this was back with a previous tune when the truck was only making 743 horsepower and 1,312 lb-ft of torque. You know, chump change.

Is a triple-turbocharger setup practical for a daily driver? Absolutely not. Even when it’s a tricky compound setup like this, there’s still a huge amount of plumbing and heat associated with this many turbos. It’s needless complication when today’s ball-bearing twin scroll turbos can spool off of exhaust gasses right above idle rpm. But still, what’s cooler than popping the hood and watching jaws drop as they count three turbochargers? Exactly, nothing.

New Triangle Z Club Fall Show,

Hard to believe, but the Datsun (now Nissan) Z-car turned 40 last year. It’s hard to imagine a world without Japanese sports cars now, but the Datsun 240Z (or Fairlady Z to our friends overseas) was the car that really put Japan on the map for something more than transportation appliances. Over those four decades and change, the Z car has acquired a fanatically loyal following in every corner of the world, and going to a Z-car show is perhaps the best proof of this.

The Triangle Z Club held their fall show on October 30th, 2010 at nearby Crossroads Nissan in Wake Forest, NC. The turnout was huge, with everything from the first Z-car imported for sale in the US (yes, seriously) to the latest and greatest 370Z models. I went out with camera in hand to take some pictures. Check them out, and leave a comment below if you like!

This wild, custom Z-car was the first thing that greeted me as I walked in. I think it’s based off of a 260Z, but honestly at this point it’s hard to tell. Most of the body work is custom- check out the massively flared rear fenders to clear the wide rear tires – and the paintwork was deep enough to swim in. There was some sort of heavily-cammed large V8 under the hood, but he never tilted the clamshell forward, so it was hard to tell. It’s a bit over the top, but different strokes for different folks!

Here’s one that never came from the factory: a 280Z with no roof. There’s a solid roll bar (presumably to negate some of the rigidity lost with the loss of the roof), and without a top (and faired-in headlights) the Z car takes on a bit of a Jaguar E-Type look. I kinda like it.

This Z was looking a bit rough, but it’s worth taking a look under the hood…

Ford and GM V8 swaps in old Z-cars are becoming pretty common these days. This is a Ford motor, most likely a 302, with an Edelbrock manifold and a big carb on top. It’s probably not much heavier than the original L-series OHC straight 6, and it’s got a lot more power. This one was actually pretty quiet, too. Sleeper, much?

Ahh, a 280ZX 2+2 Turbo. Back in the early 80′s, this was one of the flat-out fastest cars money could buy. The single-cam fuel injected turbocharged L28 straight-six put out 180 horsepower, and it’s approximate 7-sec0nd 0-60 time meant it could keep pace with 911′s and Corvette’s of the era. This model would be an ’82 or ’83, because when the Turbo debuted in ’81 it was only available with a 3-speed automatic. ’82-’83 cars got a Tremec T-5 5-speed manual transmission capable of dealing with the power. How about those 80′s-tastic 4-spoke wheels! Check the engine out: how’s this for a vacuum line nightmare?

I believe this one had an aftermarket intercooler installed, judging by the piping. Factory 280ZX Turbos weren’t equipped with one. It also had high-output MSD ignition components; one wonders just how much power this old Z is making these days.

Another aftermarket convertible conversion on a 280Z. The Panasport alloys are a pretty standard choice on classic Z-cars. The bright yellow is not. I dig it!

Now here’s a rare site. It’s called “Lucky Number 13,” and it’s the first Z-car imported to the United States for public sale. The first twelve were just for testing purposes; this one was sold at a dealership in North Carolina in 1969, and changed hands a few times before the owner realized how important it was. It’s undergoing restoration, but it’s in remarkably good shape. This is where it all started.

This is most all of the old-style (240, 260, 280Z) cars lined up. You can really see how much of a departure the (Z31) 300ZX was when it replaced these.

Here’s a really clean triple-carb’d L28. Just gorgeous motors, so little junk on them back then.

A tracked-prepped Z. Check out the race slicks.

A car that’s been enjoying more love in recent years is the first-generaton (Z31 chassis) 300ZX. There were a few Z31′s in attendance, ranging from mild to stripped out track cars.

The 300ZX’s VG30 engine was the first V6 used in Z-cars; all previous Z cars used a derivative of the L-series straight six. This is the VG30ET in the 300ZX Turbo, a single-cam two-valve single turbo V6 with an intercooler. Back in the day, it’s 200bhp made it one of the most powerful cars you could buy. Times change, eh?

This all white 300ZX was showroom-floor immaculate, with about 7,000 miles on the odo. You could eat off the dashboard. Or the cam covers. Insane!

I’ve never seen such a clean Z31 in my life.

Moving on to newer Z’s, there were no shortage of Z32 chassis (1990-1996) 300ZX’s in attendance. The 300ZX’s engine gained twin-cam four valve heads, and the naturally aspirated model actually had more power (222bhp) than the old Turbo. Of course, the sophisticated 300ZX Twin-Turbo was the star of the show, with it’s Corvette-baiting 300bhp back in the day. What a nightmare these must be to work on.

I don’t know if all the chrome, carbon-fibre, and red silicone hoses make more power. But the JWT upgraded turbos, Nismo injectors, free-flow exhaust, custom tune, and a huge long list of other aftermarket parts probably do.

Still a timeless shape, 20 years after it debuted. What a gorgeous car.

Like I said, lots of Z32′s. Side note: that distinguished looking gentleman in the sunglasses is my dad, who came along in his G35 6MT sedan to check out the Nissans.

Another shot of the 300ZX’s.

Another 300ZX Twin-Turbo engine bay. The VG30DETT was an extraordinarily sophisticated engine for it’s time, and they’re capable of making huge power.

Finally, moving on to the lastest generation of Z-cars: the 350Z and 370Z. There was no lack of love for these “revival” Z-cars, to be sure. Check out this Nismo-slathered 350Z.

Another Nismo- tuned Z-car here as well. And here’s an interesting modification…

I apologize for the over-exposure on this shot, but that was a lot of chrome and a lot of sunlight. This is a 370Z fitted with a Stillen Supercharger kit, which is mounted via a complex bracket off to the side of the motor for space reasons. There was another 370Z at the show with this same kit, which sadly I didn’t get any pictures of – it was remarkable because there was nothing on the outside to differentiate it as anything but a regular 370Z. Stock wheels, body, suspension, brakes… just a Still exhaust was the only hint it was anything but a regular Nissan. Pretty neat.

And finally, I’ll end this post with a preview of things to come.

This is a friend’s 240SX, with a bit of a Frankenstein’s Monster under the hood. It’s massively powerful, quite trick, and you can look forward to a full feature on it coming soon on CarThrottle. Until next time, friends.