[dkmura]

My story with the Z started as a young driver when my father casually mentioned interest in the then-new 240Z. "Maybe we should get one that I could drive to work, and you could learn to drive with", he remarked. Well, that never happened, but the seed was planted. My own Z came when I pre-ordered the Z33 in 2001. I'd been racing GT cars in SCCA by that point and knew what I wanted.

A career as a automotive journalist grew out of my racing career, as I wrote for SportsCar, Performance Racing News and other road racing oriented publications in the 80's and 90's. When the Z33 was introduced, I got assignments with Sport Z and Nissan Sport Magazines, rising from Technical editor through the ranks to Editor-in-Chief. Currently I'm an editor for Redline Magazine and a mod for two other Z car discussion boards.

I still drive and race Z cars on the street and in SCCA competition. Looking forward to meeting and interacting with more Z enthusiasts as we all wait to see what Nissan has created for those of us who treasure the art of driving!

 

[MCN1SMO]

I remember Nissan Sports Magazine. I think I even had a shot of my Z from tail of the dragon in there back in the day. and the local Z club here in NC where im from used to have some sponsorships with the mag

 

[dkmura]

I remember Nissan Sports Magazine. I think I even had a shot of my Z from tail of the dragon in there back in the day. and the local Z club here in NC where im from used to have some sponsorships with the mag

Glad you remember NSM. Thanks! We always covered ZdayZ and had regular coverage of our partner Z Clubs around the country. I miss NSM and my career in print media, but I've tried to adapt my editing and writing skills to internet based journalism.

 

[Rusty]

My story with the Z started as a young driver when my father casually mentioned interest in the then-new 240Z. "Maybe we should get one that I could drive to work, and you could learn to drive with", he remarked. Well, that never happened, but the seed was planted. My own Z came when I pre-ordered the Z33 in 2001. I'd been racing GT cars in SCCA by that point and knew what I wanted.

A career as a automotive journalist grew out of my racing career, as I wrote for SportsCar, Performance Racing News and other road racing oriented publications in the 80's and 90's. When the Z33 was introduced, I got assignments with Sport Z and Nissan Sport Magazines, rising from Technical editor through the ranks to Editor-in-Chief. Currently I'm a editor for Redline Magazine and a mod for two other Z car discussion boards.

I still drive and race Z cars on the street and in SCCA competition. Looking forward to meeting and interacting with more Z enthusiasts as we all wait to see what Nissan has created for those of us who treasure the art of driving!

Welcome to the forum @dkmura! Very cool to have someone on here with a journalism background on the forum. Are you planning on racing the 400Z like @MCN1SMO? What do you think of what Nissan has done with the car so far?

 

[Administrator]

Welcome to the forum @dkmura!

 

[S30R32]

Welcome @MCN1SMO and @dkmura ! When you guys get to So California, look me up, I'm still tracking my 240Z here, mostly with SpeedVentures.

 

[zenki]

Welcome @dkmura!
With your Z experience all these years, what do you think about the new Z35/400Z?

 

[dkmura]

Welcome to the forum @dkmura! Very cool to have someone on here with a journalism background on the forum. Are you planning on racing the 400Z like @MCN1SMO? What do you think of what Nissan has done with the car so far?

Thanks, but I think of myself as a racer who dabbles in being a journalist! As for road racing the next Z (whether they call it the 400Z or not), I don't wish to tear a new car apart to install a roll cage, fire system and the safety equipment necessary. This is different than solo or even time trials, where you can retain a mostly stock interior. I might consider rebodying a GT tubeframe car with new bodywork that makes it look like the new Z, but that's another story.

As for what I've seen of the Z Proto, I like much of the exterior and interior styling, and applaud Nissan for keeping it strictly in-house. Picking the VR30DDTT should be a good choice, and the (6-speed?) manual tranny is a must-have. I hope the Z engineering team puts in plenty of cooling to handle the needs of this powerful and dynamic drivetrain. Nobody has mentioned the next Z's diff, but Nissan really needs to consider a Quaife, or other clutch-type LSD to put all that blown power down.

 

[THaskins]

Thanks, but I think of myself as a racer who dabbles in being a journalist! As for road racing the next Z (whether they call it the 400Z or not), I don't wish to tear apart a new car apart to install a roll cage, fire system and safety equipment necessary. This is different than solo or even time trials, where you can retain a mostly stock interior. I might consider rebodying a GT tubeframe car with new bodywork that makes it look like the new Z, but that's another story.

As for what I've seen of the Z Proto, I like much of the exterior and interior styling, and applaud Nissan for keeping it strictly in-house. Picking the VR30DDTT should be a good choice, and the (6-speed?) manual tranny is a must-have. I hope the Z engineering team puts in plenty of cooling to handle the needs of this powerful and dynamic drivetrain. Nobody has mentioned the next Z's diff, but Nissan really needs to consider a Quaife, or other clutch-type LSD to put att that blown power down.

Welcome @dkmura! The manual transmission in the Z Proto is six-speed so I imagine the same will be in the production model. The question of the differential is interesting because correct me if I'm wrong, the Q60 doesn't come with a LSD right?

 

[dkmura]

The

Welcome @dkmura! The manual transmission in the Z Proto is six-speed so I imagine the same will be in the production model. The question of the differential is interesting because correct me if I'm wrong, the Q60 doesn't come with a LSD right?

View attachment 1055

The Q60 Sport package includes a VLSD (viscous limited slip diff), but that won't be sufficient for the next Z. A VLSD might work with a luxury Infiniti coupe, bur let's hope Nissan doesn't cheap out on a critical component for a full-on sports car like the next Z.

 

[S30R32]

The Q60 Sport package includes a VLSD (viscous limited slip diff), but that won't be sufficient for the next Z. A VLSD might work with a luxury Infiniti coupe, bur let's hope Nissan doesn't cheap out on a critical component for a full-on sports car like the next Z.

Good point, for that power output, a helical or clutch type LSD is needed. I run the Quaife in mine and been bulletproof with heat and performance.