I'm currently in the process of building a full race 350Z GT2/3 racer. This will be a full tubeframe SCCA car with full fiberglass bodywork produced by Nissan Motorsports.

For those who are interested, pictures of the car being built are available at:

www.proimportservices.com (click on the "picture warehouse" section to see the car under construction and compare it with a Toyota GT3 racer).

 

VERY cool!!!!

Didn't know Nissan sold glass bodies!

Please keep us updated.

I built, with a LOT of help, a GP Spit back in the '70's. Back when we had to use mostly steel fenders/bonnets. What's up with them running in HP now?

 

A bit of advice...Create thumbnails of the pics and put them on the pic page and link to the larger pic rather than just changing the IMG size. The page takes forever to load even with DSL. That being said, look good!

 

Keep in mind that it's Nissan Motorsports (the U.S. motorsports entity for Nissan North America) that sells these body kits. They specifically list them for SCCA racing use (as opposed to a street kit, in case anyone gets THAT idea)!

If you look at the same website with the 350Z pics, you'll also find a G Production Spitfire for sale. Beautiful fiberglass, dry sump motor, the works! It's Nationally competitive and remains classed in GP. Your confusion about HP may be that you're thinking of a Sprite with a "limited prep" motor in HP, but Spitfires still live and race in GP!

Thanks for the comments. I'll try to keep you updated as this project moves forward.

 

Cool. Glad to see it David.

 

My confussion is that a Spitfire WON HP at the runoffs!

I'll go look for a link.......

1st & 3rd.......

http://ww2.scca.com/clubresults.php?ID=186


And a ditto on the link....VERY slow!

 

No confusion on this subject- Spitfires are classed for both HP and GP! The difference is- quite obviously- displacement and HP. And keep in mind that there are quite a few tweaks (fiberglass pieces, engine development, suspension, etc.) available for the Spitfire in either class than in the 70's...

 

How much does a car like that cost???

 

If you're referring to the tubeframe 350Z, the actual costs of designing, fabricating, parts and finishing are probably around $75K (or more). I don't have that type of budget and this car is a rebody of a car that originally started it's racing life as a Toyota GT3 (like the sister car in the picture). Still, the costs of this particular conversion are high enough to allow me to buy another (stock) 350Z!

 

After driving my rig, together with a partially assembled race motor in the enclosed trailer, from Denver to Atlanta (where the tubeframe car was first built) I encountered every possible form of H20 known to man. Fog, rain, icy rain, snow, sleet and ice, with some hail thrown in for good measure!

The purpose was to have to original designer and constructor, SCCA racer Kevin Allen, do the actual conversion. The chassis looks quite stiff and Kevin has worked out a clever mounting pattern for the car. For those who have seen the photos, the chassis itself is quite compact and well-triangulated.

The engine that I plan to use in GT3 is the SR20DE. It works with the components on the PP2 chassis (which was originally designed for GT3) and is lightweight with good power potential. I've asked the SCCA Comp Board to classify it and we're waiting for the final air restrictor specs to be released before it gets approved.

Two problems arose during mounting the engine in the chassis: first, the oil pan (which was the OEM piece modified for dry sump capabilities) won't fit over the Appleton steering rack and will have to be modified. Second, the OEM fuel injection plenum and runners interfer with the lateral support tubes coming off the firewall area and will have to be modified. Not a big problem for a full race shop with lots of $$$, but a BIG issue for those grassroots racers like myself!

Plans are to bring the car back to Colorado towards the end of January '05. In it's new home, there remains tons of work to get the Z ready for testing and hopefully, the upcoming race season...

Stay tuned!

 

Another quick update: the rebodied 350Z is ready to return from Atlanta this weekend (January 29-30th). Unfortunately, Mother Nature is not cooperating and a winter storm is forecast with freezing rain. So, after loading the partially completed racecar into my 24' enclosed trailer, it's time to start slip-sliddin' home!

And here I thought I'd be saving my driving skill for the racetrack! Keep your fingers crossed...