After being a Ford guy for many years and owning a variety of trucks and Mustangs, I bought my first Z two weeks ago; it’s a ‘06 roadster with less than 60k miles. I'm well versed in prepping Mustangs with a wide range of performance goodies, but at the end of the day they are still GTs with back seats and a relatively mild touring/commuter pedigree. The 350Z is obviously a smaller package that’s not good for hauling a wad of kids to their soccer match or even for filling with more than a couple days worth of groceries, but it does everything else like a slot car. I'm really impressed and it constantly puts a smile on my face. But to be honest--especially by 2020 standards--it could use another 50-100 horsepower... at least. So, I started thinking, what engine would I cram under the hood with unlimited time and cash? I decided a 5.2 litre flat plane crank V8 out of a GT350 would be awe inspiring! As I thought more about it, the two names: GT350 and 350Z came together so well that my brainstorm just seemed to beg for an artist’s concept or prototype illustration. So, there’s no practical reason for this, just fun to say and look at, but here it is, slot car and street eating stallion in one: The one and only GT350Z!

GT350Z concept art

 

I do miss my Z, but I got frustrated by the lack of power compared to newer cars. The car was just able to keep up with the technology that was coming out with newer cars. The fact that family vehicles had the same or more HP than the Z bothered me a little.

 

Ya, my last Mustang was a beautiful car... a very low miles, black convertible with staggered wheels/tires, subframe connectors and a few body mods.. but it was 225 horsepower.
That's less than many V6 SUVS running around. Even my Lexus 3.0 was 220 horsepower. Everyone wanted to race, knowing that era stang was a slug. Had to sell it out of sheer embarrassment!