With the body conversion done, it was on to the handling, which was a pressing matter as the car desperately needed to be lowered for TAS. Kamata-san called in Aragosta, which prepared a brand new set of adjustable dampers ready to befitted to the Z. Tarzan Yamada will be called in to set-up the suspension, something that will be done on a number of circuits as well as roads. He did a great job with the Zele GT-R, so there is really no one better for the job. Moments before we positioned the car for the camera the brand new $2,150 titanium front strut tower bar was fitted, a work of art in its own right, taking full advantage of the three factory mounting points. The stock Brembo brakes on the Z are not bad, but it was just not going to cut it for Zele, so on went their full Performance Racing Brembo brake kit. Retailing at a cool $21,650 you won't be surprised to hear that no corners were cut here. Up front 6-pot forged calipers are used, the same items you would find on a modern mid-sized race car. These employ the latest technology from the Brembo GTR caliper series, which on top of the lightweight design employs titanium pistons inserts for additional cooling. These are mated to 380 mm two-piece floating rotors, while the four-pot Brembo GTR calipers bite down on 345 mm rotors at the rear. The result is an impressively powerful and progressive setup, totally immune to brake fade, thanks also to the Brembo hi-friction brake pads.
Performance-wise the Zele 370Z runs a specially-tuned FZ Rom, which is currently under final development. This will offer a more responsive feel from the engine as well as marginal power and torque gains when mated to the Zele titanium exhaust system. Zele has also teamed up with engine specialists Tomei, who are currently developing high-performance headers to not only boost power but also sound. These join a long list of additional tuning parts coming in 2009.
The 370Z's modern interior has been joined by a pair of Recaro TS-G bucket seats, upholstered in Alcantara, giving a supreme tactile delight for those lucky enough to squeeze into them! A Zele titanium shift knob completes the interior modifications, a piece created from a billet chunk of titanium, which explains the $355 price tag.
For those looking for the ultimate complete performance package, Zele will be offering this 370Z as you see it here. Prices will be announced later in the year once the final spec is determined. Like with the Complete Edition GT-R, if you ship your 370Z to Yokohama Japan, Zele will take care of the conversion. Parts will also be sold separately.
Fast Facts
2009 Nissan 370Z Complete Edition (Z34)
Owner Zele Performance
Hometown Yokohama, Japan
Daily Grind Tuning Shop
Under The Hood 3.7L VQ37DE; Zele Type2 titanium muffler, dry carbon-fiber radiator shroudBrains Zele FZ-ROM Type1
Stiff Stuff Zele Aragosta suspension kit, titanium strut tower brace
Rollers RAYS Engineering/Volk Racing TE37 G2 9.5Jx20" (front), 10Jx20" (rear); Bridgestone Potenza RE050A 275/30/20 (front), 285/30/20 (rear)
Stoppers Zele/Brembo Racing 6-pot front calipers with 380mm 2-piece rotors/4-pot rear calipers with 345mm 2-piece rotors
Outside Zele front aero bumper, carbon-fiber front lip spoiler, side skirt set, rear bumper, carbon-fiber rear spoiler, carbon-fiber pillar cover set, carbon-fiber side mirror covers, Zele signature orange paint
Inside Recaro bucket seats TS-G with Alcantara fabric; Zele titanium shift knob
WWW bridgestone.com; mackinindustries.com (Volk Racing); recaro.com; zeleperformance.com