Rip Off: 2008 Nissan Nismo 350Z

Posted by Anthony CarboneMarch 28, 2007 at 11:31 am

The Nissan 350Z has been around and unchanged for over four years now. So to spice up it’s sales, Nissan has decided that it’s time for a new special edition!

Enter the 2008 Nissan Motorsports 350z (NISMO 350z), tuned by Nissan’s in-house after market tuning division. Should we fire up the marching band and throw a welcoming party? HARDLY.

NISMO performance parts are available around the world and are extremely popular for the Japanese markets. NISMO was responsible for the R33 Skyline 400R and S14 Silvia 270R models. Both featured comprehensive modifications to the drive train, suspension, brakes, chassis, and aero work. Getting excited yet? DON’T.

With this being said it is an absolute disappointment that this new NISMO 350z will not further modify and tune the current stock 3.5-liter: V-6 306 horsepower & 268 lb-ft of torque. Also, the current 350z’s six-speed manual transmission and viscous limited-slip differential will also go unchanged.

Rest assured the car does get newly tuned suspension, Brembo brakes, and NISMO exhaust. Apparently the 350Z’s production will be quite limited (yaaaa right), and deliveries begin in July of 2007.

For those less concerned about the lack of engine modifications, the most obvious cues for the NISMO will be the new front and rear fascias, side skirts, and functional rear diffuser and wing (useless for a un-modified 350z engine), along with the NISMO-branded Ray’s engineering wheels. Painted in gunmetal grey; 18’s in the front and 19’s in the rear. All will be wearing Bridgestone RE050A rubbers.

To further coax the owner into feeling special while parading in their ‘faux-NISMO’, NISMO badges will adorn new black and red cloth seats with red stitching, along with new white and gray gauges. Final touches to each NISMO 350Z will include a serialized aluminum plaque on the center console, just to make owners feel even more special and less ripped off.

[Source: Automobilemag.com, Wikipedia.com]

| Posted in Japanese Cars, Nissan | 14 Comments

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14 Responses to “Rip Off: 2008 Nissan Nismo 350Z”

Mike Lawrence said on April 19th, 2008 at 1:49 am

Anthony, have you driven this car?
Anthony Carbone said on April 28th, 2008 at 11:16 am

Mike, no I have not yet driven the Nismo 350Z but have driven the 350Z a number of times, very fun car. Do you have a Nismo 350z or have you driven one?
Christopher Kim said on May 22nd, 2008 at 7:43 pm

Anthony, I agree that it may seem to be a rip off but I was pricing out two Zs today during some downtime at work, and was surprised to see the result:

1) NISMO packaged 350Z – $39,340 including the D & H of $660

2) Grand Touring packaged 350Z – $39,820 including the D & H of $660

That is assuming you want your 350Z to have the BREMBO braking system. This is the result of Navigation and side airbags being required if you want to be able row your own gears which to me is ridiculous but I digress.

So besides the tacky body kit, the NISMO appears to be a better buy(considering the stiffer body, and upgraded shocks/springs) if you have the innate ability in being able to read road signs and maps and bypass the artificial need for a navigation system

Amusing write up on the car, gave me a few laughs.

…”each NISMO 350Z will include a serialized aluminum plaque on the center console, just to make owners feel even more special and less ripped off.”

LOL!
Cameron said on June 6th, 2008 at 5:49 pm

What an ignorant article. The author hasn’t even driven the car, nor mentions the plethora of chassis upgrades such as additional body welds and Yamaha chassis dampers F&R. Nor does he mention the NISMO 350Z was tuned and assembled in-house by AUTECH Japan.
Adam said on September 27th, 2008 at 5:21 am

I agree, if you have not driven it, DON’T flame it.
jpumpwell said on October 12th, 2008 at 10:28 pm

He must be joking I have a 2007 350 z nismo 6 speed manual transmission and she is so sweet , but viscious she eats stangs and vettes for lunch.
Ricky Vang said on November 12th, 2008 at 5:55 pm

cf1afxdsm16kzl0g
kevin williams said on November 22nd, 2008 at 12:34 am

i need a turbo for my 2008 nismo, got any advice on what brand to choose…
alvin hill said on February 3rd, 2009 at 6:08 pm

I JUST BOUGHT ONE FOR 30,000 BRAND NEW JUST OFF THE TRUCK (HA NO ONE IS SELLING CARS ) 361 MILES 16.2 MPG AND I AM GOING TO JAIL
57 YEARS OLD AND THE CAR MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I AM 25
YES GOT MY MONEYS WORTH
Mike said on February 16th, 2009 at 2:57 am

I have have had 2 350Z – I love my Nismo more then my stock. I have never seen another one on the road… unlike most other cars… I have custom paint and engine upgrades done.
Ken Sechler said on March 3rd, 2009 at 9:07 pm

I agree with Alvin. Got mine for 30K b/c the economy sucks. I love the car. I don’t know if it would have been worth 40K to me, but 30…hell yes.
Russ said on March 4th, 2009 at 11:05 am

It is pretty obvious the author on this article has no clue on anything he is talking about and also has never driven the NISMO 350Z. I have owned a NISMO 350Z since 2007, and almost at 2 years old this car has been the most enjoyable car I have purchased. The car will easily out handle the normal 350z. It gives the Lotus Exige a run for it’s money on a road course, it beats the S2000 CR in tests. This car handles like a dream. I bought it for one reason, to be my track car. It has proven to be a excellent one at that. I love passing Porsche Carrera GT3s on the turns but they sure do catch me or pull away from me in the straights.
to the jackass!!!!!!!! said on May 31st, 2009 at 5:18 pm

this is one of the most ignorameous comments i’ve heard in a long time, i just got my nismo about 3 months ago, and i absolutely love the little beast. ill admitt it lacks a bit in the power department, but it makes up for it in the cornering, and the fun, and the looks department, and at first i thought it looked ugly especially from behind, but actually seeing it in person, and really looking at it its not so bad in fact its very beautiful.
GAMERMODZoCOM said on June 5th, 2009 at 10:34 pm

I purchased a 2008 NISMO 350Z to be our company track and event car. We did a whole lot of research in to what our best options were for this and it came down to 2 cars. The NISMO 350Z and the Lotus.

We have had the NISMO for 6 months now and the car is an absolute beast. The only thing we have left to do is Twin Turbo which will give us 550 – 600 to the wheels. Right now naturally aspirated power we put down 296 – 339 to the wheels depending on the dyno. Every shop I have been to say’s this is the most power they have ever seen a NA VQ35HR put to the wheels. It’s all about getting upgrades that work well together and we did.

I have driven a lot of cars and nothing handles like this and it only gets better with upgrades. Anyone who hasn’t driven a NISMO knows nothing about it. When you friend who raced S2000’s drives your NISMO stock and yanks your NISMO across 4 lanes on the interstate at 90 and say’s “Holy crap!”, that’s conformation.

For you other NISMO owners who want to beef yours up more, here is a list of what we have done and found to work best. You can also see a picture of it on myspace.com/gamermodz

Engine:
Injen SP1987 Cold Air Intake
Unorthodox Pulley
Fast Intentions High Flow Cats
Fast Intentions Intimidator Exaust
Stillen Headers
Stillen Engine Damper
Stillen Grounding Kit
UpRev OSIRIS Tune

Suspension:
Stillen Core Support Bar
Hotchkis Sway Bars
GTSpec Rear lateral chassis brace
GTSpec Rear Lower Tie Brace
GTSpec Front Lower Tie Brace
GTSpec 4 Point Mid-Chassis Brace
GTSpec Fender Braces
TEIN SRC Coilovers w/dual EDFC
TEIN 16g Springs
Whiteline Black Box

Brakes:
Stoptech 14″ slotted rotors
Stoptech 6pot Front, 4pot Rear Big Break Kit