Vick Bhatti’s turbocharged, widebody 350Z cuts through a cold winter’s night for NZPC

Like panthers, vampire bats and 40-year-old divorcees, some things in this world just look like they were built to hunt at night. Evolution has honed these deadly creatures to be the perfect hunters under the cover of darkness using stealth, power and fear. With his latest in a long line of highly modified cars, Aucklander Vick Bhatti seems to have taken a few pointers from that side of nature and built a vicious, night-stalking predator of his own a multi-award-winning 2004 Nissan 350Z.

Purchased just after Vick had finished building his widebody R34 Nissan Skyline, the 350Z, which now wears the trademark CONVIK plate, was driven for a total of three days before it was dropped off to Vick’s trusted bodywork man, Grant Walker, at GT Refinishers in Penrose. The plan was clear. Like the Skyline, Vick wanted a one-off machine using steel
and two very important key words: 'wide’ and 'low’.

Months of custom work ensued as Grant and his team shaped the 350Z, creating a Z33 like no other in the world. Now 100mm fatter, the Nissan has been beautifully crafted to retain the same flowing lines of the original car, yet with a decidedly Sumo-like stance on the road, especially once the stupidly fat 18×10 and 18×13-inch ABC rims were bolted on to the hubs.

The body work, including heavily modified bumpers and skirts from Ings and GP Sports, is finished in a silky smooth custom paint that started as a black, then had various coppers and red pearls added. The end result is dark, menacing and, dare we say it, very sexy.

With its naturally aspirated VQ35DE 3.5-litre V6 DOHC 24, the 350Z is a fairly capable machine in standard form, but even so that was never going to cut it. After all, a tough car is about more than just looks. This presented Vick with a problem: which was the best choice? Fit a full supercharger kit to the factory VQ35 as is so commonly done in the States? The problem was, a blower kit from the States is very expensive, especially for the power gains you achieve; while fitting a turbocharger system to the naturally aspirated motor yourself may be cheaper, but it is a tough, fiddly job that requires a lot of work and still limits the boost pressures that can be run through the motor generally agreed to be about 8psi.

Neither choice gave Vick the power he wanted, so with help from Westech Automotive’s Dion Thomson, a cost-effective and powerful alternative was conceived: ditching the VQ35 altogether. Simply put, the VQ35DE was removed, to be replaced by a VQ30DET from a 1999 Nissan Gloria Gran Turismo. Yes, the new motor was 500cc smaller but it was of the same alloy design as the VQ35, and because it was turbocharged right off the factory floor, it was perfectly suited to take the boost and power levels Vick desired.

Vick, Dion and the team spent many a night in the workshop getting the newly turbocharged machine up and running, complete with large Garrett GT3540 huffer, and about as much chrome and polish as is bearable. With the aid of a lightly road-tuned Link G4 Storm engine management system, the car is now an angry, growling street machine with more than just a little poke, as NZPC found out on the night of the photoshoot.

“The factory injectors were maxing out at 14psi of boost, which is what the motor is currently running,” says Vick. “We’ve since installed Nismo squirters but haven’t had a chance to get it on the dyno. When I do tune it properly, I’m hoping for over 300kW at the wheels.”

During the short ride we took in the Z, it didn’t feel too far off that mark as it was, with the car surging forward violently even from relatively low revs. But dyno sheets don’t lie, and we await the day that this awesome machine is strapped down and run up.

Vick says he has learnt a lot about building rides over the years, but he admits he’s not so clued up on the budget side of things. “Every time I start a new car, I always say I won’t spend as much money on it as I did the last one,” he says. You can feel there’s a “but” coming. “But I always do.”

NZPC hates to think just how much this Z has cost Vick Bhatti. Sometimes you simply can’t put a price on pure awesome.

2004 Nissan 350Z – Specifications

Engine: Nissan VQ30DET 3.0-litre V6 DOHC 24V, Garrett GT3540 turbocharger, K&N air filter, custom air intake, custom 800x200x300 intercooler, Tial 50mm blow-off valve, Tial 38mm external wastegate, custom stainless manifold, 3-inch stainless steel exhaust system, Nismo 550cc injectors, Nismo fuel pump, Sard fuel pressure regulator, aftermarket oil cooler, braided oil lines, Link G4 Storm engine management system, semi-de-loomed engine bay, custom catch can, custom water reservoir, extensive chrome work
Driveline: Factory 6-speed gearbox, full-face carbon clutch, factory LSD
Suspension/Brakes: K-Sport adjustable shocks, coil-over springs, factory Brembo 4-wheel discs
Wheels/Tyres: Front — 18×10-inch ABC Formoon rims, Bridgestone tyres – front, 18×13-inch ABC Formoon rims, Bridgestone tyres – rear
Exterior: Full custom all-steel widebody front and rear guards, customised and widened GP Sports front bar, GP Sports side skirts, widened Ings rear bar, rear LED indicators, custom black/brown with red pearl paint, Audi-style LED front spots, custom skull-smoked tail lights, custom brass front badge
Interior: Carbon fibre gearknob, A’PEXi boost gauge, HKS turbo timer, engine start button
ICE: Absolute Sounds USA DVD head unit, 2x Absolute Sounds USA 6-inch speakers, 2x Absolute Sounds USA 12-inch subwoofers, custom carbon fibre enclosure
Performance: Untested

Vick Bhatti – Owner Profile

Location: Auckland
Occupation: Owner of Xracing Motorsport
Length of ownership: 8 months
Build time: 8 months
Thanks: Big thanks to my mum for making me who I am today, my brother Sunny and his wife Kriss, little Roshni, my sisters Annie & Hina, biggest thanks to my wife Mush and our little devil Tareeq, Grant Walker and the team @ GT Refinishers, Dion Thomson @ Westech Automotive, Jargo @ Jargo the Jeweller, Leon @ Mag & Tyre Direct, Ali @ Absolute Sounds, Randall & Nick @ Elite Tints, Ryan & Suno, Greer @ Nizbits, Kurt, a big thanks to everyone listed and those I missed out for all the support and late nights

Words: Peter Kelly Photos: Adam Croy

This article is from Performance Car issue 154. Click here to check it out.