Japanese Pro Touring Style: Common Snapper's S30Z

Earlier today, while browsing through the magazine section at the Japanese book store, my eye was drawn to the December issue of Custom Car magazine. Of course having a beautiful woman on the cover will have a tendency to do that, but even more importantly I noticed a wicked looking S30Z sitting right behind her. I decided to buy the magazine and after looking inside, I think I may have found one of the most impressive S30Z's of all time. I have yet to see another car with this combination of classic and modern so seamlessly integrated.

If you can find it, try to pick up the magazine. It also has some nice coverage of the Japanese Classic Car Show from Long Beach. Anyways, here's what it looks like-

The car in particular is a '74 Fairlady Z built by Common Snapper, a Mie-prefecture based shop that specializes in Japanese and foreign custom car customization of all sorts. As you will see, Common Snapper left no part of this Z untouched.

The first thing that you notice on the car are the 18"x8.5 front and 18"x10.5 rear SSR Professor MS1 wheels. They fit the car nicely ,looking very natural despite the aggressive sizing. The mesh spokes of the SSRs' cover a set of BNR32 Skyline GTR brakes. The exterior modifications are nominal, including ZG-style flares, a front spoiler, and side mirrors.

Naturally, the engine is far from normal - an R33 Skyline GTR RB26DETT to be exact. While an RB26 under the hood of an S30Z is not ground-breaking, this swap has been done flawlessly. The engine is mounted very close to the firewall, giving it a front midship-like layout. A massive front mount intercooler peeks out from behind the bumper and the chromed cam cover adds some aesthetic appeal to the engine bay. There are no crazy single turbo set-ups, as the mild RB already makes more than enough power for the S30.

The balanced theme is continued underneath the car where the suspension has also been modernized with a coilover set-up including Z31 hubs up front, among other items. Here's a pic during the build-

The most unique part of this car, however, is the interior. After seeing the rest of the car, you might expect a gutted, caged interior with carbon fiber bucket seats, but that is far from the case here. A complete cockpit from an R33 Skyline GTR has been retrofitted to the car. This includes the dashboard, gauges, center-console and seats. It looks absolutely amazing, like something from the factory. An upgraded sound system is present as well, in case the the driver grows tired of the RB sound.

Like modern the pro-touring Challengers and Camaros that are found in the U.S., this Z is built to be a street car that excels in all areas. It has a great combination power, handling, comfort, and a classic style that add sets the standard for the new wave of modified classic Japanese cars. I'm hoping I'll get a chance to check this one out up close sometime next year. Until then, be sure to check out more at Common Snapper's site .

Comments

[Ozymandias Zero]

Holy Molly Fu.....

Damn.... i can't say anything other than unbelievable... Impressive job and flawless choice of components, materials and style... i can see many people trying to do the same with their Zs from now on...

[James]

Possibly the cleanest and most well built s30z in existance.Common Snapper knows what's up!!!

J.S

[neil]

Awesome car - I want one

[Gavin Doolan]

Nice car, but I don't like the deleted badges, colour coded flares or modern dash and wheels myself. I much prefer the old school look.

[2NRD]

anybody knows the offset?

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