Electric Carbon Widebody Datsun Z With 400 HP Looks To The Future – HotCars

The restomod scene is big business these days, with more and more crazy classic car project builds seemingly coming out of the woodwork every day. While there’s no shortage of interesting builds in the automotive ether, the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas is where all the big automotive brands and tuning shops across the U.S. showcase their wildest and most innovative projects.

In the past, most SEMA builds focused on the internal combustion engine. However, with the global push towards electric vehicles, even the aftermarket brands are taking notice and incorporating EV technology into their latest builds and products. Automotive YouTuber Larry Chen has been checking out this wild carbon Nissan/Datsun 280Z, combining retro sports car styling with modern technology to create something truly unique.

Related

Why The Amuse Carbon-R Is A Custom Nissan R34 GT-R Like No Other

Nissan GT-R R34 is one of the most iconic JDM sports cars ever made. Then there’s this wild modified GT-R that defines ‘weight reduction’!

This Datsun Z Went From 3D Computer Design To Reality

Carbon Widebody Datsun 280Z Key Details

• Carlos Pecino and Ash Thorp, founders of Make Haste Corp, collectively designed this wild all-carbon Datsun Z
• Both have over 15 years of experience in the digital design industry, with Ash designing the Batmobile for the latest Batman movie
• This carbon Z was built by Tim Hicks over 6 months, taking him over 3,000 hours to complete
• The Z went from 3D model, to CAD design, to real life – with Tim utilizing 3D printing to get the mold for the carbon fiber panels
• The Z is an EV, powered by two Chevy bolt battery packs going to a single Tesla Model S large drive unit

The concept for this wild Datsun is from the collective minds of Carlos Pecino and Ash Thorp and their digital design company, Make Haste Corp. Pecino and Thorp combined have over 30 years of experience with 3D graphics and design, VFX, and motion graphics, and in early 2021 formed Make Haste Corp as a way to showcase their shared passion for automotive design.

Related

The Story Behind Nissan’s Heritage Collection In Japan

Housing Nissan’s most iconic road and race cars, car lovers and die-hard JDM fans alike owe it to themselves to check out this stunning collection.

Speaking to Larry, Ash says the design process was actually pretty straightforward. Despite the 8-hour time difference between himself and Carlos, the two would continually work and update each other’s work, with the whole design phase taking around a month to complete.

While Pecino and Thorpe’s projects are meticulously conceived in the digital world, they are now starting to bring these designs to life. This S30 Datsun Z, nicknamed “The Legacy”, is the duo’s first digital project that’s made its way into the real world.

Turning This Render Into A Complete Car Took Over 3,000 Hours

The man tasked with building this wild-looking Z is Industry Garage founder Tim Hicks. Tim is a specialist at making carbon fiber panels for the S30 chassis, and after seeing Tim’s previous builds, Ash and Carlos knew he would be the perfect person to build out their vision for the EV 280Z.

However, the build process for Tim and his Industry Garage shop was less than straightforward. Tim says this project was his dive into 3D printing, and the nature of Ash and Carlos’s design process certainly presented a few challenges.

Related

Restomods And Classic Car Builds Steal The Show At SEMA 2023

RestoMods took to SEMA 2023 to examine a variety of restomods such as a 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle that took over a decade for its builders to complete.

Ash and Carlos’s original renders were all polygonal designs, which Tim then converted into a fully-fledged CAD model, and, from there, all the body panels were 3D printed in sections. One of Tim’s main issues was that the original polygonal renders weren’t based on a laser scan of the S30 chassis but instead on a model that Ash and Carlos simply purchased online. This meant that many of the panels weren’t to scale – and Tim had to spend time trying to re-size each panel accurately.

From there, Tim 3D printed all the mock panels before bonding them into place on the Nissan S30 shell. Tim used the original sheet metal from the roof down to the rear quarter panels as the buck for the molds, and once he was happy with the fitment and size, he then made another mold before finally forming the carbon fiber body panels. Tim says it was an extremely labor-intensive process that took over 3,000 hours over 6 months.

The Design Of This Z Is A Mix Of Motorsport & Cyberpunk

Carbon Widebody Datsun 280Z Specifications

(figures provided by YouTube @ Larry Chen/Chevrolet/Tesla)

From the front, Ash and Carlos elect not to use the motorsport-associated G nose and instead base the design on the original 240Z design. Taking inspiration from the S30 Xenon air dam, the fascia below the grille area is a large piece that drops down towards a massive front splitter with an endplate that rises to meet the front quarter panel.

The front quarter panel itself is now much wider, and the front ‘sugar scoop’ headlight cover has been reshaped and is now opaque carbon, with a small LED strip light replacing the original bulb. Due to the 280Z being electric, the front allows for far more design freedom. Ash and Carlos have taken advantage of that and created a unique hood that recesses deep into the body of the car and exits towards the grille area – leaving a large section of open space.

Related

Exclusive: The Wild Details Of Nissan’s Cyberpunk Hyper Concepts

You already know of the Nissan Hyper Force, Hyper Tourer and Hyper Punk, but here are all the details you did not know about.

Leading further back, the doors at the front taper in and tuck inside the front fender while gradually becoming wider towards the back of the car until they meet the wide rear quarter panel. The doors also tuck in sharply towards the rockers, leading to a wide, vented side skirt resembling a rudimentary Formula 1 bargeboard.

The rear of the car gets even more aggressive. The vented rear quarter panels and rear fascia are wide but thin and don’t travel too far downwards to cleverly retain the base car’s compact shape. This also means there’s a lot of space for an enormous rear diffuser.

Meanwhile, the rear lights have been completely removed in favor of a single thin light bar across the entire rear end, adding a distinctly cyberpunk aesthetic. Ash says he took a lot of inspiration from Porsche during the design process, and the ducktail spoiler that integrates into the rear hatch is reminiscent of a 911 Carrera RS 2.7.

A 400-HP Tesla Motor Powers All-Carbon Datsun Z

While the design of the all-carbon body is arguably the star of the show here, it wouldn’t have been possible without the car’s electric running gear. Powering the Z are two Chevrolet Bolt battery packs, with Tim cleverly utilizing the Datsun’s transmission tunnel to allow the floor to remain flat and to ensure better weight distribution with the packs spread across the Z’s spine.

The packs go through a Tesla Model S large drive unit, producing around 400 hp. Tim doesn’t give any more specifics than that, but it’s likely the Model S P8D motor that produces 416 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels, with an AEM EV unit controlling everything. CSF Race is also sponsoring the build, providing all the radiators and cooling systems.

Chassis-wise, the Z sits on Techno Toy Tuning aftermarket suspension all around. Tim says he had to extend the lower control arms 18 inches to a new pickup point to fit other structural components. The car also sits on massively dished BBS wheels with removable turbofans.

Like many SEMA builds, the aesthetics come first, and while the car runs and drives, there’s a lot of work ahead to calibrate the tune properly. Regardless, this is one EV that oozes personality, and purists need not worry as Tim only paid $500 for a rusty rolling shell – saving this car from the scrap heap.

Source: YouTube @ Larry Chen, Chevrolet, Tesla, Make Haste Corp., Industry Garage