Fugu Z is a bit of an anomaly.
On one hand, it is single-handedly one of '15's most celebrated project
cars. On the other, it is just that: one person's project car, albeit a
very famous person's cherished project. If you were to strip away all
the hype, the media (social media in most of this) coverage, flashing
lights, and everything and everyone it took to get Fugu Z where it is
today, it's nothing more than a simple S30 chassis and its most basic
essentials: a motor, suspension, a somewhat there interior. Regardless
of these things, Fugu Z is a great project with a sincere backstory.
Photo 2/11
| The team at GReddy worked around the clock to finish the
Fugu Z before its unveiling the week before SEMA in Orange County.
Aside from being a project
belonging to Sung Kang (yes, that Sung Kang), this car represents more
than its famous owner. There are plenty of things you can see online to
give you more than you need to know about the who/why/what of the build,
and it would be beyond repetitive to repeat it here. To those thinking
he used his status to build a car for free, you'd be dead wrong. Did his
name help establish the right connections to build one of the best
projects to come along in recent memory? You bet your ass it did. Fugu Z
wasn't intended to become a SEMA sensation. It was supposed to be a car
three best friends could work on together on weekends with the one
hopeful intention of taking it to a track event. It just so happened
that it would evolve into the phenomenon it is now because of the team
that came to be, to help bring it to life and far beyond a weekend
racer.
Photo 3/11
| Sung Kang did the honors of showing the world the finished product at GReddy HQ.
In the very capable hands of
GReddy is where this story really begins to take off. Sung took a couple
tries but found the right donor car in Southern California, the perfect
donor car that had no major accidents and needed but a little love to
get it where it is today. Together, Sung (with his two best friends)
with the guidance of Kenji Sumino (and support of the GReddy team),
pulled everything off the car, had the chassis stitch-welded, the
incoming engine lined up for proper fitment, and a custom rollcage set
in place, all before it could be sent to Signature Autobody's for its
paint restoration. That silky Kilimanjaro White paint—it's an original
Datsun color. And the aero—a very appropriate Rocket Bunny/Pandem
creation, one that fits the Z's original lines nicely.
Photo 4/11
| 1972 Datsun 240Z Tra Kyoto Pandem Widebody Kit
After spending a little time
in the paint booth, the Z made its way back to GReddy, where the
countdown to finish the car in time for SEMA begins. One by one, it goes
back together. First, it's the suspension and brakes, a rather simple
setup with coilover struts/adjustable ride height springs, new controls
arms, and stiffer bracing. The good thing about a restoration like this,
particularly on the S30 chassis, is that it needs very little in the
way of parts to get it up and running. The brakes are large, nothing
overkill, fits into the Volk Racing TE37s and beefy Nitto tire setup
perfectly. Other small touches, like the custom Fugu Z calipers, are a
very nice addition to the overall theme.
Photo 5/11
| "Life's simple. You make choices and you don't look back." OK, sorry Sung, we had to...
The engine bay is another one
of Fugu Z's most dynamic features. OK, so this isn't rocking some
period-correct L-series—even the RB26 has been decommissioned to go
without its turbos. It's not so much a decision of trying to be
different with a naturally aspirated RB26 with individual throttle
bodies, but more in keeping true to the older Z's legacy: The RB keeps
it Nissan but the more famed Z's were carbureted or had ITBs.
Additionally, the cylinder head (and nearly half the motor) is set up
for lower compression, which negates having the need for turbos. The
engine design, exhaust, and tuning are all extremely unique to Fugu Z,
which makes this N/A RB26 even more special.
Photo 6/11
| Front and center on day one of the SEMA show. The Rocket
Bunny/Pandem kit simply looks just right with this car...
Fugu Z's interior is a minimal
display of new-school craftsmanship on an old-school template. Most of
the pieces were sent to Dubai for custom carbon-fiber accenting or
leather reskinning, and the gauges, steering wheel, and bucket seats all
have custom Fugu Z logos. No stereo equipment, it's not needed. This
studio space is all for the driver (and a lucky passenger) to explore on
an open road...
Photo 7/11
| Upon closer inspection, you can see the precision on the
rollcage and the beauty of the carbon-fiber interior.
Completing Fugu Z was not
without its small hiccups. Up until the weekend before SEMA, leading up
to the reveal party at GReddy's headquarters in SoCal, the GReddy team
literally worked around the clock to have the car start up in time for
the covers to be pulled off. The engine's kinks were worked out, a light
tune brought it to life, and the last remaining Fugu Z emblems were
proudly put into place by Sung himself. You could see the excitement in
his eyes and you felt every emotion as he and the GReddy team introduced
the car to the public that night. But the car still had one final
destination: SEMA. Though the original intent was to drive the car from
Orange County to Las Vegas, since the engine wasn't finely tuned, it had
to be towed up. Along the way, Sung did manage to stretch Fugu Z's on
some of the desert's open roads, and once in Sam Du's hometown, took a
few victory laps on the Strip before it was time to bring it inside
SEMA.
Photo 8/11
| 1972 Datsun 240Z Rb26de
Photo 9/11
| GReddy built the RB26 powerplant in naturally aspirated
form. On the open road, the Fugu Z should rev up to 10,000+rpm!
At SEMA, it was obvious that
Fugu Z was the star of the show, which is particularly rare these days
for an import in a massive sea of finely crafted domestics and the
onslaught of modified trucks. The crowds gathered for a closer look all
week long, some curious to see the owner but most purely for the car. It
even caught the attention of a certain Kazunori Yamauchi, a game
designer you know best for having created the Gran Turismo series, who
at each SEMA goes around to find the best cars for each of their
respective categories in an effort to award a "Best in Show" grand
prize—this winner gets to have his car featured in an upcoming release
of the game. Fugu Z nailed the "Best Asian Import" trophy and at the GT
Awards party was unanimously given the "Best in Show"; it's guaranteed
you will have the ability to pilot your own Fugu Z in the near future.
Photo 10/11
| The word "Fugu" refers to a cut of poisonous blowfish
sushi. If not prepared correctly, the sushi can kill you. Sung carries
this ideology over to his Z—don't prepare a car properly and it can kill
you as well!
Though Sung, the GReddy team,
and his friends were all surprised and excited by the outcome and
positive feedback at SEMA, this is merely the first stage in a long life
we expect from Fugu Z. More seat time and tuning are needed, and there
is the original mission, to bring the car to a track for a bit of
weekend fun. Bringing the car past its stanchions, out where it really
belongs...that may be (and we hope is) where Sung feels most connected
to his car.
Photo 11/11
| Upon hearing the news that we saved a bunch of money on our car insurance.
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