We've Just Seen the Next Great Cult Classic
The Nissan Z Proto concept isn't perfect — which is why it will shape car culture for the next 30 years.
Happy Race Day, especially to the Racecar Gods for making this video possible. When I was a kid hearing a belching Jaguar XJR-15 in my lifetime was a fantasy. Now you can just pull this up and watch anytime you want.
What a time to be alive! (In some ways.)
Two doors. Rear drive. Manual transmission. Doesn’t seem like it would be that hard, does it?
And yet, true sports coupes — especially affordable ones — have been vanishing from the current landscape almost to the point of extinction. It’s getting harder and harder to find cars capable of sparking the soul without breaking the bank.
Under $30,000 there’s the pony cars. But those are often heavy boats. So you have the Toyota 86 and… that’s… pretty much it. Even the new Supra is pushing $50k. And it passed on the manual anyway.
And there is the Nissan 370Z. Still trucking along for over a decade and desperately feeling its age. But because it has that magic formula, the Z remains popular. Plus, we need cheap cars! We need imperfect cars! We need cars to beat on and strip and cage and run into the ground! The 370Z is all of those things.
That’s why it’s a big deal that Nissan on Tuesday unveiled the Z Proto, a concept car that will soon give birth to a production version that keeps the Z spirit alive. Two doors. Rear drive. Six-speed manual.
Immediately the car polarized enthusiasts. Some gushed over the simple throwback styling. Others railed against its tired silhouette and chonky grille.
But I’m here to tell you they’re both wrong. The truth is that how this car eventually leaves the factory matters very little in the grand scheme. Even how it drives, or whether it has enough power, hardly matters.
What matters is what people will do with them. And people will do wild and crazy things with them. I know because they’re already doing them in sketches and renderings:
There are so many good ones. Widebody ones! An olive green. A black and gold. Old school racing liveries!
There are bad ones, too!
The spirit is the important thing here. The dreams this car will inspire. The second and third owners who buy it cut-rate and turn it into a drifter or time attacker. At a time when we can’t stop predicting the end of car culture, this thing practically guarantees it lives on for another several decades at least.
The current 370Z gets people in the door as an affordable entryway into modding and grassroots motorsport. Used models are cheap and there are a ton of parts available. The Z Proto — or whatever it’s eventually called — already shows it will keep that spirit alive.
We keep telling car companies what we need from them. Nissan actually listened.
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Culture
Lewis Hamilton continues to lead the way, dragging motorsport onto the right side of social justice almost single-handedly. His shirt highlighting the Louisville Police killing of Breonna Taylor came at an especially poignant time, shining light as the case prepares to go to a grand jury.
And before you ask — yes, it makes a difference:
In fact it matters quite a lot to many people.
At a certain point you’ve got to admire the sheer gall of railsliding down an exoskeleton Lamborghini cage. This is dope.
I’m enthralled by the trend of pyramid companies bestowing their workers with new Cadillac MLMs — I mean XT4s.
Can you believe this deal? Only 57,000 Euro! Where do I sign.
Someone who isn’t a fan of the new 4-Series grille just ravaged the Wikipedia page for the head of BMW design.
McLaren has put its iconic Woking headquarters, corporate offices and production factory on the market. The company plans to lease it back from the buyer, but it’s not a good sign from a company that laid off a quarter of its staff in May.
Video Reel
I will watch rapper Slim Thug review any car from now on.
Super cool helmet cam from NASCAR tire-changer Brehanna Daniels, with director’s commentary!
Proving Grounds hired the writer from Regular Car Reviews to compose a song and it’s exactly what I thought it would be. #comparabletoastone
See how long you can watch this awkward Ferrari dance before physically recoiling.
In good Ferrari news, Mick Schumacher took his father Michael’s car that won him the 2004 F1 championship for a spin. It still sounds incredible.
Race Results
F1 returned to a famous track for the very first time. Chaos ensued!
DTM at Nurburgring. You deserve this — doctor’s orders. Race 1 and Race 2.
I haven’t been able to watch these IndyCar highlights yet but Mid-Ohio is always a lot of fun. Please take a look and report back to me! Race 1 and Race 2.
Ask A Millennial! Jared Rosenholtz, 26
Jared is one of my favorite follows on Twitter because every once in awhile he will spout something completey out of left field with no warning. You’re left looking around like, “What the hell just happened?” He did it a few weeks ago with this tweet, cleverly showing how affordable cars are growing fewer and million-dollar cars are exploding. It sparked a storm of comments, a heated debate on Facebook, and one essay that is less rebuttal and more personal attack. In short, things got real. I’m stoked to have him on AAM! this week. Here is an edited version of our conversation:
Growing up through the rise of social media, I believe I can bring a unique perspective to the automotive journalism profession. Industry legends like Jeremy Clarkson shaped my early car opinions, but I also came of age during the rise of supercar bloggers and YouTube reviewers. I've learned that no car reviewer's word is gospel, and it's always best to formulate your own opinions.
I noticed that there are very few vehicles left in the sub-$20,000 price point, and the number is dwindling with models like the Honda Fit going away. I also considered how many crazy seven-figure hypercars get announced seemingly every week, so I threw together a two-column list, and I was not shocked when the expensive column quickly extended beyond the affordable one.
Some people chuckled, but quicky, I was challenged by commenters who, despite posting the list without making any political statement, believed it was an appeal towards socialism and taxing the rich. I think there is a culture of hero-worshiping the wealthy here in the United States, and it's clear by real figures like Elon Musk (and even fictional characters like Tony Stark) why people think this way.
My intention was to get people thinking. So few people in the world can spend seven figures, yet those wealthy customers have a more extensive selection than a parent looking to buy their child something new and reliable. All sorts of factors contribute to the lack of affordable cars here in the US, including consumer preference towards SUVs and safety regulations. Still, I genuinely believe that the erosion of entry-level options and the explosion of the boutique hypercar market is indicative of the wealth gap growing wider.
My perfect day of driving is pretty simple; I want to escape from the world. Give me a Mazda Miata with a manual, a sun-kissed road with plenty of curves, and I'll be on my way. I don't need to be going anywhere; the drive could just be a jaunt through one of America's fabulous roads like the Angeles Crest Highway. It's not about where I'm going, it's about what sensations the car makes me feel.
This Weekend
Round Two of the WRC season heads to Rally Turkey this weekend. Ripping good fun in the preview vid:
And Finally…
I want to stick up for the Boxster, but the guy does seem to have had this coming:
Drive hard and be safe. Black Lives Matter.
Want your event included? Shoot me a note with subject line “Race Day” at ryan@carrarabooks.com.
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