Nissan 350Z Looks Like the Ultimate Sleeper, But Its Cover Is Quickly Blown

I wanted to get a good mix of coverage from Kiskunlachaza, Hungary. After shooting a Monte Carlo, two Camaros, a Ford Mustang, the VW Golf, and a Suzuki Funny Bike, I wanted to capture some JDM goodness on camera for all seriously into 1/4-mile racing. Once I spotted the "Kaktuss," a green and black Nissan 350Z, I knew I had to go over and speak to the owner for a quick shoot on a secondary location on the Hungarian airfield.

I was never interested in football

I quickly realized that VTG, the company that had built the Fox Body Mustang, also helped create this beast. And the days of the VQ engine were long gone. But before I reveal the secret under the hood, let's get to know Mariusz Lejman, the driver, and owner of this rather insane Nissan 350Z.

Mariusz has been into cars since the first day he could reach the pedals from the driver's seat when he was 12—driving a short distance off-road felt like a huge reward, even though he couldn't race yet. "I was never interested in football or other sports on TV, only motorsports!" Several years later, he got his license, and things started progressing.

"The first car I got was my grandfather's Fiat CC. He had bought it brand new and lent it to me then. Now, after his death, I plan to rebuild it in his memory. I also used to ride in my father's 1986 Fiat Uno. But the first car I bought was a Lada Samara 1500, which I even tested at up to 105 mph (170 kph) speeds. " But the young Polish driver needed an extra shot of adrenalin, so he moved to a Japanese car: the Honda CRX Del Sol. "I bought it during college, and races often took place at night on the streets of Olsztyn."

"Those times are long gone. Then there was a long break, a wedding, children, work, and a dozen boring cars and motorcycles until I remembered that I once fell in love with a Nissan 350Z. The kids were already grown up, so why not? So I decided to buy one, but it turned out that a Volkswagen Passat TSI could easily outrun me, and the spell was broken. So I knew I had to take things to the next level."

I won the first Polish Champion title 

The first time Mariusz took part in an official drag race happened in 2016, on the same streets of Olsztyn, and he managed to run the 1/8th-mile (201 meters) in 8 seconds. He was hooked on the feeling, so he went to a 1/4-mile race where he crossed the finish line in 12.5 seconds and won the event. The 350Z already had a turbocharger and could send about 700 horsepower to the rear wheels.

But no drag racer will ever be happy with a 12.5-second pass. Even though Mariusz also has a 2007 Shelby GT500, he invested more time and effort into developing the 350Z. "I first went to Coobcio Garage to bring the car up to spec. They built a forged engine, added a PT6730 turbo, and we started using ethanol. I used a manual gearbox and could run the 1/4-mile in about 12 seconds. The next step was to change the engine to a fully-forged VQ35 with a bore of 3.7 liters and a bigger turbo: the second generation of the PT6870."

"That helped shave another 1.1 seconds off of our initial record. It sat in the garage for a whole year during the global pandemic. After that, I took it to Grzegorz Staszewski, the owner of VTG. He reviewed and improved the setup so I could compete against the fastest street cars in Poland. The main change was that we upgraded to an automatic transmission, a 3-speed TH400. We also transitioned to an external standalone EMU Black with adequate tuning. We had to iron out the fueling issues and several other small problems."

"After all, this was over; I set a fast run of 9.98 seconds on a dry track and won the first Polish Champion title in the RWD Street class." But one look under the hood of this car will immediately reveal all that is ancient history because this 350Z is operating on eight cylinders right now: a 6.0-liter LS V8 that also has the benefit of a nitrous oxide system. With the PT7875 turbo, its best ET is 9.488 seconds. A bigger turbocharger is on its way, and with the 2-speed Powerglide transmission and the PT8884, this 350Z could join the 8-second club quite soon.

Don't be discouraged by failures

Mariusz set this new personal record in Hungary after eight runs in a single day. Although the Z is built for a lower street category, he won the Profi II class, but that only adds to the excitement. Mariusz plans to keep the car the same for a while, as there are many more things to upgrade. You'll be surprised to see this car's interior, which is still street-legal. However, driving down the road in this monster isn't the easiest thing in the world, especially with its noise. I asked every driver I interviewed in Hungary:

"Do you think drag racing as a sport is experiencing a decline in popularity in the past few years? What do you think the scene will look like by 2030?" And this is what the Z driver had to say: "It's hard for me to say, in Poland you see fewer people at competitions, but at Santa Pod in the UK, there were plenty of spectators."

"I believe we're facing a lack of good tracks and sponsors, and more people would be interested in the sport if we had an infrastructure like that in the UK or USA. As for 2030, I hope we won't have to race in electric cars by then." I hope that electrification won't interfere with drag racing for at least another 15 years from now, but you never know how laws will change by then.

In conclusion, I also wanted his advice for any newcomer to the sport: "First of all, you need to have fun while you're doing it. Drive whatever you have available, and the time will come to build a fast car. First, study, then do some work, not all at once. I recommend a lot of patience and don't be discouraged by failures because, in this sport, they happen often."

Those are words to live by and apply to many other things in life too. It's not easy being successful in motorsports, but it feels damn impressive once you live out that dream. If you subscribe to our YouTube channel, you might see a feature video of this LS-powered Nissan 350Z shortly. These burnouts should serve as an appetizer by then. So remember never to underestimate your opponent, even if it looks like he's driving a relatively average car. You never know when it's an 8-second street sleeper with nitrous in the trunk!