Z33 Nissan 350Z Digitally Turns Into a More Contemporary GT-R50 Fairlady

Naturally, everyone has their favorite. Those who are looking for the most affordable and nimble sports car that is also bonkers-easy to modify into a time attack or drift monster will probably choose the Silvia (also known as the 200SX or 240SX series). Anyone who wants absolute and ultimate Nissan power will certainly go directly to the top of the Skyline or R35 GT-R pyramid, in turn.

But whoever wants the fabled ‘best of both worlds’ might settle on the iconic Z series, instead. Up for grabs since late 1969 and also known as the Nissan Fairlady Z, the original was sold under the Datsun (240Z/260Z/280Z) banner, initially. However, its subsequent popularity convinced Nissan to start using its brand name soon enough, first alongside Datsun and then completely taking over with the dual generations of the Nissan 300ZX.

However, by the early 2000s, the Z series had gone on hiatus in the United States because of financial trouble and Nissan increasingly focusing on SUVs (deja-vu, right?). Following the Renault acquisition of 44.4% of Nissan’s shares, though, there was a new future for the popular nameplate and the Z33 Nissan 350Z came to life as a complete reinvention of the series. It still kept in line with the original 240Z but was now a lot more contemporary with the 21st century times, as well.

Of course, that makes for a minor cult hit among automotive enthusiasts, as it is popular both with JDM-style drift tuners as well as Americana V8 swaps, among many others. But, as it turns out, the Nissan 350Z is also deeply valued across the imaginative realm of virtual automotive artists. Over there, Marouane Bembli, the pixel master better known as TheSketchMonkey on YouTube, is now keen on unofficially bringing back to CGI life the successful 350Z.

If you want the story of the Z series, there are no less than ten minutes of history in his latest “legend revivals” behind-the-scenes making-of episode (embedded below) and only from the 10:05 mark does the actual CGI redesign commence. From there, the strategy is simple, as the author is always keen on safeguarding the base model’s original proportions. Instead, he just oozes it softly back to a contemporary digital lifestyle – this time allowing the 350Z to heal the wounds of time with some feisty Nissan GT-R50 ailments.

The result is not half bad at all, though perhaps only if you dreamed of seeing the Nissan 350Z revived with the futuristic styling of the limited-production 50th anniversary Nissan GT-R50 special edition. Also, the larger black wheels are never a bad idea when contrasting a silver shade, frankly!