SEMA was a blur this year—but that’s really no different than any other year for the most intense sensory overload of all things automotive on the planet. This trade-only event features the latest and greatest builds, technology, and creativity in our industry. While the show has historically been populated by American marques and their aftermarket support, in recent years the influx of Japanese metal (Nissan included) is undeniable.
Nissan’s Return to SEMA
Nissan announced its SEMA return with a display of six vehicles:
- The new Nissan Project Overland Pathfinder and Project Overland Frontier – special upfit versions of Nissan’s SUV and midsize pickup.
- Famed Actor and Car Enthusiast Sung Kang’s “DocZ,” a safari-rally-inspired 1971 Datsun 240Z.
- The 2021 Nissan Frontier featuring NISMO Off Road parts, recently campaigned at the Rebelle Rally by Team Wild Grace.
- Formula Drift Champion Chris Forsberg’s “Altimaniac,” a four-seat, 2000-horsepower drift sedan.
- The all-new 2023 Nissan Z Proto Spec.
Although we did not plan on attending the SEMA show, Sung Kang and Nissan extended an invitation to Z Car Garage, so we happily obliged! Rob and I attended the show on Tuesday 11/2 and we were super impressed with the Nissan booth, staged in the new 1.4 million square foot West wing of the Las Vegas Convention Center. At the very center of the booth was the New Z, in “Proto Spec” trim:
I had to be reminded that this was not the “Z Proto” we saw at Nissan Headquarters in Tennessee back in May. Indeed this was the limited edition “Z Proto Spec” model with glossy bronze RAYS wheels and yellow-accented interior. Thank you Jonathan for letting us sit inside! We still can’t wait to get one at the shop.
Doc Z
The world was introduced to Sung Kang’s latest build at last week’s Japanese Classic Car Show. The “DocZ” was built as a tribute to the Datsun 240Z that dominated the 1971 East-African Safari. The car has parts from all over the world and Sung even had his own multi-piece wheels made as an homage to that history-making Z.
Earlier this year Sung Kang visited Z Car Garage, driving “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car. After driving Butters, Sung wanted the exact same Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels), Z Car Garage CV Axles and KW suspension on his very own FuguZ! He also wanted a set on the “DocZ”. We shipped the kit to the Erick of Erick’s Racing, the master builder behind DocZ. Erick was very pleased with the kit and ease of installation:
The ZCG Big-Brakes can be seen through those iconic slots:
Sung is very passionate about the DocZ and loved sharing it with fans that visited the Nissan booth.
The Altimaniac
Chris Forsberg’s 2,000hp drift “taxi” was built to perform while carrying 4-people on board!
Around back were Nissan’s off-road parts and vehicles including a Pathfinder, Frontier and Rebelle Rally truck in race livery.
It was a wonderful display and the vibe here was energetic…at one point it felt like a well-choreographed show but it was truly organic. At 3pm a media event was held at the booth and a Nissan rep introduced the New Z. Hiroshi Tamura then gave the audience a passionate talk about how the New Z moves him…then the mic was passed on to Sung Kang to show off the DocZ, ending with Chris Forsberg with the Altimaniac. Kudos to Jonathan Buhler (Sr. Specialist Corporate Communications at Nissan) and Dan Passe (Director, Corporate Communications), the display was a hit!
See the video below to get the vibe of Nissan’s booth:
Another Good Year For Nissans and Datsuns!
Our Datsun-hunting at SEMA started with an epic showing of the Nissan Skyline Nismo 400R in the Central Hall. Our friend Sean and his team at Toprank International Vehicle Importers managed to be the first JDM car ever to displayed in this vaunted area of SEMA. This R33 is very rare, but it was truly surreal to see it there…great press for Nissan, and Japanese cars in general!
SEMA’s Battle of the Builders program had TWO Datsun 240Z cars and an R32 Skyline. We are very proud of Bay Area local Samantha Frazier and her V8-powered 1973 Z making it to the Top 3 of the competition!
Brandon Henness and his LS-powered 1972 S30:
Cole Marten’s R32 with the world’s first Toyota 2JZ engine with AWD and a LHD conversion!
Z31 Perfection
Over in the Toyo Tires Treadpass we found several Nissans and Datsuns.
Brandon Miller’s 1986 Nissan 300ZX was a serious showstopper. So much attention to detail in the engine bay housing that gnarly, high-revving RB engine. From the paint to the wheel choice this Z31 was just stunning.
Kouki front end with original Zenki rear…sitting on perfectly-sized Watanabe wheels! Look for a Hoonigan Autofocus episode with Larry Chen soon!
Next to the Z31 was the Garage Active full carbon-bodied R32 Skyline:
Also nearby was Jimmy’s SR20-powered Datsun 510
Capping the row was Ricko’s 1972 Datsun 240Z, a wild tribute to the IMSA-GTU racers of the past. Dreamt up by Ricko and built by Marcus Fry Racing:
Leen Custom’s showed off their short-nose 4-door Hakosuka Skyline with an SR20DET and Bride Histrix seats!
We finally met Carlos in person and see his 2JZ-powered Z32. Carlos has been building it for any years and we loved his passion:
Our friends at UPREV showed their VR30DDT-powered 370Z:
Throughout the show’s jam-packed halls we spotted more J-Tin gems like Daniel Song’s 240Z built by JDM Legends:
Sitting low and packing a KA24E powerplant, this 1963 Datsun NL320 pickup had a very American Hot-Rod vibe:
Outside of the Central Hall was Oscar’s (of Zociety fame) Libertywalk 240z with an L28ET:
We end our Datsun-spotting with this wild “2000 Roadster that was running the Optima Batteries Challenge. It is a C6 Corvette with Datsun Roadster body parts:
Silvia/240SX
Plenty of S14 and even S15 versions:
FD RX-7s
At least 4 FD RX-7s were spotted. My favorite was the R Magic in FortuneAuto’s booth:
Our Favorite American Cars
While we are Nissan-focused we do love American Muscle cars. SEMA is a feast for Pro-touring, street machine, custom and even stock style Detroit steel. Tri-5s, Pony cars, lead sleds…even Chip Foose had an entire hall dedicated some of his most iconic creations:
Crazy Lifted Trucks
Yup. Every year these huge trucks swarm the outside displays of the convention center. This year was no exception:
We hope you enjoyed our coverage of the 2021 SEMA Show. There are many more cars to see and you can view them in our mega-picture galley below. Thanks to Nissan and Sung Kang for hosting us and to everyone that took the time to say hello. We enjoyed chatting with you. This was a great event for Nissan fans!
