Paul Ferrari has been in our life since 2002. Prior to launching Z Car Garage, as a young man Rob worked on Paul’s 1991 Nissan 300zx Twin Turbo. Paul is super enthusiastic and he is similar to Rob—there’s never enough power.
Our journey with Paul’s Z32TT spans almost two decades. It made plenty of power back in an era where it was uncommon; nowadays 500hp is easy to achieve with current performance parts. From a NA-TT setup to full disassembly and restoration with lessons and tricks learned along the way…Paul has been a devoted friend and customer. Folks like Paul contribute to the success of Z Car Garage and we love when customers see ZCG as “their own” garage. Let’s take a look at how Paul found his 300…
Z32 Destiny
Paul recalls how we acquired the Z in December 2002, after passing on a MkIV Supra:
“When I first saw the Z in the seller’s driveway…It was one of those moments that is burned into my memory! I was amazed! The look! The stance! Even the license plate, “500HP”! It had all the typical import performance parts of the era: JWT Sport 500 turbos and test pipes, Stillen intercoolers, Stillen “dual pop chargers”, RCE 550 injectors, JWT ECU, HKS EVC, Apex’I Super AVC-R, Greddy Turbo timer, and OZ 17 inch-5 spokes. There was no doubt in my mind; this was going to be my car. It was so sexy, sleek and fast!”
He reached out to Rob for a commensurate pre-purchase inspection and eventually purchased the Z:
“It only took a few phone calls to dealerships and other import shops to zero in on a guy named Rob Fuller at Scott Performance. I think Rob’s name was mentioned in 3 out of 4 calls. It was well known, even before Z Car Garage that if you needed someone to look at your performance Nissan that Rob was the guy you wanted looking at it.”
In 2004, Rob started his own performance shop, Z Car Garage. Paul Ferrari was one of many customers that followed and he certainly had the itch for more power. This led to the first high performance engine build, circa 2004:
We had Rebello build the VG30 with H-beam Rods, forged pistons, rebuilt the bottom end and heads, ordered JWT Sport 700 ball bearing turbos along with a set of big JWT cams, bigger intercoolers, bigger injectors and a laundry list of miscellaneous items. It was good for 570hp/483tq at the wheels. Paul enjoyed it but shortly after he had run it on high boost without race fuel causing engine failure…
“Proof of my escapade that day still hangs on the wall between the shop and the office at Z Car Garage in the form of a stout, but severely bent H beam Rod attached to a piston with broken ring lands. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think mine was the first installment ever on the Z Car Garage wall of shame. ”
The NATT is Born
Rob offered Paul a loaner motor out of a naturally aspirated Z32. Through some interesting twists and turns in Paul’s life, he was even a ZCG employee at the time. The crew discussed hanging his turbos on it, and to install the turbo cams since they were still at the shop. We all agreed, and it would be affectionately called the NATT (Naturally Aspirated Twin Turbo). It was surprisingly good, and still a fond memory for many of us.
Paul’s life changed and he moved out of the Bay Area. With his life in transition eventually the NATT was pulled, and the Z sat in storage from 2008 to 2012. In this period we had the engine refreshed by Rebello, and had the car sent off to Williams Autobody for paint and installation of a new Veilside EC-01 front bumper and Karuma rear spoiler.
“During the time my car was mothballed, innovations at Z Car Garage never ceased. And since my car was just sitting, Rob and I were able to add almost everything to my build sheet. Some of these innovations disappeared as fast as they came, some stayed. CZP 2.5 inch intercooler piping, larger throttle bodies, Bell intercoolers, a 4.08:1 Leaders gear set and KAAZ Limited slip diff; smaller exhaust housings and modified impellers on the turbos, Mike Smith high flow cast exhaust manifolds, a Selin dual MAF, ASHspec dual inlet piping, and several items from Specialty Z. ”
Final Form
In 2012, Rob had started using Haltech ECU’s to unlock the power of his builds and was getting amazing performance results across the board. He’d also been experimenting with Turbo exhaust housings, and modified impellers, cam profiles, and cam timing, along with a whole host of innovations for S30’s to Z34’s. We called up Paul and asked him to drive Rob’s newly-built Z32TT ( with tuning thanks to Seb of SpecialtyZ)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0UT3lwlZw4
Paul recalls the experience
“So, he calls me one day and says, ‘Man you need to come down and drive my Z. You’ve got to experience the gains we’re getting with these Haltech’s.’ That car broke loose at 70 plus and went beyond 100 faster than anything I’d ever driven, and far faster than any Ferrari I’d ever ridden in, and for me, from that moment on, that’s all I could talk about and think about. During the era that my car was mothballed I had sold a house, changed careers, retired, moved to a different city, and had taken up off roading and traveling in a big way, so by the time I was able to house my Z, it was ready to be finished up and delivered. And along with all the innovations that had taken place I was now going to have My Monster.”
Drivetrain
We removed the NATT from his Z and began the epic build, applying all the tricks we learned starting starting with a fully built Rebello 3L. The list includes: Sport 500 cams, HD springs all new lifters, and lots of headwork…
…3″ downpipes, 3″ mid pipes, SZ 2.5″ cat-back exhaust, BB700 turbos, BDE engine mounts, Ashspec inlet piping, Tomei exhaust cam gears, BDE cam gears, Mike Smith manifolds with EGR, SZ big IC piping and massive intercoolers, brand new transmission from Nissan, SZ high-five clutch/flywheel and a Haltech plugin Platinum Pro ECU with boost solenoids and map-based tuning:
More build pics in the gallery below! Here is the fresh, hot-rodded VG30DETT installed:
Rob dyno tuned using Haltech, a Greddy boost controller and 100 octane yielding 630hp/539tq at the wheels:
Chassis
In addition to the full engine build, the entire car was restored from interior to exterior. The chassis was treated to Stoptech ST40 front and ST22 rear calipers, Volk SF Winning 18″ wheels with 245/275 Bridgestone RE-71R tires, new driveshaft assembly, Leader gears(4.08) with Quiafe LSD, Tein coil-overs with EDFC Active Pro controller, SPL tension rods and titanium HICAS eliminator and a full wiring harness.
The exterior restoration included all new mouldings, new front glass, all new cowl panel, and every weatherstrip piece that is available from Nissan. The interior is just as pristine as the exterior:
Paul was pleased with the Z, as delivered in 2017:
“When I took delivery, Rob wouldn’t tell me the horsepower I was making till well after I had had several months to drive the car. He eventually told me 630 HP, and 540Lb/Ft TQ on a relatively conservative tune at near Sea Level in San Jose. It’s strictly a VP110 car now. Here at home in Reno at 4500 feet above Sea level the tires easily break loose on the freeway going 70, at this elevation it is truly amazing!”
Enjoying The Ride
Paul is very serious about motorsports and he is into LS-powered sand rails and Haybusa-powered buggies etc. so he has a 55 gallon of 110 race fuel at his house. His Z is tuned for 110 octane and he regularly tracks the car at Thunderhill Raceway. We love to see him Enjoying The Ride! Track photos by Gorilla Tornado Photography
“I track the car on club days, and I run it around the mountain roads of Tahoe and Virginia City, and take it to Cars and Coffee events. I’ve gotten it up to 160mph, and maybe 170mph, and at the time of this writing the car is 29 years old, so I don’t think that’s too shabby! It doesn’t need to go any faster, and neither do I. It sits beautifully in the garage on a Battery Tender, along side a fuel jug full of VP110, waiting for its next rip. It gets washed even when it doesn’t need it just for good measure. It still rips and it still makes my heart race like nothing else. ”
Enjoy this short video of the z in action:
“I found a Z Car that would not only invigorate my life but would lead me to the doorstep of such a long quest as a customer, friend, and supporter of Z Car Garage! I am honored and privileged to have been a part of the history of Z Car Garage. I have a deep respect for Rob, the guys that started with Rob, and the guys who have cycled through in the shop, and I am privileged to have met so many great guys and gals that are passionate about performance Nissans.”
Thank you Paul Ferrari for being a part of the Z Car Garage family. It has been, and continues to be a rewarding journey working with you. LONG LIVE THE (twin turbo) Z!
