Shinich Kameda's 2005 Nissan 350Z

Vehicle Features Dave MacKinnon | Photos by RCH Designs

Growing up, my generation had posters of the Lamborghini Countach, BMW M1, Ferrari Testarossa and Porsche 959 on our bedroom walls. As technology evolved, the canvas that was once painted drywall has evolved into a digital image on our cell phone or laptop. Nothing wrong with that at all.

For Shinichi Kameda, his love of cars is clear from the time and effort he has put into his 2005 Nissan 350Z. Having previously modified the car into a candy-apple red low-rider, Kameda wanted to give it a complete makeover. His vision centred around cues taken from the Porsche Panamera, which set him on the path that has led to the masterpiece you see here.

Grafted on and into the body of his 350Z was a Porsche Panamera Turbo body kit from Fairly Design of Japan. The task of creating custom fenders to make it all look right took significant effort, but made the transition from Porsche to Nissan cleaner. Head and tail lights from a Panamera were put in place of the stock lighting assemblies. The only Nissan-esque parts of the exterior that remain are the doors and the windshield. From the rear of the vehicle you can see the pair of Fairly Design Porsche exhaust tips that are connected to a DAMD exhaust system.

The Pana-Z, as Kameda calls it, rolls on 22-inch VIP Modular wheels. The 10-inch wide wheels are VXS210 models in the rear and VXS110 in the front. Pirelli PZero Nero tires connect the car to the ground. Underneath the massive wheels are 430mm (~17-inch) rotors in the front and 400mm (15.75-inch) rotors in the rear. Clamping the massive rotors are the huge callipers from the CSD 16POT Ultimate Brake system. The suspension utilizes stock shocks with a complete high speed air suspension system. At the touch of a button, Kameda can drop the car to the ground. Bumping power output from the VQ35 is an HKS supercharger.

The interior of the car was crafted by NEWING of Hyogo, Japan. Vast expanses of white leather cover almost every surface, including the doors, dash and seats. The shifter and parking brake are adorned with Swarovski style decoration by T-Factory.

The audio system in the Pana-Z advances the split-personality theme and is comprised of gear from Bewith of Japan. The Mirror Media MM-1 Digital Audio player heads up the system and is built around a custom rearview mirror that will accept a compact flash card. It features premium 24-bit 96kHz DACs – very cool. On the split side, when Kameda is competing in an SQ competition or just wants to kick it old school and pop in a CD, he switches up to the Pioneer Carrozzeria DEH-P940. Signals from the MM-1 are sent rearwards to a Bewith State sound processor that is equipped with crossovers and equalization, which allows for fine tuning. The Bewith State connects directly to the MM-1 through a proprietary digital cable.

The six output channels of the Bewith State feed six Bewith Accurate A-110S 100W monoblock amplifiers. Each amplifier is connected to a single Bewith Confidence series speaker. At the top of the doors are C-50II 5cm tweeters, while C-130II 13cm midwoofers are located at the bottom. The rear ‘parcel shelf’ is home to a pair Confidence series woofers which are mounted in sealed enclosures. The midwoofers and subwoofers feature illuminated perimeter lighting which makes them really stand out.

Kameda thanks the hard work of Body Shop Kikuta for the body and paint work, NEWING for the custom interior and audio system, JATS for the air suspension, PROVIDE for the audio system tuning and Brain Trading for the VIP Modular Wheels. Unlike many of the builder’s lists we print at the end of each feature, these are not Kameda’s sponsors. They are simply the shops that he paid to bring his vision to reality. When asked why he chose to evolve the previous show-winning car into something new, Kameda told us that, “the value was not in the fame of the car, but in the spirit. I use the same car and try to achieve a higher goal. I love the surprised look I get when I tell people that this is the same car. It’s not just about the trophies or fame, but the love of keeping my car looking cool.” There is no way to top that.

ESSENTIALS
Vehicle: 2005 Nissan 350Z
Owner: Shinich Kameda
Location: Japan
Engine Displacement: 3.5L (VQ35)

ENGINE / DRIVETRAIN / PERFORMANCE
Engine Code: VQ35
Turbo or Supercharger: Super charger – HKS
Air Filter & Intake: HKS
Exhaust: DAMD
Exhaust Tip: Fairly Design

WHEELS / BRAKES / SUSPENSION
Wheels: VIP Modular Forged Wheel, VXS210 & VXS110
Front & Rear Wheel Size: 22x10
Rear Wheel Size: 22x10
Tires: Pirelli PZero Nero
Front Tire Size: 245/30 ZR22
Rear Tire Size: 295/25 ZR22
Front Rotor Size: 430mm Two Piece Slotted
Front & Rear Brake Calipers: CSD 6-Piston
Rear Rotor Size: 400mm Two Piece Slotted
Suspension struts or shocks: Stock shocks with Universal Air Complete High Speed Air
Springs: Universal Air Bags

EXTERIOR / CHASSIS
Body kit / ground effects: Fairly Design for Porsche Panamera
Front & Rear Bumper: Fairly Design
Fenders: Custom
Other modified body parts: Rear ends extension
Headlights & Taillights: Panamera Turbo

INTERIOR
Upholstery: NEWING
Steering Wheel: Isotta
Additional Interior Components: Swarovski decorations made by T-Factory

CAR AUDIO / MULTIMEDIA
Head Unit: Bewith Mirror Media MM-1
Pioneer Carrozzeria DEH-P940
Processors: Bewith State
High Freq. Amps: Bewith Accurate A-110S
Subwoofers: Bewith Confidence
Mid Bass: Bewith Confidence
Tweeters: Bewith Confidence

SHOUT-OUTS
Body Shop Kikuta from Nara for the body works and paint job.
NEWING located at Hyogo for the interior custom and audio installation.
JATS from Kanagawa for the Air Suspension installation.
PROVIDE from Kanagawa for the audio fine-tuning.
Brain Trading from Kanagawa for the VIP MODULAR Wheel distributer in Japan.
All the shops located in various areas in Japan.

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