Serendipity: Josh Gonzales' 2004 Nissan 350Z

Photography by Nick Stanley


Often times we find what we were looking for in a place we hadn’t thought to look, and that’s exactly what happened with Josh Gonzales and his 350Z. Back when Gonzales was in the process of building his Subaru STI, he picked up the 350Z you see here as a daily driver. The more he drove the Z, the more he realized it was more fun to drive and to push the limits with compared to the Subaru. It wasn’t long before his attention shifted, and when the Rocket Bunny kit came out, that was the final nail in the coffin. The 350Z was now the project.

05 Josh Gonzales 2004 Nissan 350Z PASMAG TBGLIVE

Josh Gonzales and his 2004 Nissan 350Z are featured in PASMAG issue #145 (Oct/Nov 2017). Click here to order a copy.

Gonzales takes pride in having done everything on the car himself, with the help of some friends at most. Despite encountering a few challenges along the way due to having very little experience, he persevered, and says he couldn’t be happier with the rewarding feeling of doing it himself. It also made for a great learning experience!

11 Josh Gonzales 2004 Nissan 350Z PASMAG TBGLIVE
Josh Gonzales and his 2004 Nissan 350Z are featured in PASMAG issue #145 (Oct/Nov 2017). Click here to order a copy.

As a show car, Gonzales wanted his 350Z to be well-rounded, and he definitely hit the mark. “I like that the car is balanced,” he says. “It's not like most show cars that have no power under the hood, but it's not like a track car that is only focused on performance and nothing more. I think my car has the right amount of every aspect.” Well done, Gonzales!

03 Josh Gonzales 2004 Nissan 350Z PASMAG TBGLIVE
Josh Gonzales and his 2004 Nissan 350Z are featured in PASMAG issue #145 (Oct/Nov 2017). Click here to order a copy.

With 23% of the Popular vote, Josh Gonzales was the winner of the Tuner Battlegrounds #TBGLIVE award category competition at Hot Import Daze: Seattle at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA!


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