An OEM+ Z32, Beyond Expectation.

A pretty subjective and controversial subject, OEM+, however I personally think it is a great way of defining the type of upgrade ethos and tastes that I have for cars. I would not classify myself as a purist, my ethos is quite simple; I try to retain the original form of the car, whilst upgrading the underpinnings to improve performance and reliability to a modern standard along with some choice and subtle styling alterations.

The interpretation of OEM+ is a [rightfully] grey and shady because everyone has different ideas/tastes, how much alteration is too much? This gallery is not suggesting what is right or wrong, it is simply demonstrating my example of a Z32 that I consider to be a modernised OEM variant of the original.

This 1993 Twin Turbo Manual 2+2 Z32 started it's UK life in April 2007, imported almost as standard from Japan showing 54k miles. I have been gradually upgrading, modifying and "restoring" it in the years since then. The underbody protection and cavity wax program, which took me over a year in my garage, revealed (with the help of boroscope probes) that all the sill and cavity sections were all in excellent condition and, as the car is generally not a wet weather or salty road car, it will hopefully remain that way for another 30 years.

Upgrades have all been done using carefully selected components to complement and improve, whilst remaining within the realms of what I wanted from the car. In comparison to many of the other Z32's that I have experienced, during my build, sacrifices have been made in performance in order to maintain an element of comfort; that said, performance is still a huge improvement over the stock setup. It is not competitive on the track against the dedicated track weapons, but is very "streetable" where it spends most of its time. I have refrained from being drawn into continuous performance targeted modifications which ultimately effect the experience on the road, namely ones that alter the noise, vibration and harshness (for example solid or poly bearings/bushes/mounts).

The main external modification to note is the wheels. It is my belief that wheel choice and particularly wheel fitment with the correct ride height, are one of the most important factors to consider in order to maintain a modern OEM look. After years of research, I knew that I wanted 19's and I knew the exact widths/offsets that I wanted, however it was proving to be a struggle to source them without custom offset wheels at a huge cost. The practically new Volk TE wheels that I stumbled across for sale from a Z33 fell nicely within my criteria, and whilst I had (and still have) some reservations about certain aesthetic aspects of the design, I decided to take a punt, which I think was successful, I've really grown to like them.