Phoenix Power has always been a big player in the Japanese tuning world, becoming famous for their work on MR2s as well as creating some crazy high-power builds in their time. Whenever I'm down south I always make sure to stop for at least a day at their branch shop in the outskirts of Kyoto (the main HQ is in Fukui) to catch up with the guys there and check out what crazy cars they have been working on. Out of all the shops I visit regularly, Phoenix Power has to be the only one not feeling the current economic downturn, with the workshop running at full steam on a daily basis. They have over 100 customers alone with R35 GT-Rs making them the biggest new-gen GT-R tuner in Japan. But it isn't R35's well be looking at here, at least not just yet, but rather this little gem I spotted tucked away in one corner of their parking lot.
One big piece of their customer base is made up of Fairlady Z owners and this particular car is the latest Z34 they have created, doubling up as the Kyoto shop demo car.
What attracted me to this Z initially were the 20-inch BBS LMs, a model of rim that you can find fitted to a lot of Phoenix Power cars like their red R35 GT-R.
The big wheels do a great job of filling out the arches and work great with…
…the Branew parts fitted to the front, side and rear of the Z34's body.
Luckily they didn't go with the full Branew conversion, which is one of the most controversial kits on the market for the Z34 (and R35!).
The VQ37VHR has been fitted with an HKS suction kit…
…whcih replaces the two stock airboxes with the SPF sponge filters. A special Phoenix Power ECU tune has also been carried out to free up a few extra horses.
Brembo 6-pot monobloc calipers replace the stock Akebono 4-pots up front and are fitted along with 380 mm 2-piece floating discs for the ultimate in braking performance. 4-pots are fitted at the rear with slightly smaller rotors.
Apart from a pair of hip-hugging Recaro buckets the interior has been left stock, which isn't necessarily a bad thing when it looks this good from factory!
Z-perfection.
When the Z34 first came out I had a hard time coming to terms with the front an rear light design but now, they are the parts I like the most.
Next up from Phoenix Power will be a couple of highly tuned R35 GT-Rs. Make sure you don't miss them!
-Dino Dalle Carbonare