Golden Top Secret Increases Size 2-to-4 Inches With Its Latest 350Z
By Britton Powell
Photography: Wes Allison
You're Top Secret, and you've just acquired a brand-spankin'-new Fairlady Z33. What do you do? Actually, let's not go there, because we all know there isn't anyone who can even fake the funk of Top Secret. It doesn't imitate, it initiates. If you think otherwise, shut yo' mouth. If you've been an avid reader of Super Street for sometime, you should have noticed quite a few Top Secret cars gracing these lovely rice-paper pages. After sampling such icons as its extremely high-revving S2K and the amazing RB26-powered Supra, we can't help but get giddy over its next offering.
Well, the next offering is here, and it is a masterpiece. It's the kind of machine that makes the midlife crisis, automatic-Porsche-driving type cower in fear. It makes wannabe supercar drivers pretend they don't notice the 700ps golden beast taunting their Prancing Horse from the next lane over. Unless the driver's packing Enzo power, he doesn't stand a chance.
In typical Top Secret fashion, the underside of the hood is a work of art. In fact, we'd probably drive it around town with the hood off if officer law wouldn't notice the plethora of never-to-be-CARB-approved products, polished and reflecting all fragments of light. The engine has been given a significant overhaul, which allows it to produce the aforementioned 700 ps at an impressive 8,000 rpm; that's a hair over 690 hp for those of you not familiar with the metric system. Anyone who has spent enough track time behind the wheel of a 350Z will attest to the intrusive rev limiter, and the higher rev limit is a welcome improvement. What lets the VQ35 rev so high? Well, for starters, the engine's not even a VQ35; it's a VQ30 out of a Nissan Gloria (an Infiniti M45-offered in different JDM trim, naturally). After the original engine was pulled and the new mounts were made, it was time to go to work on the new powertrain. The obvious first step was to pop off the head. A set of JUN forged rods and pistons were installed to handle the extreme combustion. Then, a set of port-matched Top Secret SPL heads were equipped to ensure proper airflow and a clean combustion cycle. This engine was built to withstand the high levels of abuse it will undoubtedly receive. Top Secret's cars come at a considerable cost, so it uses the best products available to ensure durability.
Remember at the beginning of this article where it reads, "It doesn't imitate, it initiates"? Well, see those Volk Racing wheels? While everyone else straps the new Z-car with 18s or 19s, Top Secret said, "we better make 'em 20s." That's right, 20-inch Volk Racing GT-Cs to be exact, dressed in some serious Bridgestone rubber. If you look right behind them Volks, you'll see this Z is sporting some very hard-core stopping hardware. The Z is available with pretty stout Brembo brakes from the factory, but pretty stout isn't quite good enough for the high-horsepower producers at Top Secret. The rear brakes were upgraded to Brembo F50s, as big as many dare go up front. While that may seem impressive, the front boasts huge eight-pot Brembo calipers squeezing huge Brembo discs. If that's still not enough for you, Top Secret sourced the most appropriate Endless brake pads for the given application--phenomenal. If you can imagine that middle pedal hitting the floor, multiply that by the square root of 10 and thank your lucky stars for Takata harnesses, because that's the only reason you're not currently flying out the windshield.
What about the body kit, er, transformation? How's Top Secret's very own G-Force Widebody Aerokit tickle your fancy? Well, its widebody kits never sell very well in Japan, but they sure do here. So, if it tickles you to a great enough extent, give 'em a call, because Top Secret just might send a few to this side of the pond. Keeping with the import tradition "only scoop it with a purpose," the hood provides downforce by routing air from the ground up via handmade carbon-fiber ducts. Speaking of downforce by-way-of carbon fiber, that Top Secret wing does a great job of keeping the ass planted during high-speed corners. Does the one on your Civic? Probably not. Then again, your Civic probably doesn't produce 700 ps either.
You also might have noticed the long lost art of tastefully applied JDM graphics. Some tuners seem to be loosing the creative touch, whereas Top Secret upholds the tradition of mixing it up a little bit. See the nice, contrasting colors; pretty, aren't they?
Top Secret keeps building sick cars, all whilst it breaks our hearts by not letting us have any one of them. We've tried more times than we can count to ask Nagata-San for a testdrive, but he's usually too busy tuning engines. You see, before the engines leave the shop, Mr. Nagata tunes every one himself. That's more than many other top tuners can say for themselves. That may be why you'll be hard-pressed to find a better all-around Z33 anytime soon. If you do, feel free to let us know. For now, you best bow down to Top Secret.
