First Drive: Nissan 350Z GT-S Concept and its flickable supercharger

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The Nissan 350Z GT-S is a labor of love for seven engineers at Nissan's European technical facility who built the one-off in their own time. Their only restraint was to keep the Z usable, but beyond that the team went hog wild in crafting a concept that held its own running up the hill at the 2006 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The editors of CAR magazine recently took the 350Z GT-S out for a spin and revealed a few things about the concept of which we were unaware. For instance, a switch next to the gear lever can disengage the supercharger used on the Z's 3.5-liter V6. This means that at the flick of a switch, the car transforms from a snarling 380 bhp beast into the same mild-mannered 298 bhp Z coupe everyone else is driving. Very trick.

There's also a butterfly valve on the exhaust that opens up at high revs, which not only allows the engine to breathe better, but also makes for a soul shaking soundtrack at WOT.

While it's unlikely the 350Z GT-S Concept will ever be mass produced, Nissan is exploring whether or to sell its components in various packages that can be retrofitted to any 350Z.

[Source: CAR Magazing]

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