We chose the Ashburn, Va., based Z33 and its owner because, unlike many pretty 350Zs on the scene today, they don't simply talk the talk; they actually walk the walk - at High Performance Driver Events, drift days and more. In fact, by his own admission, De La Cruz says the coupe is "just beat on mercilessly."

The 350Z wasn't always De La Cruz's whipping toy. The 2003 model started out as a daily driver, purchased new in late '02, and was initially pampered with just wheels and an exhaust. The suspension came next, and before long De La Cruz was stricken with a bad case of modifying fever.

"Next thing I know, the car is in [the now defunct] SEMA International Auto Salon with a full INGs kit, Nitrous Express system and lots of other goodies," he explains.

On the way home one evening, De La Cruz hit a deer on the highway. For drivers in remote areas, this isn't such an uncommon thing, and in fact can be downright scary depending on how fast you're going and how big the deer is.

In De La Cruz's case, he was relatively lucky. He walked away unscathed, but unfortunately the same couldn't be said about his 350. The entire nose of the car was ruined.

Handed lemons, De La Cruz got to mixing up some wicked lemonade. He used the experience to rededicate to the Nissan and rebuild the car himself at home in the garage, this time with an eye toward pushing the car's performance limits at the track. A few phone calls later he had sourced an entire carbon-fiber front end from Asuka Designs and carbon roof and hatch from Seibon.

In order to make the Z a proper circuit assassin, shaving weight from the nearly 3,200lb. coupe was a consideration that called for replacing many body parts with carbon facsimiles and removing as much sound deadening as possible. On top of those measures, Lexan stands in for glass in the Seibon carbon hatch, which combined sheds 120lbs. from the car's overall girth.

The diet also led to replacing the OEM cats, Y-pipe and exhaust with lighter aftermarket grip. Elements of the drive train were trimmed down, too, namely the 50lb. factory clutch and flywheel; subbing are an 8lb. Tilton clutch and 8lb. flywheel. At the most recent weigh in, the Z33 registered a svelte 3,060lbs., and "revs like a sport bike" boasts the owner.

After a few weeks of late nights with the help of friends, the Z was back together and looking better than ever. But the real test was the track time, which we understand has been pretty rewarding for De La Cruz.

Already he's thinking about what to do next to the car. He mentioned finishing the roll cage, installing some harnesses, removing the stereo ("ICE free and proud!" De La Cruz jokes) and possibly remounting a prototype carbon wing he has sitting in the garage.

The plan that has us most anxious, though, is his engine swap ambition. He's gone on record to say that when his current VQ mill ultimately gives up, he'd like to drop in a GM LS-series V8. He confesses, "Having driven and drifted my friend's 350Z with an LS2 swap, I was hooked."

Ain't no shame in that game. In fact, we're downright proud that De La Cruz took the leap and teased his onetime beauty into a snarling beast. "After years of pampering a performance car, it's finally out there putting all the specialty parts to use," he relates, adding, "and I'm loving every minute."

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