With such an intimidating list of goodies Mark intended to use, it’s a good thing this Datsun wasn’t his first build. To make the Herculean task a little simpler, his friend, a designer who spends his time building Mazda race cars, lent his incredible craftsmanship. It’s nice to be connected—and with Mark’s busy schedule, it’s completely necessary.

The biggest challenge in this ludicrous build would no doubt be constructing the custom motor. Mark wanted a mill which would provide gobs of power, a broad powerband, decent reliability, and the right sort of packaging to keep the weight distribution ideal. In the past, Mark had experimented with an RB26 powering another Z, but with the hope of greater low-end torque, less weight, and a better balanced car, he went for the aluminum VQ35HR and decided to slap two turbochargers onto it.

That was only the start. The bodywork would look mostly Z, but under the skin: a tube frame made with bends from Art Morrison. Additionally, pushrod suspension with billet bell cranks would be used. For how sophisticated much of the car would be, Mark opted for quite a basic Ford 8.8″ rear end with Ford Racing’s ring, pinion, and bearings. However, the Ford rear is renowned for its lightweight construction, its reliability, and its cost-effectiveness.

A lot of the front brace is removable to access the motor and the labyrinth of piping, and just further ahead, the front suspension is largely Corvette. The arms, hub, and spindle are all harvested from a C6 Corvette, albeit with a custom steering arm and unique geometry to fit the narrower Z car. The Wilwood brakes measure 14″ across, and use a six-piston setup designed for a Z06 brake upgrade kit. Next to them, Mark built a removable frame for the intercooler, radiator, and hood hinge; he was sensible and anticipated a few incidents and a need to quickly access the ancillaries.

As if that wasn’t challenging enough, built a steering column, mocked up the firewall, and constructed a transmission tunnel wide enough to holster both exhaust pipes. These beauties are constructed from a series of pre-bent pipes welded together for simplicity’s sake, and given a ceramic coating to keep the car, the cabin, and Mark all reasonably cool.

Opting for the unconventional route certainly had its fair share of frustrations, and at times, Mark wished he had gone with a VR38DETT motor and bypassed some of the custom work. As parts for the HR engine are quite hard to come by, Mark had certain components, like the valves and the pistons, made custom for the job.

The right amount of horsepower for the circuit would vary—somewhere between 800 and 500 horsepower at the rear tires—and the turbochargers would have to be appropriately sized. After much contemplation, he decided on a pair of Borg-Warner 6758s, which have their wastegates, blow-off valves, and boost controls all integrated into the units.

Mark had been fumbling with the design of his plenum for some time; gleaning what information he could from helpful forum members and friends. Still uncertain with what to do, he went ahead and consulted a very experienced friend of his, who happened to be part of the team which designed the Carrera GT. Being one of the few responsible for one of the greatest supercars in existence means certain doors open. This man had access to a few engineers at Ferrari, who signed off on a couple of Mark’s plenum designs to give him the ultimate piece of reassurance.

With massive slicks and plenty of grip, proper lubrication under high lateral load would need to be addressed. To ensure the VQ had all the oil it needed in every circumstance, Mark opted for a Dailey Engineering dry sump system and a Peterson oil tank.

Inside the car, it would be nothing if not purposeful. Mark harvested an alcantara shifter from a Porsche 997 GT3 and stuck it proudly in the middle of the custom interior. A fiberglass custom dash echoes the timeless, unmistakable piece found in the original 240Z, and to complement that purposeful, lightweight theme, Mark installed a set of Tillett carbon fiber bucket seats, and topped off the spartan interior with a Sparco wheel.

Dark, menacing, purposeful, and with over 600 horsepower propelling 2,400 pounds down the road, it’s going to be absurdly quick. Better yet—it’s classic looks don’t go hand in hand with the old Z’s wonky handling. Stiff, strong, light, and putting plenty of rubber on the road, this might take the cake as the best road racing Z car in existence. What’s your take?