With its generous use of nostalgia based on styling cues adapted from Z-cars of yesteryear, the new seventh-generation Nissan Z has seen as much praise as it has disdain. And while more than enough time has passed to allow the masses to adapt to the retro-infused styling, there’s always room for improvement, which has now come in the form of a fresh aero, suspension, and brake kit out of Japan.
Hoshino Impul Co., Ltd., or Impul, as its known, was started by Nissan Works driver Kazuyoshi Hoshino way back in 1980 and has long specialized in producing performance and appearance parts for various Nissan chassis and they recently announced a complete aero kit for the latest Z.
Perhaps the most talked about portion of the latest Nissan Z is its controversial front end. Blunt, inspired by the past, and sitting somewhere in between then and now with its almost chain-link grill treatment and almond shaped headlights, many felt something was missing, and Impul understood the assignment.
Minor Facelift
The two-piece bumper update adds a razor-sharp lower lip with upturned end plates and high profile fins that spill into the grill area. The other piece sits along the upper portion of the grill, sticking out about two-inches on the top, and increasing in depth as it traces the rectangular opening and terminates in a handlebar mustache that ends halfway up the bumper cover.
The dramatic front-end makeover is matched along the car’s sides with skirts that continue the winglet look. Rather than only adding a new layered look, the skirts jut outward dramatically and add considerable depth to its flanks.
Both sides of the car are also treated to Impul’s fender vents as well as their carbon fiber mirror caps that feature embossed logos and maintain the factory turn signals in their construction.
Wingin’ It
It wouldn’t be a complete aero kit without a wing and in this case, the sculpted counterpart uses centrally mounted pedestals with ends that wrap around and turn downward in striking fashion.
Opting to completely cover up the ho-hum factory rear bumper, Impul’s diffuser is armed with sharp fins on both sides and upturned winglets to continue the overall theme. The diffuser is offered in two flavors: with titanium exhaust finishers, or with smaller exits intended for the factory exhaust tips.
We couldn’t find any engine performance upgrades in the announcement but there are other areas that were addressed, including braking and suspension. Six-piston front and four-piston rear kits with Impul labeling on the calipers and larger slotted rotors are on the menu. Suspension comes by way of Ohlins super shock and spring combo that Hoshino says not only stiffens the ride but provides much improved cornering performance. To note, the demo vehicle is shown on Impul-badged wheels that are actually Enkei RS05RR and measure 20×9.5 +35 front, and 10.0 +30 in the rear.
The last bit of the package is for the Z’s interior, where these plush-seeming floor mats designed in polypropylene are high-density, abrasion-resistant, and fire-retardant. Like the front lip and diffuser, the floor mats are also given an official Impul badge.
Pay To Play
It’s not some eBay lip kit replica, this is a precision aero kit and Impul is well known for their quality components and, as such, it’ll cost ya. All of those aero pieces, including the rear diffuser with titanium exhaust option is listed at a little over $5,000, the mirror covers add an additional $382, and those cushy floor mats check in at about $280. The big-ticket item in the unveil are the brakes, which list for a painful $7,900, while pricing on the Impul-spec Ohlins suspension kit has not been determined just yet.
It’s too soon to know whether all of the parts are a direct fit for the U.S. market Z, but it’s likely they’re compatible given their outward appearances. Is it enough of a tune to satisfy the needs of the new Z sports car? It’s certainly an improvement.
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