The , 400Z, the 370Z update with the 400-horsepower twin-turbo 3.0-liter VR30...whatever you want to call it, it’s here in America and it looks so much better out of the confines of Nissan’s Japanese press tour. It helps that it visited Chris Forsberg Racing, probably the best modern Z shop in the country.

Forsberg has run a Z in Formula drift since 2003 and has done the job with all kinds of engine configurations, from a little turbo SR20 to Nissan’s giant 5.6-liter V8 out of to a twin-turbo VQ that to its current R35 GT-R engine setup. The guy knows Zs, and . No better place to bring the new Z Proto, then.

I’ve long maintained that drifters are the new hot rodders, but it was still surprising to me when…

You’ve heard “millennials don’t like to get their hands dirty” and “kids aren’t into cars anymore.”

The car looks so much more real out in the wild than in Nissan’s museum () or in its well-curated press photos. It looks like a Z car, and you can really appreciate the retro touches put on the car, a mix of the first-gen S30 to the Bubble Era Z32 300ZX.

The Nissan 350Z was meant to be a back to basics return for the Z, coming after the big, bad 300ZX…

Forsberg spends some time talking with photo ace Larry Chen about the color of the car, how the yellow looks different under different lighting conditions. What interests me more is how jazzed he and Larry seem about the thing, and how quickly they start nerding out on various design touches. They look comfortable with the car, which is all Nissan could hope for, I’m sure.

Now I just have to go hunt down and find out what he thinks.

“I think Nissan’s lost,” said Rob Fuller, leaning back in his chair at the shop where he pours his…