Rally edition: Back to the Future
The event was a terrifying test of driver skill, reliability and willpower. It was a landmark event in East-African motorsport, and it is still regarded as one of the most difficult rally events in the world. It was so impressive that it was compared to three regular-season wins.
Given the history of the event, and the fact that the Z Proto had won it in 1971 and 1973, it is obvious that Forsberg and his company had huge shoes to fill. It might seem odd that the Z Proto was not used as the base. However, it was originally planned to be displayed at the 2020 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, only one of them had been constructed. The 370Z was chosen to be the tribute.
It’s likely that you will notice how the team matched the aesthetics and style of the original rally-racer. The classic styling cues such as the black hood and rally-lights will be obvious at first glance. But the inspiration goes deeper. The grab handle at the rear-hatch was a simple but effective addition that we liked. It was not just an additional contact point for the spare tire, but was used to give the codriver leverage to unstick the car.
This retro-modern project car is not in keeping with the ethos of many other project cars. It was built to full ARA (American Rally Association spec). Although it hasn’t yet entered any rallies, it could be ready to roll up to the start line. It doesn’t have an excessive amount of horsepower, just like the original car which produced only 215 horsepower (160.3 Kilowatts). The exhaust system has been replaced with drop filters.
Although the Safari Rally may seem small to many, rallying legends such as Ari Vatanen, Hannu Mikkola and Carlos Sainz Sr. were there in the beginning stages. Covid prevented the event from returning to the WRC calendar for 2020.