SP Rides: A Stylin’ Speedzter
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Name: Michael Tengasantos
Age: 32
Occupation: Service writer
Hobbies: Cars, photography
Year, Make, Model: 2007 Nissan 350z
Color: Dark Green with Gold Pearl
Engine: Osiris Uprev Tuned, Stillen Duel Long Tube Intakes custom painted gold, Mishimoto radiator, Berk high flow cats, Apexi N1 duel catback exhaust, Megan Y-pipe, custom painted engine cover (green and gold), NISMO oil cap, NISMO radiator cap and carbon fiber battery cover and fluid cover.
Drivetrain: Z1 Motorsports VQ35HR clutch and lightweight fly wheel combo, Wilwood clutch master cylinder, and upgraded clutch slave cylinder.
Exterior: Custom paint job by Zac Hioki of Waifuworks, Outcast Garage Aztec front bumper with carbon fiber lip, Trial Japan side skirts, Trial Japan rear half bumper lip, Seibon TS-style carbon fiber hood, carbon fiber eyelids, Depo blacked out headlights, roof spoiler, Zakustech V1 350Z rear window louvers, Ings rear hatch duckbill spoiler, shaved antenna delete, shaved rear wiper delete, and LED Glow eight piece lighting kit.
Interior: Braum Racing Elite Series racing seats, Braum Racing five point harness, Graffiti Motorsports “K” harness bar custom painted gold, Arc Titanium shift knob, Evo-R carbon fiber caps for gage cluster, 3 Center gages, and shifter console, Grip Royal custom gold steering wheel, NRG short hub, NRG version 2.5 quick release with carbon fiber accents, and gold-painted window switches.
ICE: Alpine W505 touch screen head unit, custom Alpine type R subwoofer enclosure (trunk) with LED accent lighting, and Alpine door and rear speakers.
Suspension: BC Racing BR coilovers, Stillen front sway bar, Stillen rear sway bar, SPC Performance Adjustable Front Upper Camber Arms, SPC Performance Rear Camber Arms, SPC Performance rear toe arms, SPC Performance toe bolts, Stillen core support bar, and Factory strut tower bar.
Wheels, Tires, Brakes: Volk Racing GT-C in top secret gold, 19-by-9.5 +17 fronts, 19-by-10.5 +14 Rears, Dunlop Direzza DZ102, 245/40R19 fronts and 285/35R19 rear, Z1 Motorsports slotted and drilled rotors, Hawk HPS brake pads, and steel braided brake lines.
One thing that is great about being a tuner is taking a canvas and making it your own. Once a factory fresh car is in the hands of an enthusiast, all bets are off, and what was once a blue bomber, can now become a green machine. Case in point: Michael Tengasantos has taken his 2007 Nissan 350z and given it a facelift unlike any another Z on the island.
This ride was originally born as a bone-stock rare-color blue Z which Tengasantos purchased for his birthday. Because of his old autocross background, the initial mods were all about handling. The 350z is already a powerful car and his experience beforehand was only with front wheel drive. Tuning the suspension to have a good foundation became paramount and gave himself time to familiarize with the rear wheel drive platform.
To that end, the suspension has been worked over hardcore. These are modifications that you’ll never see, but are there and include BC Racing BR coilovers, a Stillen front and rear sway bar, and a full set of SPC suspension upgrade parts too numerous to list.
The foundation set, the exterior has been through a metamorphosis. As Tengasantos’s daily driver, the previous paint had been the victim of a thousand cuts, with paint chips marring the surface. Things with personality yet nothing too gaudy is what appealed to him, so he turned to Zac Hioki of Waifuworks who took things in hand and colorized this machine to a gorgeous dark green sprinkled with gold pearl for a sexy and sultry look.
The body kit consists of a rare Trial Japan body kit merged with a front bumper form Outcast Garage equipped with a carbon fiber lip. What really sets this car on fire is the venerable 240Z look thanks to the Zakustech V1 350z rear window louvers combined with the Ings rear hatch spoiler. Combined with the carbon fiber hood, eyelids and the LED Glow, this car screams classic appeal with a modern twist.
Ever a fan of the Need For Speed Underground 2 video game, Tengasantos actually used the game to investigate different colors and looks for his ride. The wheels — classic Volk Racing GT-Cs in Top Secret Gold — have always been on his wish list and feature prominently on the cover for the game. They’re shod in Dunlop Direzzas and match perfectly.
Full bolt-ons are managed by an Osiris Uprev Tuned system while the engine bay has been coated in the gold accents spread throughout the interior as well. The interior features beautiful seats from Braum Racing Elite Series racing seats, Braum Racing five-point harness as well as a Graffiti Motorsports “K” Harness bar that has been coated in the gold as well. All of this bumps along to some impressive sounds thanks to the Alpine Type R subwoofer enclosure within the trunk area.
A few times, people in the past have complimented Tengasantos’s ride with one word that encapsulates it all; so much so that he’s rolling with the saying on his plates: “Dayuum!”
