OUR HOMES | OUR RIDES
A New Nissan Z For A New Generation BY RANDY STERN | PHOTOS BY RANDY STERN How do you express your lifestyle? Over the years, I explained how our cars, trucks, SUVs, minivans and so forth are an extension of who we are and how we live our lives. LGBTQ people are the most expressive humans on this planet. What we present to the universe is how we truly live our lives. For me, I express my lifestyle by finding “the feel.” The “groove,” if you will. Musically, of course. But, through the vehicles I get to drive for this work. The cooler, the better. It is not without some reasoning. Rather, through experience and nostalgia. In the case of the 2023 Nissan Z, it takes me back to my childhood when the first one debuted at Datsun dealerships in the fall of 1969. The original Datsun 240Z was a two-seat sports coupe with a long hood and a short rear deck. Underneath the hood was an in-line sixcylinder engine that propelled this lightweight car across the highway and around the curves. The result is a pure experience that propelled us beyond our wildest dreams.
There had been many attempts to recapture the essence of the original. Nissan knew it had to go back to its roots. They needed something that embodied a pure driving experience while referencing what made the 240Z legendary. To find out whether the legend of the Z has recaptured the soul of my childhood, Nissan flew me out to Las Vegas to experience their new sports coupe. For someone who have brought you some of the finest vehicles sold in our region for the past 11 years, this one is going to be a special one to tell you about. On the outside, it was clear that Nissan’s designers wanted to reference the original 240Z onto a new modern platform. In the process, they also reference past Z models on top of the basic shape. Up front is a modern reminder of the original 240Z – without the chrome bumper across the grille. The open grille area is functional forcing air inside the engine compartment. The horizontal taillight arrangement has a hint of the fourth-generation model across the Continue on page 192
190 LAVENDER JUNE 2-15, 2022
