By Antonio Alvendia

Antonio Alvendia

As one of the more prolific tuning platforms on the market today, the Z33 even in stock form provides an excellent combination of power, handling, looks, and relative value. The RWD sports coupe can be found in nearly all forms of motorsports and has particularly excelled at drifting, capturing back to back championships for Tanner Foust in 2007 and 2008.

The long awaited introduction of the 370Z has many 350Z fans scratching their heads, however, as Nissan took away the flowing lines and sleek styling in lieu of an overly edgy and incoherent design. For many of us here at Motor Mavens, the 07-08 Z still stands as arguably the best looking Z of the past generation and fellow Maven Mike Maez unequivocally agrees.

Mike’s take on the Z33 is one that caught our eye for a number of reasons. For one, it isn’t too over the top with a flashy body kit or a wild graphics scheme. There is attention to detail with the fitment and the wheel selection, which is always a plus, but furthermore it represents a very specific paint and wheel combo that we’ve never seen before on the 350Z. Combined with a solid ride height, an Akebono brake setup borrowed from the aforementioned 370, and just the right amount of bolt-ons, we were convinced that this was one Z that easily takes Center Stage. Continue reading and view more photos on MotorMavens.

It’s Friday again and I am so ready to get my weekend started. I have speakers and kick panels calling my name, just waiting to get installed in my car. But that all has to wait until tomorrow morning… So I guess until then I’ll go ahead and catch up on the SoundDomain news:

• Rearview/back-up cameras are pretty common these days, but frontview cameras are pretty new. This mirror could turn your weekend canyon cruising into a Hollywood moment, or it could save you from taking blame on your next fender bender (videos and pics available)!
• Don’t you hate it when you spend $45,000 (or more) on a new BMW and then when you drive it off the lot it hits you that you forgot to order the factory navigation option! Man, I hate that! Well, don’t worry… To prevent buyer’s remorse BMW is giving folks in that predicament a free BMW Garmin Nuvi360 with a custom BMW mounting system.
• If you’re going to be in the Biloxi, MS area June 21-22 make sure to stop by the Gulf Coast Coliseum for the Scrapin’ the Coast/Deep South Nationals show. Last year there were over 2000 cars and trucks, and the show was named Mini Truckin’s "Show of the Year" for 2007. We’ll be there shooting the event just in case you can’t make it.
• The Kenwood DNX8120 was by far our favorite radio at CES this year. We told you all about it in our CES Coverage, and now we have a demo video hosted from Kenwood showing off all the 8120′s cool features and functions. Man is this thing SWEET!

So the new SoundDomain is now only a month old, but it’s been a successful month so far. Thanks for your support! As the year progresses, we’ll start offering some great hands-on gadget reviews, longer feature articles and complete build articles from some of the greatest shops around the US and Canada (maybe even a few worldwide!). Expect some cool changes to come for SoundDomain. For now, just expect a really cool forum, and some really great news… Like this:

• SoundStream is coming out with a 15,000 watt amp designed for SPL competitors and those that like to sonically rattle their fillings loose.
• MB Quart is known for incredible sounding speakers and amplifiers, and their recent journey into marine audio has led to some really innovative products. The new MB Quart APC (Audio/Video Processing Center), also known as the "Black Box" is one of the most unique source-solutions for boats that I’ve seen in my 10+ years in the industry.
• The Japanese consumer electronics industry is filled with cool gadgets, some we’ll either never see or we’ll have to wait at least a year or two before coming to our shores. Such an example is the new Kenwood K-WD01, a double DIN in-dash CD and MD player – a device we’ll probably never see. I vote this a "never see" since it has MD , and the mini-disc just never made it big here (unfortunately).
• The P-Per phone from Chocolate is one of the coolest concepts I’ve come across in a long time. Of course it follows the typical iPhone styling, but it uses an ePaper display on both sides, features a 3.0mp panoramic camera, a haptic touchscreen, and more. Seriously, check it out.

SoundDomain has all the technology you want, kids… Get it all for free by clicking here! This is a limited time offer! Don’t wait, operators are not standing by! But wait, if you click here now, we’ll also throw in these four blog posts, absolutely free. And speaking of free:

• We’re giving away some free Kenwood schwag to the top commenter on our CES coverage.
• Zapco brought the bling to their booth in CES: Two Benzo-s and a Acura TL
• Polk Audio introduced the new MM series speakers and subs. These replace the previous years’ MOMO line and are P-I-M-P.
• Tired of paying ridiculous amounts of cash just to fill your gas tank? TomTom’s got you covered.

Demo cars, demo cars, demo cars… They were all over the place at CES, and we just couldn’t get enough of them.

• Check out this crazy post-apocalyptic-themed Kicker van, which sports two of their monster Warhorse amplifiers. This mean machine means business!
• SSL Audio had a rare Morgan in their booth. You don’t see too many of these in the US, so it was a treat to see one up close.
• Memphis has jumped on the "thin is in" bandwagon and had their new uber-thin composite subwoofers and skinny new amplifiers on hand. Pretty damn sexy stuff.
• Juan and I checked out Kenwood’s new gear and decided the new KDC-X592 is one super-sexy CD player; its classic styling has a sweet modern twist.

Well, we’re back from Vegas, and man, was CES 2008 an amazing time! We picked up an crazy amount of information, took a ton of pics, and have been posting tons of info over at SoundDomain. So keep checking back! Just because the show is over doesn’t mean our coverage is! Here’s the wrap up:

• Steve Meade is back with another video installment of his crazy 30,000 watt Escalade. That’s right… 30,000 friggin’ watts!
• We have great pics of Clarion’s FB275BT—the Bluetooth-equipped "Shark" radio—and it’s now available in black. Did I mention this thing has no CD player?
• These Italian-styled amps and speakers are even sexier than your girlfriend. Check out the Hertz line-up.
• Escort’s new remote-mount radar system is stealthy and small. Better yet, it knows where the cops hide!
• And finally—it’s time for our first give-away! We’ll be hooking up the top CES 2008 coverage commenter with some fine Kenwood leather goods!