Feature: The Summer’s End – Franklin’s Z32

Saturday the 22nd, 2012, 6am; the first daybreak of Fall.  As the sun casts its new rays upon the horizon, we can say goodbye to Summer, and welcome in the new season.  A season filled with warm reds and oranges, bright yellows, and comforting greens and browns.   On this morning, as I sat on the cool pavement, and put my eye to the viewfinder, I saw all these things come out in what was displayed before me; with Franklin’s Z32 taking on the role of the cornucopia of the scene.  My little Autumn fantasy didn’t last long though because apparently quite a few CSULB students have class at 6am on Saturday morning.  Those people didn’t appreciate Franklin parking across three spots in the metered parking lot.  We ended up having to move our photographic operation into the parking garage – which I wasn’t too happy about because it ruined my article’s theme.  I did however, manage to get enough to continue this charade for a little longer.

If you’re conscious and have eyesight, regardless of the quality, the first thing you must notice about this car is how low it is.  It’s obvious, you’ve realized it, I’ve said it, it does not need to be said again; and the answer is yes, the car is daily driven at this ride height.  I must add, that it drives quite nicely as well – aside from the fender wear.  Just one of the many things that give this car what most builds lack; character.  Worth noting that Franklin is actually buying new fenders soon.  Alright, now that that is out of the way, let’s address the wheel setup – another character building choice.  Up front a set of 18×9.5 TE37s *cough*that used to belong to Vaughn Gittin Jr.*cough*, and in back a set of…

…18×10.5 Gram Light 57G’s treated with a fresh dipping of chrome.  These wheels really need to be seen in person – it’s hard to do them justice in pictures.  This could be the single reason to start bringing chrome back (is it already back?).  I love mismatched wheels.

Much like the Autumn leaves, changing color as they fall to the ground, Franklin’s Ganador side mirrors are also sporting a different color – unlike nature though, it was unintentional.  It makes no difference though because Ganadors always look great.

The GReddy Gracer front bumper fitted with J-Spec corner lights and custom grill gives the Z the aggressive look that flows so well with the rest of the car.

As we left the lot I had Franklin park on one of the roadways to the parking garage.  I have always wanted to take pictures here, but never had the opportunity.  I climbed up on one of the back walls of the garage and ‘Spider-manned’ my way to the edge of the roadway.

Just to grab this shot – which is actually available in hi-res over in the wallpaper section.  The warm tones match the character of Franklin’s car quite nicely; appropriate for the day as well.

A Mission carbon spoiler gracefully adorns the back of the hatch, increasing the definition of the car’s profile ever so slightly.  The HKS twin axle back  mated to GReddy H-pipes gives the V6 a throaty exhaust note.

These good looks come at a price however.  To say Franklin has some fender wear would be the understatement of last Summer.  Not to worry though, as I said earlier, new fenders are on the way and now that all the fitment issues have been worked out, he’ll be sure to keep them pristine.

Once inside the parking garage, and out of the cool morning sky, the demeanor of the car seemed to change a bit.  No longer the carefree Fairlady of the Summer, but now a hardened 300ZX; the sports car to end all sports cars.  It became cold.

Not unlike the weather that comes with the ending months of the year, the car seemed to take on a different appearance once inside.  An appearance that gave off an air of dominance.

A dominance that would leave it’s owner forever alone…ensuring that it was the only thing they cared for.

Which is a good thing because Franky loves to drive it.  Who wouldn’t love sitting in the arms of a Bride Zeta III gripping onto a Vertex 7-Star?  Other cockpit amenities include a Kazama shift knob and e-brake knob…

…and Lightning McQueen buttons.  Franklin likes Lightning McQueen a lot, and when I asked him why he gave me this response; “He’s a red car that likes to drive fast, who wouldn’t like him?”  Well put.

So I ditched the Autumn theme awhile back – I’m no writer, I could only keep that up for so long before I started running out of analogies.  So I think I’ll just start stating obvious observations.  This car has a lot of cool decals.

Megaman, Drift Tengoku…

…and Kids Heart.

After the shoot we went to Starbucks to get some coffee and breakfast pastries ; which was a delicious choice that has nothing to do with Franklin’s car.  Although, now that Franky’s car is up and running, I get to see him on a regular basis which is great.  Above all, I get to see his car’s transformation in person – as I’m sure there is much more to come from this great build.  I’m glad I got the opportunity to shoot it and on such a great day too – I’ll work on my writing -_-;.  Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for visiting!