Even stock AMG cars are quick as hell, so this YouTuber’s 700-horsepower Nissan must’ve earned him some serious clout.
The automotive enthusiast world has many different subcultures. You’re got your muscle car fanatics and your import nuts. Then you’ve got your truck lovers and off-roaders. There are clubs for owners of vintage cars. And let’s not forget the brand-specific groups within all of those categories. Despite all of the obvious differences that exist between brands and models, it’s possible for the love of automobiles to transcend badges and countries of origin.
Gearheads can get along, no matter who made their cars. In this video, Youtuber Freshhkiicks takes his souped-up import on a fast nighttime drive through California alongside a group of Mercedes and AMG owners.
Even stock AMGs are quick as hell, so Freshhkiicks needs a serious machine to keep up. We think it’s safe to say he has the necessary numbers, even if they don’t come out of a handbuilt German engine. Freshhkiicks‘s Nissan 350Z is turbocharged and produces a stout 700 horsepower and 680 lb-ft of torque – at the rear wheels.
After gassing up, he meets up with a local group of car nuts. One has an 800-horsepower Nissan GT-R running E85 and an anti-lag system. The others are in Mercedes-Benz and AMG performance cars. There’s a CLS or two, an SLK55, an SL, and some Cs. According to Freshhkiicks, one of the CLSs has been tuned and runs on race gas. Sounds as if everyone is ready for a fun and fast night in SoCal.
The AMGs roar out of the meeting spot and build up a hell of a lead. During his blast down the freeway, Freshhkiicks takes on the monstrous GTR. The all-wheel-drive Nissan shoots forward as if propelled by a rocket and looks even faster because Freshhkiicks‘s 350Z keeps spinning its wheels, losing the grip they desperately need to help him keep up.
Later on, Freshhkiicks rolls up alongside one of the CLSs for a couple of pulls. Although there’s no official start to them, at the end of both runs it’s clear that the 350Z is capable of hanging with AMG’s hot rods.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
