Nissan 350Z

As newcomers to the sport compact tuning lifestyle, our initial fascinations are usually material in nature; no matter which paths we choose for building our cars, we all lust for the accessories that separate us from the masses and ideally combine to give our cars an advantage over the status quo. Sadly (albeit a bit comical in retrospect), this desire for individuality drives many to fall ill with "parts fever" at first, adding anything they can to further differentiate their cars from stock, with little regard for function, improvement and aesthetic. While this may result in counterproductive builds of countless variation, the end result is always the same: a project that succeeds in turning heads, but does so for the wrong reasons.

The more time and effort we invest in this business, whether studying the work of others or wrenching on our own projects, the more we develop a recognition for what works and what doesn't and realize that form really does follow function. As our tastes mature, we find ourselves searching more for parts that offer advantages, rather than scream for attention, the opposite of what may once have been the case.

Most importantly, with a developed appreciation for the more effective ways of building a car comes a shift in what inspires us. For the newcomer, simply the sight of a heavily modified car is sufficient in whetting the appetite for beginning a similar project. On the other hand, the experienced tuner understands the difficulties that have been overcome in building an ideal ride, and appreciates the story of a car to which hard work and self-sacrifice were crucial in its construction, rather than that of one that was built from a checkbook

As employees of a publication dedicated to bringing you the details of the most innovative, potent and impressive builds the sport compact tuning world has to offer, cars with inspirational stories behind their builds routinely cross our paths. From owners who've struggled to perform every modification to their cars themselves, to those who've made extraordinary sacrifices in building theirs, and even some whom we wouldn't suspect as ever being into the scene at all-chances are, we come across it all on a daily basis. What we don't find everyday are people who simultaneously fall into each of these categories. Enter Wendy Cheng, the owner, financier and builder of this JDM-inspired Nissan 350z.

Short in height and small of stature (and dare we say it, kind of cute!), at first glance, 21-year-old Wendy definitely doesn't appear as the typical sport compact enthusiast. In fact, upon meeting Wendy, many might suspect a boyfriend or significant other of having built the car and mom and dad with having paid for it. In reality, nothing can be further from the truth; surprising to many, Wendy performed nearly every modification to her Z herself, relying only on the help of close friends when absolutely necessary. "I'm fascinated with cars inside and out," she explains. "Building this car has allowed me to learn about it along the way-which is very useful when things don't go as planned!"

Equally surprising is that Wendy paid for almost every modification to her car out of pocket, without much of the typical help from mom and dad, sponsors and teammates that others receive. While studying to be a high school teacher, Wendy works as a marketing director for a local accounting firm and devotes as much of her wages to her passion as possible. When asked about the difficulties in saving money for her project, Wendy said, "I always see girls spending their money on what they like to do-going out, shopping-that's just not for me. This is what I like to do," she continues, "I don't see it as a sacrifice."

Witnessing the cleanliness of her Z, we weren't surprised in learning Wendy is a sort of veteran to the sport compact scene and has owned and modded other cars before this one. "My brother originally got me into the scene," she explains. "He had a cleanly-modded JDM-style Civic, back before JDM was the thing, but I guess the lifestyle and friendship everyone shared was what really drew me in." Shortly afterward, Wendy got a car of her own, an '04 Corolla, and began to modify it. "Finding parts for the Corolla was hard, especially a new one," Wendy says. Like many tuners, Wendy turned to Super Autobacs in search of parts for her project, where she met the second most influential man in her tuning life, her boyfriend Elson Enriquez. "(Elson) has old-school roots," she laughs admiringly, "He's owned everything from 510's, and Hachi Roku's to who knows what. All of them kept very clean and JDM." With Elson's help, Wendy tracked down some minor parts for her Corolla before an accident decommissioned it prematurely. Bummed at the time, Wendy now admits the accident was a blessing in disguise, "After the accident, I knew more about cars and was able to buy one I really wanted," and she hasn't looked back since.

Wendy's first step in building her Z was to improve handling characteristics with a set of Tanabe springs and free up a little power with a Nismo exhaust. With the car new and under warranty, Wendy was understandably hesitant to modify the performance aspects of the car and focused more on styling. "By that time, a lot of modified Z's were out there, and I made up my mind that I wanted to build mine with JDM parts, as rare as possible," she explains. With Elson's help, she was able to source a Powerhouse Amuse front bumper and combine it with an Ings+1 rear bumper and pair of LX sides to give her ride a look something apart from stock, while still remaining clean. After a few months of anticipation, a Nismo rear wing finally arrived from its overseas home, adding the much needed "something" to the car's hatch.