There is an argument to be made for expanding the definition of “sports car.” However, the chasm between a Nissan 350Z and a pickup truck is pretty deep. Although a Nissan 350Z is a two-seater, rear-wheel-drive sports car, it didn’t stop this particular owner from using his 350Z as a pickup truck to haul a side-by-side on the roof. 

Who needs a pickup truck when you have a Nissan 350Z?

This image of the toy hauler Nissan 350Z was recently posted on Reddit. If you aren’t aware of the difference between pickup trucks and sports cars, this is really not a wise way to use a Nissan 350Z. 

The image shows a foolish yet awe-inspiring scene unfolding of a Nissan 350Z with a UTV parked and strapped to the roof. According to CarScoops, there doesn’t seem to be very much information about this parking lot madness. 

What we do know is that somehow, this fella got a UTV on the back/on top of his little red sports car. Not only is the side-by-side up there, but it is ratchet strapped to the car for what appears to be an effort to carry it somewhere like this. 

What exactly is going on with this Nissan 350Z? 

We aren’t sure if he just bought this and had no other way to get it home or if he was heading out to the trails, but what we do know is that the weight of this UTV is likely doing some damage to the 350Z’s roof. Typically, most two-seater UTVs or side-by-sides weigh around 1,200-1,600 lbs. 

If we move past the roof for a second, we’ll notice that the Nissan is sitting awfully low. This would make sense on account of the suspension simply wasn’t designed to support that kind of weight.

If you look at most compact pickup truck payload capacities, they will only just be rated to carry something this heavy. Needless to say, the Nissan 350Z’s suspension is far from that of any pickup truck. 

Can you tow with a sports car? 

Can and should are two very different things. Can you tow with a sports car? Sure. Should you tow anything with a sports car? No. 

Even though sports cars can be extremely powerful, they typically are powerful in the right way. Horsepower and torque are very different.

When it comes to towing, torque is what you want, while horsepower is less relevant. In fact, most of the highest-rated towing vehicles have fewer horses under the hood than torque. 

Torque accounts for the low rev power that is necessary to pull heavier weight. Furthermore, the rest of the mechanics of a sports car is wrong for towing.

The suspension, gearing, and wheelbase are not only wrong but essentially the opposite of what you need to tow safely. In fairness, our friend with the Nissan 350Z isn’t towing the side-by-side, but the same problems are present in any case. 

To be a fly on the wall…

Obviously, there is so much juicy information we would all love to have surrounding this photo, like, how does he plan to get the side-by-side off? How did he get the side-by-side up there? And, did the Nissan survive this day playing pickup truck? 

For all our questions, we only have our imaginations to answer them. At least this ambitious 350Z owner put down some cardboard underneath the UTV tires. I guess that’s something.