From Stock to Sleek: Nathan’s Chevy Cruze Built with ZZP

Jul 27, 2018

Pulling into the shop last week with the customized ZZP license plate, it was obvious the owner of this Cruze was a dedicated fan. 
 

Nathan Robson, a long-time ZZP customer, has owned his 2011 Chevy Cruze LTZ RS 1.4L Turbo since 2015 and he’s been adding parts to it ever since. 
 
“I’ve got a little bit of an addiction to it,” he admitted. 

 

 
Recently, Nathan came in for a tune, but he has installed a plethora of ZZP parts to his build, including a front-mount intercooler, air intake, downpipe, mid pipe, and a forge atmospheric blow-off valve. 
 
And that’s not the end of it. In the future, he said he plans to add injectors and is playing with the idea of adding a big wheel turbo. 

 

 
Nathan’s brother, who, along with his father are both mechanics for GM and work at the Milford Proving Grounds, got him started modding 3800s while he was still in high school. 
 
“It was the thing of the town to trick your Grand Prixs out,” he said. 

 

 
Familiar to the world of 3800 modding, Nathan, who plays minor league hockey for the Port Huron Prowlers but resides in Flint, eventually came across ZZP after being recommended other performance parts makers. 

 

 
“Everybody was pushing me to get Trifecta or Bad News Racing and stuff like that, but they’re just expensive and it was all over the internet. I like face-to-face stuff. It’s more personal,” he said. 
 
Nathan has installed many of the parts for his Cruze himself, but this was his first time visiting our facility. 
 
“It was worth it,” he said. “I like long drives and hopefully I’ll be doing more of that now. I’m excited. 
 
Being a Michigan native, and a business owner himself, it was important to Nathan to get parts that were made in the state. 

 

 

 

“I want to support a local company,” he said. “I owned a t-shirt company for the last three years and I’ve liked the personal aspect of small businesses.” 
 
But more than just being local, Nathan said he chose ZZP because they integrate better and there’s a consistency of quality. 

 

 

 

“I’ve got a bunch of people that have Cruzes around my area and we work on them on the side. A couple of them get tuned by different people or they have mismatched parts in their cars and they couldn’t make it functional together,” he said. 

 

Modifications

Engine

  • ZZP Front Mount Intercooler
  • ZZP Downpipe
  • ZZP Midpipe 
  • ZZP Intake
  • ZZP Tune
  • Forge Atmospheric BOV

Suspension & Brakes

  • Zzp Big Brake Kit
  • Ultra Racing Strut Bars
  • Lowered on D2 Coilovers
  • Upgraded Rear Swift Springs 12k

Interior

  • Suede, Flat Bottom Camaro Steering Wheel
  • Pioneer Speaker System
  • White LED Interior Lighting
  • Carbon Fiber Wrapped Interior Pieces
  • ZZP Pillar Gauge Pod

Exterior

  • Vis Racing Carbon Fiber Hood
  • Siebon Carbon Fiber Trunk
  • Custom Paint on Hood and Trunk
  • Custom Front RS Lip
  • Custom Side Skirt Lips
  • Winjet Headlights ( Dual Projector)
  • 18″ x 8.5″ Niche Racing NR06 wheels
  • 35% tint
  • DDM Works Spark Plug Cover