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By
EWAN KENNEDY
24 November 2008
One of
the highlights of the Los Angeles Motor Show was the debut of the
new Nissan 370Z. Journalists from around the world started to
congregate a solid half hour before the event, aware that places
close to the car would be impossible to find if they didn’t
arrive in advance.
They
were right, when Nissan chief, the now-legendary Carlos Ghosn,
unveiled the car it wasn’t possible to get within 50 metres of
it. And that was despite advance shots of the latest Z-car having
been released almost three weeks ago.
The
thing that most of us love about the new Nissan 370Z is that it
pays homage to the original Datsun 240Z sports car of 1970. With
its long bonnet, short sloping roof, distinctive B-pillar shape
and powerful rear haunches, the new Z-car is retro in its
appearance. Yet at the same time is very much early 21st century
at the same time. The stylists have threaded their way along a
fine line to achieve this balance and have succeeded admirably.
Inside,
the cabin is also very Z-car, with its cockpit feel, large dials
for the main functions, and the traditional trio of smaller
instruments sitting proudly above the centre of the dashboard. We
found the sports seats to offer plenty of style, they feel as
though they will give good lateral support, yet aren't overly
difficult to get into and out of.
Under
the bonnet the Nissan 370Z has an engine of – no surprise here
– 3.7 litres. As in all recent Z-cars it has a V6 configuration.
Meaning, of course it doesn’t need that huge bonnet that was
originally dictated by the straight-six powerplant of the original
cars in the series. But to have given this traditional sports
machine a stubby bonnet in the modern fashion would have been a
disaster from an aesthetic point of view.
Power
is 247 kilowatts, with peak torque a very healthy 366 Newton
metres.
All
that mumbo is taken to the back wheels by way of a six-speed
manual gearbox with what sounds like an interesting system of
automatically matching revs on downshifts. We have not driven the
car at this stage. A seven-speed automatic transmission will be an
option.
Nissan
370Z is expected to arrive in Australia in June 2009, where it
will join the eagerly-anticipated Nissan GTR that’s going to be
released on our market in February 2009. While the GTR is very
much a hard-edged pure sports machine, the new Nissan 370Z will be
able to cope with day-to-day commuting, though it’s obviously
aimed at Sunday morning fangs, and even trips to the track when
your fancy falls that way.
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Marque Publishing Company
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