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(Thu 20 Nov 08) The Nissan 350Z sports car, introduced in 2003, is about to make way for its successor, the 370Z. If you half-close your eyes you'll see a family resemblance between the two cars, but in fact the new one is quite different, being slightly wider and much shorter.
As the name suggests, the 3.5-litre V6 engine has been enlarged to 3.7 litres. Nissan says that 35% of the components are new, and that maximum power output is 326bhp, though this figure still has to be confirmed for European-market cars. The gearbox is a six-speed manual, and one of the car's most notable features is that the engine speed is adjusted to match whichever gear the driver is starting to select, so that changes can be as smooth as possible. There are just two seats, as before, allowing space that would normally be taken up by useless rear seats to be used for carrying luggage. The rather awkward rear strut brace of the 350Z has been removed (greater structural stiffness has made it unnecessary), but there is a new shelf area behind the rear seats for storing briefcases and such like. Pricing has not been confirmed, but European deliveries are scheduled to begin next April. |
