I find it hard to believe that 40-years have flowed under the bridge since the original Z-car was introduced in North America. Known in 1970 as the Datsun 240Z, this two-seat coupe was a game changer amidst a field of American muscle cars. It provided a lean, sophisticated alternative to the gas-hoarding, V8-powered behemoths pushed by Detroit that could eat up a quarter mile in good time but couldn’t get out of their own way on a track.
The 240Z, on the other-hand, relied upon a better power-to-weight ratio for propulsion and true sports car handling capabilities to reward its drivers, especially those track bound. It was certainly unique back then to find an inline 2.4-litre, SOHC 6-cylinder engine beneath the hood of a Japanese sports car. Come to think of it, that’s still the case given Japan’s near-exclusive use of the V-configuration for its 6-cylinder engines.
Eventually, the Z-car was turned out with a V6 engine in its bay as well. It was 1984 and a 3.0-litre V6 was the powerplant selected to hustle the now-named Nissan 300ZX. It became the best selling sports car in America for the year. Fast forward to 2010 and the 370Z is the most powerful Z ever.
40th Anniversary Edition
To celebrate the Z’s 40th year on North-American streets, Nissan has produced a limited run of specially-dressed and equipped 370Zs. And true to their “Z” roots, they are two-seat rear-wheel-drive coupes. The anniversary editions are quartz-coloured, which is an appealing shade of grey. These units feature contrasting red synthetic suede upholstery embossed to commemorate the anniversary.
The cars are all equipped with the 370Z’s Sport Package, Navigation Package and Touring Package, the culmination of which jacks the sticker shock to $48,498. That large chunk of change buys a lot of exhilarating performance, technology and visual excitement—and some of that excitement is auditory.
SynchroRev Match
When I first jumped into my tester and starting rowing through its six manual gears, I was startled to hear the engine rev vigorously upon downshifting. The engine’s penchant to do so ran afoul of my own throttle blips to smartly insert a lower gear. A runaway engine is not a good thing, and until I knew differently, that was my concern.
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| This two-seat coupe was a game changer amidst a field of American muscle cars. (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |
The 240Z, on the other-hand, relied upon a better power-to-weight ratio for propulsion and true sports car handling capabilities to reward its drivers, especially those track bound. It was certainly unique back then to find an inline 2.4-litre, SOHC 6-cylinder engine beneath the hood of a Japanese sports car. Come to think of it, that’s still the case given Japan’s near-exclusive use of the V-configuration for its 6-cylinder engines.
Eventually, the Z-car was turned out with a V6 engine in its bay as well. It was 1984 and a 3.0-litre V6 was the powerplant selected to hustle the now-named Nissan 300ZX. It became the best selling sports car in America for the year. Fast forward to 2010 and the 370Z is the most powerful Z ever.
40th Anniversary Edition
To celebrate the Z’s 40th year on North-American streets, Nissan has produced a limited run of specially-dressed and equipped 370Zs. And true to their “Z” roots, they are two-seat rear-wheel-drive coupes. The anniversary editions are quartz-coloured, which is an appealing shade of grey. These units feature contrasting red synthetic suede upholstery embossed to commemorate the anniversary.
The cars are all equipped with the 370Z’s Sport Package, Navigation Package and Touring Package, the culmination of which jacks the sticker shock to $48,498. That large chunk of change buys a lot of exhilarating performance, technology and visual excitement—and some of that excitement is auditory.
SynchroRev Match
When I first jumped into my tester and starting rowing through its six manual gears, I was startled to hear the engine rev vigorously upon downshifting. The engine’s penchant to do so ran afoul of my own throttle blips to smartly insert a lower gear. A runaway engine is not a good thing, and until I knew differently, that was my concern.
 |
| The cars are all equipped with the 370Z’s Sport Package, Navigation Package and Touring Package, the culmination of which jacks the sticker shock to $48,498. (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |