Nissan launches 350Z sports car

It’s long, low and wide. Viewed from the front, the bulging fender flares call attention like beefy biceps under a muscle shirt. From the side, a high windowsill that projects a chunky heavyset look recalls similar design treatments seen in high-end German cars like the Audi TT and the current BMW 5 and 7 series sedans. The roofline arches gracefully to the rear which terminates abruptly for a squat, purposeful look.

It costs P3.985 million pesos and can go from 0 to 100 kph in a blink over 6 seconds. Its top speed is close to 260 kph. The car? Nissan’s sensational 350Z.

Thanks to the efforts of Nissan Motor Philippines Inc. (NMPI), Filipino car lovers now get a chance to see the latest version of one of the most celebrated sports cars in the world, the Datsun/Nissan Z-car. But first, a little history lesson.

The year was 1969. "Fairlady", it was called, and it took Japan by storm. One year later (and renamed 240Z), it debuted to a stunned American audience, the numerical designation referring to its lusty 150-hp 2.4-liter inline-6-cylinder engine. Again, it was both a commercial and critical success. The 240Z quickly became the fastest selling imported sports car in America.

After the 240Z came the bigger-engined 260Z in 1974, followed by the yet-more-powerful 280Z just one year later. Then in 1979, the big, heavy and luxurious 280ZX appeared. It would be succeeded by the even bigger, heavier and more luxurious 300ZX (which now had a V6 rather than an inline-6 engine) in 1984 and, finally, by the penultimate and most potent 300-hp twin-turbo-V6-powered 300ZX in 1990.

The performance of that last 300ZX approached that of exotic cars like Porsche and Ferrari — at a much lower price — that car enthusiasts hankered for Nissan to bring out another Z when the 300ZX stopped rolling off the production line in 1996.

It would take a long seven years before the hankering stopped. At long last Nissan, which had been in financial dire straits in the mid- to late 90s and had become part of the giant Renault empire, was back in full strength and ready to unleash its best Z-car yet, the 350Z — with a vengeance.

Harkening back to the original Z of more than 30 years ago, the newest Z is available only as a strict 2-seater (the later ZXs had 2+2 versions) and comes only with a normally aspirated (non-turbo) 6-cylinder motor. That motor is Nissan’s VQ35DE 3.5-liter, DOHC, 24-valve V6 which, thanks to such 21st-century technology as continuously variable valve timing, along with time-tested hot-rodding tricks like a relatively high (10.3:1) compression ratio, makes a rousing 280 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and a massive 37 kg-m of torque at 4,800 rpm. Behind its six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission is a super-trick carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic driveshaft leading to a limited-slip rear differential.

The 350Z’s suspension is similar in concept to the last 300ZX in that it uses multilink systems at both the front and the back. However, the new car uses more aluminum components in the suspension for lighter weight and features body-stiffening strut tower braces spanning both the engine bay and the rear cargo area. Even the hood itself is made of aluminum.

With the engine’s centerline located behind the front axle line for better weight distribution across a relatively long 104.3-inch wheelbase, the 350Z’s balance is among the very best at any price. Also helping are truly huge wheels and meaty tires: 18"x8" wheels wrapped by 225/45R-18 tires in front and 245/45R-18 tires at the back.

Braking performance is beyond reproach thanks to 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA) and the use of brake calipers from Brembo, the Italian brake specialist that supplies Ferrari and Lamborghini as well as most race cars.

Inside, it’s a serious driver’s cockpit. The placement and design of the gauges are reminiscent of the original 240Z’s. Luxury touches abound, of course; highlighted by the audiophile-level quality of the standard Bose sound system.

In the traffic-choked roads of the Philippines, the 5-speed automatic transmission variant will be the main model available. Sports car purists need not mourn the 6-speed manual gearbox model, however, as the automatic also has a manual-shift mode.

The new 350Z is far from inexpensive, but given its Porsche Boxster-beating performance at a substantially lower price, it certainly delivers a big bang for the buck. The line for the lotto tickets starts here.