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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, August 11, 2010 · 22 FREE CINEPLEX MOVIE TICKET with oil change Expiry: September 30, 2010 Code: 5669 TM/® Cineplex Entertainment LP or used under license. 345 Speers Rd. (at Dorval), Oakville 905-842-9299 Valid at all GTA locations. Nissan introduces 370Z 40th Anniversary Model By Rob Beintema Metroland Newspapers Carguide Magazine The 370Z was accelerating nicely, a lovely power drone from the VQ engine resonating through the cabin. The sound waves seemed to swell in sync with my adrenaline rush. I let up on the gas and downshifted as the approach to the curve grew ever larger in the windshield. Then I slotted the Z into the on-ramp. The lateral g-forces were building, building; pushing me into the door as we spiraled around and around, through the long righthander before it spit us out and onto the highway. Ah-ha! And the coolest thing was that the passenger window didn't automatically open halfway through the corner. I'll explain that later. But first, lest there be any hint of conflict of interest whining later, I'd better come clean. I love Zs. This particular model was a 2010 370Z Coupe, a 40th Anniversary Edition model but, yes, I am old enough to remember the original 1970 Datsun 240Z and the way it rocked the sport performance world with its revolutionary new take on Jaguar E-Type styling and British sports car synergy. Trouble was, I could never quite afford one and the dream faded with fatherhood and forgotten plans. I succumbed to suburbia and became a contented Ford LTD station wagon dad. Until a local dealer played the dirty, rotten, stinking trick of plonking a used but virtually pristine 1983 280ZX Turbo out on his front lawn, where I couldn't help but see it. It was beautiful. Black and lustrous with gold pinstripes. In the style of the last year of Nissan 370Z Coupe 201040th Anniversary Edition At A Glance: BODY STYLE: Sports car coupe. DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, rearwheel-drive. ENGINE: 3.7-litre DOHC V6 (332 hp, 270 lb/ft). FUEL ECONOMY: Manual, 11.6/7.7 L/100km (city/hwy) PRICE: $48,498 WEB: nissan.ca And under the hood the VQ37VHR 3.7litre DOHC 24-valve V6 aluminum-alloy engine makes a whopping 332 hp at 7000 rpm and 270 lb/ft of torque at 5200 rpm. For the purists who pine and moan for the old 240Z, this new pocket rocket makes twice the power of the original (and about 150 horses more than my '83 Turbo). And, yes, I know it's heavier and filled with more content than the original, but, frankly, the Z evolved into a GT car long before this generation, and the power-to-weight ratio has also virtually doubled compared to it predecessors. There's also a roadster version but, as much as I enjoy open-air driving, I'm not counting that one due to the extra 120 kg of structural reinforcement and equipment. That's like driving around with a fat guy in the passenger seat all the time. So I'll stick with the coupe which, in this case, has been bolstered by a 40th Anniversary Edition package in a premium "40th Graphite" exterior colour, a classy gray matched nicely to the black and red leatherappointed interior. Continued on page 23 The 2010 Nissan 370Z 40th Anniversary Edition, one of only 120 special edition models available in Canada with a full suite of equipment and amenities listing for $48,498. sugar-scoop lights. With a T-roof. With a unique tan leather and suede (Suede!) interior. And it blended a turbo with a five-speed manual shifter, a mismatched power combination as crazy as it was captivating. I "just happened" to drive by the lot once or twice a day for a week or two, half-hoping it would be gone, half-hoping it would still be there, until I gave in to temptation because "honest, honey, it's perfect as a second car, just for work." The 1983 280ZX had its quirks, not least the disconcerting habit of the passenger window powering down during hard right corners. Which I at first took to be an electrical fault, until I figured out that the lateral gforces of a right turn were pushing my left leg and the crease bumps of my jeans against the perfectly aligned passenger window switch. Duh. But if it was good enough for Paul Newman to race, it was good enough for me. And that old Z, like this new Z, fulfilled the main function of a sports car ­ to make you smile. Whether it's in anticipation as you walk towards it, in sheer enjoyment as you drive it, or wistfully looking back as you leave it, with a good sports car, you just have to smile. Nissan sports cars have managed that feat through six generations with only one slight blip in production before Carlos Ghosn rescued the company's heart and soul with the rebirth of the Z in 2002. But enough history. This latest 370Z version is particularly handsome with stout haunches that bring to mind Porsche musculature while the wedgeshaped front end shows styling similarities in common with the snake-headed Honda S2000.