| As Japanese brands go there's not too many classic marques.
That's understandable with the Japanese culture of practicality.
Thankfully there are exceptions and one of these is Nissan's Z range that was launched in Tokyo in October 1969 and soon after made its Australian debut in 1970.
That car was the 240 Z, a genuine high-performance sports coupe with a long bonnet and even longer legs.
Australian variants followed with the 260 Z, the lazy 280 Z and the 300 Z before the Z was put to ZZZZZZ for several years.
In 2003 the Z badge was relaunched with the 350 Z, a popular and capable sports coupe that stayed faithful to Z individuality, but did not look back with kitschy retro styling.
At the MIMS Nissan to the 350 to the next level with the introduction of the new 370 Z, to be launched here mid -year.
The car on show was bright yellow and stood out like a beacon as most manufacturers turned on the greenest Australian motor show --- and we're not talking car colours here --- with eco cars dominating the stands.
“The new 370 Z builds on the best features of both the first and last generation Z cars, respectful, not retro, simple yet sophisticated and unmistakably Z,” said Nissan Australia Managing Director, Dan Thompson.
The 370 Z is a more aggressive, muscular car than the 350 it replaces, both in appearance and engineering.
It's 100mm shorter in the wheelbase, 65mm shorter overall, and 30mm wider.
There are some styling cues to the 240 Z and a cantilevered roof borrowed from GT-R styling.
The intrusive rear strut brace that hindered the 350 Z has been removed and replaced with less intrusive structural reinforcement plus a shelf behind the seats for smaller items such as brief cases.
There's now a locking glove compartment.
Sat Nav has been added, Bluetooth and an upgrade to interior materials.
As the new badge suggests, the Z is now powered by a new 3.7 litre engine.
In reality it's a larger displacement variant of the old 3.5 litre engine with 35 per cent of the engine's parts being new.
Power is up at 245 kW, while torque is now 363 Nm. (previously 230kW/358Nm)
Two new transmissions are available: an improved six speed manual close ratio box that Nissan say will allow novices to drive the car smoothly.
The `SynchroRev' control function automatically adjusts engine speed when changing gear to the exact speed of the next gear position.
When it goes on sale the 370 Z six speed manual will set you back $67,990 while the seven speed auto adds $3000 to the bottom line at $70,990.
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