Lady in Red

Sexy in red and neatly lined up at the Red Star Raceway near Emalahleni they shimmered in the sun – the latest embodiment of Nissan’s iconic Z-car with a legacy that began in the 1960s.

While it was exported as the Datsun 240Z, the original Z-car was introduced in Japan in late 1969 as the Nissan Fairlady Z – an incongruous name for a sports car considered in Western terms, but one that has stuck.

Every Z-car sold in Japan is known as a Fairlady Z, but elsewhere it went under the names Nissan S30, Nissan S130, Nissan 300ZX, Nissan 350Z, and now, in its sixth generation, as the Nissan 370Z.

Over the years, this fair lady has been endowed with more and more power, making her ever more attractive. The 240Z (which was never officially available in South Africa), 260Z, 280Z, and S130 (280ZX) were powered by an inline-six with displacement growing from 2,4 litres to 2,8 litres.

The second generation 280ZX, introduced in 1979, was a complete re-design with a turbo option offered later, but the third generation 300ZX switched to a 3-litre V6 engine.

Two generations of the 300ZX – the Z31 from 1984 to 1989 and the Z32 from 1990 to 1996 – with non-turbo or turbo engines were available, but dwindling sales and escalating prices led to its demise in 1999.

However, just over three years later, the Zee, as it is known in the United States, was resurrected. The 350Z, powered by the 214kw 3.5-litre VQ35DE V6 was introduced in 2003 and its engine power was updated twice – in 2005 to 224 kw and in 2007 to 232 kw.

The 370Z (called the Fairlady Z Z34 in Japan) was introduced in 2009 with a bigger VQ37VHR mill producing 241 kw and since then it has been regularly updated, spawning a 40th Anniversary Edition in 2010, a GT edition a year later, as well as an uprated Nismo version.

Now the latest version of the 370Z has been unveiled, and what better way to sample the rear-wheel drive coupé with its high-revving V6 engine but to thrash it around a tight and twisty race track.

Upgrades for this sixth-generation model include metal chrome door handles and a black painted rear diffuser. The inside covers of the headlamps and rear combination lights, previously only available on the Nismo version, have now been darkened and the 2018 model also comes with distinctive new 19-inch alloy wheels.

Inside its classic Z-car interior is still dominated by a simple three-spoke

steering wheel and three circular gauges. Standard equipment includes a premium infotainment system with seven-inch touch-screen, sat-nav, a DVD player with 9.3GB music box system, and a rear-view camera. But the best addition to this example of the quintessential sports car is a stunning new Red Metallic exterior coat of paint.

On track it was evident that while the Lady may have matured somewhat over the years, she still wants to live life in the red.

With 245kw of power and 363Nm of twisting force under foot, channelled towards the rear wheels, the 370Z stays exhilarating and fun to drive. Sure, power delivery is not as linear and immediate as what one has become accustomed to in more contemporary contenders, and the seven-speed auto ’box is a trifle slow compared to some newer systems.

But the directness of its steering, the balance of the chassis, its ideal weight distribution, and the way in which the tail (rebellious when provoked) can be controlled by throttle modulation and steering input, makes it one of the few remaining examples of the classic sports car genre.

A sports clutch by Exedy enhances its dynamics, and Syncro Rev Control – the world’s first fully synchronised down/up shift rev control system for a manual transmission – makes this derivative the must-have model in the range. Well, at least in my (oldschool) opinion.

Yes, manual cog-swopping means hard work around the track and may be less comfortable in traffic, but the fact that it is less easy to drive as some of the new pretenders suits this Lady’s old-style personality.

Now available at R661,900 for the manual derivative and R680,900 for the auto version, the updated 370Z could be considered slightly outmoded, but while newbies to the genre may have evolved to be more acceptable and easier to drive, the latest Z-car stays true to its heritage.

On track it was evident that while the Lady may have matured somewhat over the years, she still wants to live life in the red.