In 1969 Datsun (later Nissan) brought the 240Z to our shores. Less than a year later demand for this little sports car was so high that even used ones were selling for more that the stickers on the new ones. Since then the Z’s have worked their way into our hearts and into racing legend.
I was in love with that first Z car and have been fascinated by the evolution it has gone through over the last 40 years. I couldn’t begin to mention all of the stages of that evolution or the accomplishments it has achieved, so I’ll just fast forward to the latest offering.
The Nissan 370Z is the 4th generation Z and it’s what’s new for 2009. Under the bonnet is a 3.7-liter V6 with 332 H.P. and 270 lbs of low-end grunt. To quote Kramer, “That’s a lot of giddy-up”! Even without all that growl it looks like “sex on wheels”!
It’s also got some cool stuff going on with the tranny. According to Nissan’s hyperbole it’s got the “World’s first SynchroRev Match manual transmission technology, available on the Sport Package, monitors the 6 speed’s clutch pedal operation, shift lever movement, and vehicle speed. Shifting to a lower gear automatically “blips” the throttle to the ideal engine rpm for a smooth downshift. Smoother shifts help keep the chassis balanced, meaning this transmission delivers handling and power.”
Anyone that’s ever done some slalom racing and downshifted a gear too low going into a tight turn can appreciate that. Not only can the mis-shift slow you down too much, it can throw off your concentration trying to regain a productive balance between engine, transmission, speed, and handling. It can also be pretty hard on the car.
I confess I want one. I want one real bad. If I go to test-drive one I will have to take my wife, Christine with me. She knows I will be like a 4 year old in a candy store. She will remind me of the last time I tried it on my own and came home with a new sports car.
It wasn’t totally my fault though. The dealer had it parked out on the grass in front of the store knowing some fool like me would drive by and become void of any ability to resist. I was just driving by, minding my own business when I spotted it. I swear, it called to me like a siren of the deep. I stopped, jumped out of my car and walked briskly over to it. After inspecting it for a full 3 or 4 seconds, I wiped the drool off my chin, put on my toughest negotiator look and walked nonchalantly into the dealership. The salesman had been watching me. He already knew the questions and had the answers.
“May I help you, sir”, said the spider to the fly. But, I tricked him. I had no questions. Not wanting to look eager I just smiled and gazed intently at the ugly sedan parked in the showroom. He persisted, “You really like that MX-5 parked out front don’t you? You know we’ve only got two of those M-Editions and we won’t be getting anymore. I expect both will be gone by 5:00 p.m. today.”
I was trapped! Mustering all my strength, I said, “I’ll take it! Right now”! “But, don’t you want to take it for a test drive? Don’t you want to know how much it cost”? he said with a sly grin on his face. “No” I said. “I want to buy it right now and drive it home”! I thrust my Amex card into his hand and before I knew it I was power-shifting down the road with the wind in my hair and bugs in my teeth. At last, I was BMOC!
Once I got it safely into the garage, I quickly set up rules for the family to observe. For Christine the rules stated she might drive it, but only on sunny dry days and never on a gravel road. If she took it to the mall, it had to be parked at least 100 feet away from any other cars.
For my teenage sons the list was a bit longer. It went; don’t ask if you can drive it, don’t sit in it, in fact just stay out of the garage unless you have a good reason to be there. But, the most hated was the “3-foot rule”. If you have to walk through the garage, stay at least 3 feet away from the car. With their backpacks, hockey sticks, and other things they might accidentally scratch it. Our youngest son, David, came to hate the car.
I sold it almost ten years later, sight unseen, to some guy out in Las Vegas. When it was backed off the truck the guy couldn’t believe his eyes. It was immaculate. You could have parked it in a showroom and people would have mistaken it for a new vehicle. With only 37k on the odometer and at least 50 coats of wax on the paint it literally sparkled. The guy called me at midnight to tell me he was just ecstatic with it. I had successfully passed the curse on to someone else.
I was in love with that first Z car and have been fascinated by the evolution it has gone through over the last 40 years. I couldn’t begin to mention all of the stages of that evolution or the accomplishments it has achieved, so I’ll just fast forward to the latest offering.
The Nissan 370Z is the 4th generation Z and it’s what’s new for 2009. Under the bonnet is a 3.7-liter V6 with 332 H.P. and 270 lbs of low-end grunt. To quote Kramer, “That’s a lot of giddy-up”! Even without all that growl it looks like “sex on wheels”!
It’s also got some cool stuff going on with the tranny. According to Nissan’s hyperbole it’s got the “World’s first SynchroRev Match manual transmission technology, available on the Sport Package, monitors the 6 speed’s clutch pedal operation, shift lever movement, and vehicle speed. Shifting to a lower gear automatically “blips” the throttle to the ideal engine rpm for a smooth downshift. Smoother shifts help keep the chassis balanced, meaning this transmission delivers handling and power.”
Anyone that’s ever done some slalom racing and downshifted a gear too low going into a tight turn can appreciate that. Not only can the mis-shift slow you down too much, it can throw off your concentration trying to regain a productive balance between engine, transmission, speed, and handling. It can also be pretty hard on the car.
I confess I want one. I want one real bad. If I go to test-drive one I will have to take my wife, Christine with me. She knows I will be like a 4 year old in a candy store. She will remind me of the last time I tried it on my own and came home with a new sports car.
It wasn’t totally my fault though. The dealer had it parked out on the grass in front of the store knowing some fool like me would drive by and become void of any ability to resist. I was just driving by, minding my own business when I spotted it. I swear, it called to me like a siren of the deep. I stopped, jumped out of my car and walked briskly over to it. After inspecting it for a full 3 or 4 seconds, I wiped the drool off my chin, put on my toughest negotiator look and walked nonchalantly into the dealership. The salesman had been watching me. He already knew the questions and had the answers.
“May I help you, sir”, said the spider to the fly. But, I tricked him. I had no questions. Not wanting to look eager I just smiled and gazed intently at the ugly sedan parked in the showroom. He persisted, “You really like that MX-5 parked out front don’t you? You know we’ve only got two of those M-Editions and we won’t be getting anymore. I expect both will be gone by 5:00 p.m. today.”
I was trapped! Mustering all my strength, I said, “I’ll take it! Right now”! “But, don’t you want to take it for a test drive? Don’t you want to know how much it cost”? he said with a sly grin on his face. “No” I said. “I want to buy it right now and drive it home”! I thrust my Amex card into his hand and before I knew it I was power-shifting down the road with the wind in my hair and bugs in my teeth. At last, I was BMOC!
Once I got it safely into the garage, I quickly set up rules for the family to observe. For Christine the rules stated she might drive it, but only on sunny dry days and never on a gravel road. If she took it to the mall, it had to be parked at least 100 feet away from any other cars.
For my teenage sons the list was a bit longer. It went; don’t ask if you can drive it, don’t sit in it, in fact just stay out of the garage unless you have a good reason to be there. But, the most hated was the “3-foot rule”. If you have to walk through the garage, stay at least 3 feet away from the car. With their backpacks, hockey sticks, and other things they might accidentally scratch it. Our youngest son, David, came to hate the car.
I sold it almost ten years later, sight unseen, to some guy out in Las Vegas. When it was backed off the truck the guy couldn’t believe his eyes. It was immaculate. You could have parked it in a showroom and people would have mistaken it for a new vehicle. With only 37k on the odometer and at least 50 coats of wax on the paint it literally sparkled. The guy called me at midnight to tell me he was just ecstatic with it. I had successfully passed the curse on to someone else.
Back to the Z. I do digress, don’t I? The new 370Z can be had for a paltry $30k for the base model and about $38k for the gussied-up model. That’s a lot of bang for the buck these days. It ain’t gonna beat a Lambo, Ferrari, Vette Z06, or a Viper in the straight-away, but it won’t limp home in shame either.
1 comments:
I'll take one. Thanks for the post. Good stuff.
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