Nissan's new 'old school' sportscar

Car manufacturers seem to be devoting more and more time and energy to telling us how their latest model is cleaner, more fuel efficient, safer, cheaper to run and better value than the one that preceded it. This is important information but it can be more than a little boring.

What happened to the good old days when the overriding considerations were how good a car looked and how well it went? Nissan is doing its bit to encourage a return to the important things in motoring with its 370Z Roadster, a sportscar from the old school.

The 350Z was the model that revived the Nissan Z car for the modern era and we can all be thankful for that. The Japanese marque has a long history of quick and colourful cars with a Z in their title but they were fading in the memory by the time the 350Z made its appearance in 2003.

It stood out in the marketplace with its macho approach, lusty V6 petrol engine and accessible pricing. Better still, it happened to be an extremely talented driver's car. The coupe had a hardcore feel rare in sports cars at the sub 30,000 price point and the open-topped Roadster was certainly less a hairdresser's car than a tattooist's one. The 370Z doesn't depart from the themes of the 350Z, merely aiming to refine Nissan's heady formula.

The engine is a 3.7-litre V6, that's more than bored-out version of the unit in the 350Z. It features Nissan's VVEL (Variable Valve Event and Lift control) technology which varies the timing of the intake valves and enables a tighter control to be kept on the fuel/air mixture in the cylinders. The result is improved efficiency but that's not the point of the 370Z Roadster. The engine produces 328PS at 7,000rpm at which point it will be making a noise to send shivers down your spine and accelerating at a rate liable to have a similar effect. Peak torque of 366Nm is generated at 5,200rpm which also hints at the delights to be gleaned but holding onto those gears as the revs rise.

The six-speed manual gearbox is quite a piece of engineering with its optional SynchroRev Match system. It can automatically match the speed of the engine to that required for the next gear by 'blipping' the throttle. It means that drivers of any skill level can create the impression of having executed the perfect heel and toe downchange without necessarily needing to know what one is. The system can be disengaged by those who prefer less assistance. There's also a seven-speed automatic option with paddle shifters which also has a rev matching function when operated in manual mode.

There are no two ways about it, the 370Z is a bit of a brute, even in Roadster form. You've got to love its honesty but buyers may be less enamoured with its fuel economy of around 20mpg and emissions that would shame a moderately sized bonfire. Owners can still offset the car's environmental impact by planting a couple of Norwegian pine forests and fostering a family of Polar bears. It's testament to the fun factor attached to Nissan's roadster that many would deem such a sacrifice to be well worth it.

In the age of hybrids, common-rail diesels, stop and start technology, hydrogen fuel cells and carbon off-setting, it's easy to forget what the essential fun of driving is all about. Nissan's 370Z Roadster serves as timely reminder. It isn't the most practical or politically correct destination for a 30,000 car budget but it could well be the most fun and it's hard to put a price on that.