The 350Z was a real breakout car for Nissan, proving that it had the chops to mix it with the big boys. It represented great value for money compared to some of its more expensive rivals like the Porsche Cayman, if not quite able to compete on equal terms when it came to driving dynamics.
The package has evolved into the 370Z, a much more aggressive and hairy-chested car than its predecessor could ever hope to be. In keeping with the name (or was it the other way around?) the engine capacity has been increased from 3.5-litres to 3.7-litres, providing an extra gout of lusty torque - the V6 produces 326bhp and 269lb ft of torque.
Weight has been reduced too, leaving the 370Z feeling perkier than ever - it manages 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds and goes on to a 155mph top speed. The car feels as manly to drive as it looks, too, the controls all having a satisfying heft to them. The driving experience is a useful mix of benign understeer when you need it (no need to go spinning off into a hedge on a country B-road) and tail-happy antics if you turn off the stability control and mash the accelerator pedal.
The suspension can get a bit fidgety and unsettled on rougher surfaces, but in a coupe context this feels a proper part of the theatrics. The Porsche Cayman might feel more supple over changing surfaces, but that car is a driving machine whereas the Nissan will entertain you until your cheeks ache from grinning.
Nissan is aware of customers who might trade down from more exotic machinery and has put substantial effort into making the 370Z's cabin a plusher affair. You can appreciate the improvement in materials and the little touches like the glove box (the 350Z didn't even have one of those), but there is still a way to go in terms of layout and those cabin plastics.
There are other nice little touches around the car - a knee pad for passengers, the Synchro Rev system that automatically blips the throttle for you on downshifts with the manual gearshift, for instance. That throttle blip is worth its weight in gold the way it makes you look like an expert driver from the pavement.
The 370Z is a brilliant, entertaining car which deserves to be at the top of shortlists on merit alone.