Nissan 370Z

The 370Z does ‘fast’ a bit differently to the other quick Nissan, the big, bad GT-R. That car is all about the tech – Internet-friendly acceleration enabled by a quick-shifting double-clutch gearbox and intelligent all-wheel drive, tyres filled with nitrogen because it’s more stable than air, and an engine hand-built in a hermetically-sealed room so the internals aren’t contaminated by the air you and I are forced to breathe every second of every hour of every day. 

The 370Z – which has just been updated for 2018 – doesn’t have all-wheel drive, a double-clutch gearbox or an especially clever engine. This is the closest Nissan gets to barn-door engineering – a big, by modern standards, 3.7-litre V6 at the front, a six-speed manual (or seven-speed automatic) gearbox and two seats in the middle and rear-wheel drive at the back. In a world of all-wheel drive, 400bhp, £50,000 hot hatchbacks, the £30,000-odd, 328bhp Nissan is a bit of an anachronism. 

It was launched almost 10 years ago and hasn’t really had a major update since. For 2018 Nissan’s changed the bumpers, light-clusters, wheels and given manual versions a ‘high performance’ clutch. The more powerful, more serious, more expensive Nismo is unchanged and still on sale.

The 370Z is not without appeal. A similarly-priced hot-hatch might be more practical (and faster) day to day, but none can provide the same rear-drive, nat-asp, coupe experience as the Nissan. And if you’re into that, this and a Mustang are really your only options.