Nissan has published a single photograph of the 370Z Roadster ahead of its formal debut at tomorrow’s 2009 New York auto show. The full set of photos of the 370Z Roadster, and the new Nismo-tuned 370Z coupe, will be released at 10.00pm tonight UK time.
The 370Z Roadster uses a simple-to-operate fabric roof which drops electrically to turn the sports car into a boulevard basher. This is at odds with the majority of new entrants in the class, such as the latest BMW Z4, which use bulkier folding hard tops.
We know the Nismo-spec 370 will be tuned to produce 350bhp, and online chatrooms suggest a new aero package, braking upgrades and suspension mods will all be part and parcel of the overhaul. However, the Nismo version won’t be sold in the UK market.
The showroom launch of the regular 370Z coupe has been held up for a few months, and will now arrive in UK dealers this summer. It shares its engine and much of its hardware with the Infiniti G37 – bringing a 331bhp 3.7-litre V6 powerplant and a feisty rear-drive chassis.
Nissan claims the standard 370Z can hit 62mph in not far off five seconds, and there’s some interesting kit including a throttle-blip system – Synchro Rev Control – that revs the engine on downchanges on the manual transmission.
>> Come back to CAR Online later today for the full photos and news on the 370Z Roadster and Nismo