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Turn off your cellphone, watch where you park and don’t ride in gangs, Chris Betros warns. 537: Open roadster William Bonds gets up-close with the elements courtesy of the Nissan Fairlady 350Z convertible. 535: Extreme makeover Volvo sheds its stodgy-but-safe image for sleek-and-sporty with the new S40 T5. William Bonds likes what he sees. 533: Sporting chance Mazda has brought the station wagon up to speed with its Atenza Sport Wagon 23Z. William Bonds takes one for a spin. 531: Street smarts Automakers are taking car safety to new levels with sophisticated warning systems that almost do the driving for you, reports Chris Betros. 529: Speed zone Just down the road from Ueno Zoo, a virtual hog heaven has everything for the motorcycling enthusiast. Steve Trautlein cruises on over. 527: Italian Stallion The Alfa Romeo 147 carries on its maker’s reputation for hot cars with unmatched sex appeal. 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But, as Justin Gardiner finds out, the result is a bit puzzling. 503: Globe trotters Kerstin Gackle and Volker Aldinger left their native Germany on April 1 and pointed their Yamahas toward Australia. Eight months later Justin Gardiner caught up with the couple in Tokyo. 501: Back to the future Cutting-edge technology and futuristic vehicles highlight the 37th Tokyo Motor Show at Makuhari Messe through November 5. Justin Gardiner offers a guide. ISSUES 499- ISSUES 449- ISSUES 399- ISSUES 349- ISSUES 299-

Open roadster

William Bonds gets up-close with the elements courtesy of the Nissan Fairlady 350Z convertible.

While the array of cars parked outside my house when I’m test driving is varied, it has never provoked much interest from the locals in northern Shinjuku, where I live. Having finally gotten over the notion that vehicles don’t actually come with real horses anymore, my neighbors (somewhat long in the tooth) are, like an English friend of mine, of the opinion that nearly all cars look the same, or soon will.

However, shove a bright red convertible in their faces and the neighborhood’s blue-washed obachan are all over it. “A horseless carriage without a roof? Whatever will they think of next?” The septuagenarian Takeshita-san rushed back into her hut to grab her (non-digital) camera and take a few photos of me and Mrs. Bonds (well, OK, the car) preparing for a weekend in the country.

Perhaps automakers should sell such cars with a government health warning for people like Takeshita-san. This would be it: “You with the flash red convertible, posing away with the top down; The Sun Is Hot. You will be toast if you do not protect yourself with sun block.” The Nissan Fairlady 350Z Roadster does not come with such a health warning. Hence, I am writing this with a pen in my mouth after my arms burned off somewhere near Onjuku in Chiba Prefecture.

A bright red paint job shows off the 350Z`s eye-catching design from all sides.

Raising the roof
So, it’s very open, this open-topped car. But, of course, it doesn’t have to be; you can put the roof up. Being somewhat long in the tooth myself, I can remember my English friend struggling with his first venture into the world of the rag-top. It was an old MGB and putting the roof on took roughly as long as building a small cottage. Once the roof was on, it was quite pathetic in the wind and rain. He has since moved up in the world and now scoots around in a red Porsche 911 Carrera 2 soft-top, which I have driven on several occasions. Given a choice, which car would I choose?

The answer is relevant because many people hold the 911 up as the ultimate sports car. Cynics say it’s a glorified Beetle, but it has a little more gravitas than that. The 350Z, meanwhile, doesn’t have gravitas but who really needs it? More to the point, you can pick up a new 350Z Roadster for the same price (¥3.8 million) as a 10-year-old 911 convertible, or for less than half that of a new one. So is the 911 twice the car the 350Z is? I think not.

The top speed of the 911 may be a little faster and the acceleration a bit quicker, but there’s not that much in it. The difference comes down to price, name and design. The 350Z with the top down is a stunning-looking car and the 3.5-liter engine purrs like a panther. Even my 911 pal conceded that the 350Z is a bit of a looker. If Porsche had designed it, people would be falling over themselves to say how fab it is.

The 350Z is a car that is crying out for its lines to be noticed and a bright red (bright blue, bright black, etc.) paint job does the trick. The curve of the wheel arches, the Star Wars-type light clusters, the uniform body line, the smart 18-inch wheels and rakish windscreen all contribute to its hunk-like appearance. Some might consider the back end to be a little on the podgy side, but so is that of the Porsche Boxster (which has less power and costs ¥3 million more). I think we’ll call it a manly rump.

The easy-open top is perfect for a lazy Sunday drive.

Bells and whistles
Inside, it’s got the right bits: rev counter in front of you; oil, volts and trip computer dials in the center, facing the driver; car navigator, CD and cassette/radio (what, no record player?) with a big speaker behind the driver, and the odd storage bucket or two, or three, or four. I was still finding new ones on the way back to Nissan HQ, but I had figured out that the glove compartment is behind the passenger seat and almost completely inaccessible.

The trunk is small, but there is a helpful sticker inside telling you—in English and French for some reason—how to squeeze in your golf clubs. I didn’t have a chance to try it, but it didn’t look like a golf-club sized trunk. The seats are terribly reminiscent of the uncomfortable seats in the 350 Skyline and so is the six-speed gearbox, which seems to make far more sense, and, as a result, changes far more easily, with a lower driving position.

The top is very easy to operate: It unlocks with a simple push and a pull, pressure on the brake and holding down a button for 15-20 seconds. Enormous flaps then appear in the rear mirror and the sturdy canvas top disappears to the rear (as does everything else; the top virtually obliterates rearward vision).

All that’s left is to get in and step on the gas. Once again, Nissan has found an almost perfect balance of firmness and ride comfort (the European version, however, is toughened up somewhat). Hit the red line (6,600rpm), however, and you’re in for a shock: The engine cuts out. You would think that Nissan would trust 350Z drivers a little more.

This is a car that helps you forget your problems. It’s very fast (above 3,500rpm), very flash (as long as you don’t get it in silver), very stylish and very affordable (if you’ve got ¥4 million in your pocket).

And it should definitely come with a health warning.

The Nissan Fairlady 350Z Roadster retails for ¥3.5-3.9 million. See www.nissan.co.jp/Z/ for details.

Photos by William Bonds

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