nissan

Concept
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After the Z32 was withdrawn from the U.S. market in 1996, Nissan initially attempted to keep the Z name alive by re-creating the 240Z the following year. The car was conceived by Nissan's North American design team in their free time, and the concept was introduced in a four-state Road Show in July 1998 to various car media, dealers and employees. Yutaka Katayama, regarded as the "Father of the Z", unveiled the Z concept sketch to the public when he received a motor industry award at the Ritz-Carlton hotel. The design, representing a modern vision of the 240Z, did not please the original 240Z designer Yoshihiko Matsuo, who compared it to the Bluebird and Leopard[2][3]

The first concept model was produced for the Detroit Motor Show for the following January then later at the Los Angeles Auto Expo. Nissan was unhappy with the first design. They felt that the original 200 bhp 2.4 L engine (known as the KA24DE) that was going to be assigned made the car more underpowered. They also felt that the car was considered too "retro" or too "backward" to resemble a futuristic 240Z, thus a redesign was under way. During a press conference in February 2000, President Carlos Ghosn gave the car the green light, as he felt the car would help to assist the company's recovery.[2]

The redesigned model, now known as the Z Concept, which was similar in body shape but with a redesigned front end, was unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show two years later. The car then underwent a minor redesign and was eventually assigned the VQ35DE engine, and the car became known as the 350Z. The car would break tradition by being the first Z not to be produced at the Shatai plant.[2]

[edit] Models
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Released on August 20, 2002, the 2003 350Z coupe was available in the U.S. in 5 trim packages, including the Base, Enthusiast, Performance, Touring, and Track Editions. In Europe only the Base version and a GT pack were sold. The GT pack had leather seats, Bose stereo system, and cruise control over the Base model. Nissan's performance tuning division, Nismo, began producing modified versions of the car shortly after its introduction, although in the UK these were only available one year after the car was launched.
Nissan 350Z roadster
Nissan 350Z roadster

In 2004 Nissan introduced the 350Z roadster featuring an electrically retractable soft-top hood. The car came in 2 trim packages (Enthusiast and Touring) in the U.S. market, and the Base and GT packs in Europe.

In 2005 Nissan launched a 35th Anniversary edition, which featured options such as "Z" emblems and 5-spoke wheels. The 2005 35th Anniversary edition 6-speed manual and 2005 Track trims both produce 300 hp and 296 torque (224 kW). In addition, The 35th Anniversary and Track 350Z also included revised pistons and camshaft profiles, and a new type of control to the variable valve timing. Although there were increases in power, the changes lead to a decrease in peak torque in the vehicle.

Nissan also added the Grand Touring trim to the Roadster trim packages for 2005. Since the anniversary edition all 6-speed models produce 300 hp / 260 ft·lb (224 kW / 353 N·m).

For the 2007 model year, the 350Z was moderately revised. The VQ35DE V6 was replaced with a new 3.5 L VQ35HR V6. It produced 306 hp at 6800 rpm with 268 lb-ft at 4800 rpm. The front bumper, hood, and headlamps were also revised with the hood featuring a bulge reminiscent of the original 240Z. Trims levels were also narrowed down to 350Z (base), Enthusiast, Touring, and Grand Touring.

[edit] Type-E

A limited run (only 5 units) called the Type-E was produced in Japan in order to meet homologation requirements to compete in the Super GT series. The Type-E featured a longer nose and rear overhang as well as a few extra aerodynamic aids.

[edit] S-Tune GT
Modified Nissan 350Z S-Tune GT at the 2006 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show
Modified Nissan 350Z S-Tune GT at the 2006 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show

The S-Tune GT was released by Nismo to celebrate its success in motorsport, particularly in the Super GT series. The S-Tune GT featured revised long nose bodywork as in the Type-E, a modified version of the VQ35DE engine called the S1 with more power (300 PS / 221 kW / 296 HP) and higher redline (7200 rpm), as well as a sportier Nismo suspension.

[edit] GT-S

During the 2006 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE) unveiled the 350Z GT-S concept.[4] The GT-S featured a unique radial flow supercharger (that could be turned on or off via a switch on the dashboard), raising engine output to 382.6 bhp and 424.8 Nm without modifications to the engine components. The car also featured new body kit for more cooling and downforce and wider 245 and 265/40/18 tires. No plans for production have been revealed, although there have been some hints that the package may be offered as an upgrade kit. The car has been tested favorably against its possible production rivals, the Porsche Cayman S and BMW Z4 M.[5]

[edit] 450Z

Autocar reported rumors that Nissan was planning to release a 450Z coupe to rival the Porsche 911.[6] The car would feature a 4.5 L V8 engine, most likely a version of the VK45DE used in the Infiniti M45 and tuned to over 400 hp (300 kW), and all-wheel drive. The body would remain the same as that of the 350Z.

[edit] Alpine car

Another rumor is that the French brand Alpine (a manufacturer of Renault-powered sports cars) would be resurrected to offer a new car based on the platform of the 350Z, developed with the support of Porsche.[7]

[edit] Motorsport
Xanavi Nissan 350Z GT at the 2006 British International Motor Show
Xanavi Nissan 350Z GT at the 2006 British International Motor Show
Xanavi 350Z, rear
Xanavi 350Z, rear

Since its introduction in 2002, it did not take long for drivers and teams to enter a Z33 for competition when B.J. Zacharias and Michiel Schuitemaker of Schuitemaker Motorsports helped the car to make its debut in the Grand-Am Cup Series at the start of the 2003 season, they have took a few podium finishes with Unitech Racing who is also the other team to field a Z33, bit effort was proved to be successful under the name of Playboy Racing scoring wins along with the other current Grand-Am entrant East Competition Promotorsport.

The 350Z replaced the Skyline GT-R as the car for Nissan's factory and customer teams in the Super GT's GT 500 class. The cars used are heavily modified and feature a longer nose and tail (requiring the production of the Type-E homologation special), carbon fiber bodywork, tube chassis and a new, race tuned VQ30DETT engine. In 2004, Nismo won the GT500 championship. The car, with slightly more pedestrian modifications also competes in the GT300 class (having started there even before the Skyline GT-Rs were replaced) by teams such as Endless Sports and Mola. In 2003 Hasemi Sports won the GT300 championship with the 350Z..

The Z33 also appears in the Japan's Super Taikyu series, entered by C-West Labs. The British GT Championship also fields a privateer 350Z with an intention to enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2006.

The car is considered popular choice for amateurs and professionals in SCCA events, T.C Kline took third place in the 2003 Touring 2 category in 2003, having being one of three Z33 that made it into the SCCA T-2 runoffs. In the SCCA GT2 class, Jim Goughary took the title it the car's debut season.

The car is used in import events and drifting, where in the latter, some drivers have started to use them in the D1 Grand Prix and Formula D series, with relatively limited results. However, at the 2006 D1GP exhibition event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Tanner Foust became the first driver to score a perfect 100 points in a 350Z. In the non-Japanese domestic D1GP spinoff series, D1 Great Britain (D1GB), there are two Z33s that compete in the series.

Option magazine founder Daijiro Inada used an extensively modified 350Z, dubbed Option Stream Z to compete in the Silver State Classic Challenge.[8] The car is equipped with twin turbo-chargers and is bored to 3.8 L to produce over 800 bhp.

As the Z33 is popular in import drag racing, one Z33 fielded by Performance Motorsport in the NHRA Sports Compact series, with twin turbo claims to put out over 1700 bhp and achieved 8.33 quarter mile time with its best speed of 176.72 mph. In 2004, the tuner Dandy and magazine Option a Z33 entered a Z33 known as the Option Dandy 380Z with a donor engine from a wrecked Stream Z minus turbocharger producing 370 bhp, to compete in the F/GT class for unblown grand touring sport cars at the Bonneville Speed Week. The car could at best reach 151 mph.

[edit] In the media

The British Motoring magazine Top Gear voted the Nissan 350Z "Car of the Year" in 2004.[9]

The 350Z was also featured on the Top Gear TV program, where it was driven around the test track in a time of 1:31.8 - putting it level with the BMW M3 and the Mazda RX-8.

The car was also the vehicle driven by the villain "DK" in the movie The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, where it was styled with a VeilSide body-kit.[10]

The 350Z has also appeared in numerous motoring-based video games including: Need for Speed: Underground (in which it featured on the TV advert), Need for Speed: Carbon, Project Gotham Racing 2, Forza Motorsport (it features on the box cover), Sega GT2002 (also appears on the box cover of the Japanese version), Juiced, L.A. Rush, Test Drive Unlimited, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (as a concept car), and Gran Turismo 4 - of which a special, limited "Nissan 350Z edition" was released.[11]

The roadster 350Z is also driven by Edie Britt (played by Nicollette Sheridan) in the TV show Desperate Housewives.

The Autobot known as Prowl transforms into a Nissan 350Z in the 2006 Transformers: Infiltration comic.

[edit] Specifications
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2003-06 2007 Coupe 2007 Roadster
Available Trims 350Z (base), Enthusiast, Touring, Grand Touring Enthusiast, Touring, Grand Touring
Powertrain
Engine VQ35DE 3.5 L V6
287 hp at 6,800 rpm
260 lb-ft at 4,800 rpm VQ35HR 3.5 L V6
306 hp at 6,800 rpm
268 lb-ft at 4,800 rpm
Transmission 6-speed manual, 5-speed automatic
Dimensions
Curb Weight 3,339 lb (350Z)
3,346 lb (Enth)
3,400 lb (Tour)
3,404 lb (Grand) 3,580 lb (Enth)
3,600 lb (Tour)
3,602 lb (Grand)
Wheelbase 104.3 in
Length 169.8 in
Width 71.5 in
Height 52.1 in
Performance
0-60 mph
1/4 mile
Top speed

[edit] Criticism
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While the 350Z has received much praise in certain quarters, it has received a fair amount of criticism as well. Among the complaints are that the car is somewhat heavy, muting the sporty feeling during acceleration. The weight also means that, in order to handle like a sports car, the suspension must be extremely stiff, resulting in a very uncomfortable ride for many people. The lack of engine refinement and noise is also a major criticism. Other problems include:

* Poor quality of materials used on the interior and premature wear because of those materials.
* Lack of attention to ergonomic design,
* Glare given off the back strut bar that reflects in the rear view mirror
* Problems with the paint work have been reported on a number of vehicles, with paint coming off in a manner that suggests stone chips. Closer inspection of the paint work reveals that these defects are not caused by impacts on the paint work but rather from the paint cracking off in small patches. Nissan does not acknowledge this problem.
* Isolated, but widely reported issues with engines consuming their own oil at abnormal rates, more significantly in the 2006 "RevUp" edition of the VQ35 engine. Nissan currently is replacing engines that are brought in and found to consume 1 or more liters per 1000 miles, but has not issued a recall as of October 2006.

[edit] References

1. ^ Internet auto guide - Nissan 350Z specifications
2. ^ a b c Brian Long. (2004), Nissan 300ZX and 350Z: The Z-car story :Veloce. ISBN 1904788041
3. ^ Ron Sessions. (2002) Lust, Then Love: The Story of the New Z, :Publications International. ISBN 0785375686
4. ^ Nissan confirms production of 350Z GT-S.
5. ^ evo - Battle of the Sixes
6. ^ 350Z goes Porsche-baiting. Autocar. Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
7. ^ Renault to revive Alpine?. Reuters (2006-02-08). Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
8. ^ Roger Hewson (2004-10-25). Vengeance of the Z. Overboost.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
9. ^ Top Gear Car of the Year 2004. CarPages.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-12-15.
10. ^ Car of the Day:DK's 350Z. ign.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-15.
11. ^ Nissan 350Z Gran Turismo 4. Yahoo UK: Cars. Retrieved on 2006-12-15.