| The Nissan 350Z is a coupe & roadster
built by Nissan. It was introduced in August 2002 & is the fifth
generation of Nissan's Z-car line, carrying the chassis designation
Z33.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 however unhappy with the first design as they felt the car was
considered too "retro" or too "backward" resembling a futuristic 240Z
thus a redesign was underway. The redesigned model, now known as the Z
Concept, which was similar in bodyshape but with a redesigned front end
was unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show two years after the first. The
car then undergone a minor redesign & was assigned the VQ35DE engine,
hence the car became known as the 350Z.Released on August 20, 2002, the
2003 350Z was available in the US in 5 trimpackages, including the Base,
Enthusiast, Performance, Touring, & Track Editions. Pricing started in
the US$26k range for a Base, & went beyond US$34k for the Track model.
Nissan's performance & motorsport division, Nismo, began producing
performance & aesthetic upgrades for the 350Z shortly after its
release.In the UK & Europe two versions of the 350Z were available from
October 2003, namely the Base & GT packs. The GT pack had leather seats,
uprated Bose Stereo system & cruise control over the Base model. Pricing
in the UK was set at GB£24k for the Base model & GB£26.5k for the GT
pack. After about a year of the 350Z being released in the UK, the NISMO
kit became an optional extra for new cars only. Another limitation of
the UK & Euro releases was the choice of colours being limited to the
renamed Gunmetal, Kuro, Chilli, Blade & Sunset. |
