Nissan 350Z

2002-2008 FROM $10,000

For half a century, the Z-car has come to represent brawny rear-drive coupe (or convertible) style that is inextricably linked to the decade it belongs to – and each of the six generations were left behind by time (and fashion-conscious buyers) because they were allowed to live too long. Won’t Nissan ever learn?

This is great news for collectors right now, though, because the 350Z – arguably the greatest Z-car since the 1969 240Z original – remains within reach. For now. Belatedly replacing the striking but out-of-step 300ZX (1989-2000), the 350Z returned to the pared down, back-tobasics approach of the earliest models, with just two seats and a shallow load area beneath a big hatch bisected by a fat suspension strut brace.

Two grades were offered in Australia – Touring and firmer Track, with the later including a limited slip differential. Both were powered by a gutsy 3.5-litre V6, underpinned by a sophisticated platform shared with the contemporary Skyline. Sexy, athletic, entertaining (especially the Track) and reliable, the 350Z is probably the millennium’s first true classic. Prices won’t hang around for long.