Nissan 370Z Roadster - hot from a tent in New York!

Nissan 370Z Roadster launches in New York today from a tent

Although we’ve tagged this piece as New York Motor Show, it’s a bit hard to justify. Yes, the Nissan 370Z Roadster is being launched in New York and yes, the New York Motor Show starts in earnest today. So what’s the problem? Well…

Nissan is on a cost-cutting exercise at the moment (along with many other car makers!) so declined to have a presence at the New York Motor Show. But it still has the 370Z Roadster to show, so what does it do? It launches the Nissan 370Z Roadster from a tent in Rockefeller Plaza!

The 370Z Roadster gets the same oily bits as the Nissan 370Z Coupe, namely a 3.7 litre DOHC V7 with 332bhp, mates to either a 7-speed auto ‘box or a 6-speed manual with Nissan’s SynchroRev Match (which mates revs to changes – very clever stuff). But it’s the top-down stuff that’s the change (surprise, surprise), and actually, to my eyes, it makes the 370Z a much better looking car. I’m not overly fond of the ‘Dog-Squatting’ haunches on the coupe, but the Roadster looks a lot better.

Nissan have shied away from the folding tin-top and have instead opted for a sophisticated rag-top. It’s a fully automatic job, that even latches itself automatically to the screen, so no lock-clips to mess with.

You get a choice of two models – the Nissan 370Z Roadster and the Nissan 370Z Touring Roadster. The Touring model includes the heated and cooling leather appointed power net seats, HomeLink Universal Transceiver, Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System, 8-speaker Bose audio system, XM Satellite Radio and aluminium-trimmed pedals. Just two options are available on the Touring – the Sports Pack and the Navigation Pack.

Sales start in the UK in September.