FOR A TIME, this comparison test looked impossible: a new, modern Nissan Z facing down a reborn Toyota Supra. But here I am, standing in front of both cars, resplendent in their respective yellow hues, turbocharged six-cylinder engines humming at idle, having just demolished a challenging mountain road. What was once thought impossible wasn’t due to logistics or a world-altering health crisis, but rather because neither model seemed fated to even exist. Until relatively recently, the tea leaves of future product planning appeared to tell us that both legendary nameplates Fairlady Z and Supra would be confined to the history books, mortal coils sufficiently shuffled. Life without the Supra had begun to feel normal, the fourth-generation cult hero A80 having ceased production before the start of the new millennium. Meanwhile, Our Fairlady of Fun’s sixth Z34 generation became one of the oldest models you could buy, staying on sale fore more than a decade. Its survival beyond the 370Z was tenuous though, and by the mid-2010s it looked like the end of the line was approaching for the fabled Z car, with five decades of royal sports car lineage seeming without an heir.
It was generally accepted that a replacement for the 370Z just wouldn’t happen. Tightening fuel efficiency standards, Nissan’s well documented fiduciary issues and a seeming lack of market demand for two-door sports cars had everyone assuming a seventh-gen Fairlady would live only in the too-hard basket. But survival is the antithesis of doom, and survive the Z did. Four years after we first heard it was in development it’s finally here and ticking all the right boxes.
Esta historia es de la edición November 2022 de Wheels Australia Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición November 2022 de Wheels Australia Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
ROUGH DIAMONDS
GO OUT AND SEE AUSTRALIA. BUY ONE OF THESE AND YOU'LL MAKE IT HOME TOO
WORK IN PROGRESS
WHEN YOUR LIVELIHOOD DEPENDS ON IT, DON'T TAKE ANY CHANCES
RABID RESPONSE
EVEN IF YOU'RE PULLING IN THE FINANCIAL HORNS, YOU WON'T NEED TO COMPROMISE ON FUN
PREMIUM BLEND
HERE'S HOW TO ENJOY CHAMPAGNE ON A VAGUELY BEERY BUDGET
GO LARGE, SAVE BIG
WE BRING YOU A SELECTION OF LARGE FAMILY SUVS THAT ARE UNLIKELY TO BREAK THE BANK
MIDDLE CLASS
THE AUSSIE FAMILY DREAM USED TO BE A QUARTER ACRE AND A PICKET FENCE. NOW IT'S A LITTLE MORE MODEST
SHORTY AWARDS
VALUE FOR MONEY CAN BE A RARE COMMODITY AMONG SMALL SUVS. HERE ARE THREE THAT ANSWER THE CALL
MID SIZE MAX VALUE
THE MEDIUM RANGE SECTOR IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF GETTING ALOT OF CAR FOR YOUR DOLLAR
HATCH MATCH
WANT A HATCH THAT'LL PUT A SMILE ON YOUR DIAL SECOND TIME ROUND? TRY THESE...
MODE ΤΟ ΤΟΥ
PORSCHE'S LATEST HOT 911 IS THE NEW FRONTIER FOR ON-THEFLY CHASSIS ADJUSTABILITY, OFFERING THE DRIVER A WORLD OF CONFIGURATION - BUT IS IT WORTH THE HASSLE?