The original 240Z was the breakthrough car that opened the American floodgates for Japanese automakers because it was their first car that earned any respect here. At the time — late 1969 — its only real competitors were old-style British sports cars like the aging MG-A, the MG-B, Austin-Healy 3000 and Sprite, not to mention the Italian Alfa Romeo. All however, severely lacked the 240Z’s high reliability — not to mention its comfort and cool styling for the time.
   Introduced in trendy Southern California, back when Nissan was still called Datsun, the car was originally dubbed the Bluebird. Despite a surprisingly low $3,526 sticker price and then-exotic overhead-camshaft engine, American marketeers knew that name wouldn’t sell jack. After pleading for a name change and being steadfastly refused, they defied factory orders and took it upon themselves to re-badge the car with its engineering designation, 240Z.
   The 240 and early 260Z’s were far and away the hottest. But like the original Corvette and Thunderbirds, as time marched on, the Z got bigger, heavier, more sophisticated — and of course costlier. It morphed into a luxury cruiser. The 300Z’s weren’t too bad, but the final Z — the 1996 300ZX — came in two and four-seat coupe and convertible versions.
   There was a lot of internal debate at Nissan whether the 350Z should have a retro look ala the T-Bird and VW, or totally new styling. The debate also centered on pricing — affordable, or world-class-expensive? What resulted was essentially an ultramodern sports car with mind-blowing performance and base version pricing well under $30,000. True to the heritage of the original, Nissan has wisely designed the 350Z as a relatively simple, practically-sized basic sports car, with a front-engine and rear wheel-drive.
   Pricing starts at $26,269, but as with any car, the more equipment, the more it costs. It also comes in the $28,249 Enthusiast version, a $30,429 Performance model, the $31,589 Touring version and the all-out $34,079 Track trim which is aimed at serious drivers.
   However, even the upscale, competition-style Track version which offers higher performance brakes, larger tires, spoilers, and a traction control system, is significantly less expensive than rivals like the $39,400 Mercedes-Benz SLK, or the Porsche Boxster, which starts at $42,600.
   Even the base model 350Z features a six-speaker AM/FM/CD sound system, power windows, door locks and mirrors and automatic temperature control. And no matter what version, there’s the same tough, 3.5-liter, 287-horse, 24-valve, dual-overhead-cam V-6 under the hood — which is really the heart and soul of this car.
   It features variable valve timing for excellent response at all speeds. Although, while generally smooth, it gets a little rough at high revs, but there is so much torque that a lot of shifting isn’t required for superb acceleration either. And the oversized dual exhaust outlets, which have a 1960s American muscle car look, emit a nasty snarl.
   My test car had the standard, 6-speed manual transmission, but a 5-speed automatic is offered. The manual gearbox works great, with short, easy throws and a clutch that works well with it. On the other hand, engaging the balky reverse gear is a bit of a hassle.
   Styling-wise, considering the outstanding job Nissan has done with the redesigned Altima and the new Maxima, you have to wonder why the 350Z borrows so heavily from the Germans. The roofline, hatch and rear wheel-well styling resemble a Porsche Carerra, while the same roofline and high-sill doors look like they’re right off an Audi TT. The front end is a little too blunt, but German-influenced or not, the car still has a distinctive, aggressively muscular look finished off with a wide, bullying stance.
   Most sports cars are noted for minimum comfort levels and the 350Z is no exception. The two-seat interior offers room for two 6-footers, but you sit so low it’s all but impossible to stick an elbow out the window.
   The steering wheel is a thick, easily gripped 3-spoke affair that looks and feels like something right out of a race car. Instrumentation is very similar to the 240Z, and one cool feature is that it moves up and down as a unit with the adjustable wheel. However, I found the gauges hard to read in bright sunlight — and worse wearing polarized sunglasses.
   The climate and sound system controls are pretty big, as are both the easily gripped inside and outside door handles, which have that brushed aluminum “industrial” look finish ala the Audi TT.
   The ventilation system is great, and includes large door-mounted air vents. The interior materials are generally good, but an ill-fitting plastic panel covering the area for the optional navigation system screen and otherwise used as a storage bin, looks cheap and is a pain to open and close.
   As you might expect, cargo space is minimal, but it will accommodate a small suitcase. A thick metal bar with the aluminum finish is used to stiffen the chassis and bridges the gap across the small, shallow cargo area, but really gets in the way when loading or unloading. However, it looks cool with its emblazoned “Z” logo that can easily be seen through the rear hatch window.
   A similar bar under the hood finishes stiffening the chassis and helps provide the outstanding handling that is one of this car’s absolute strongest points. The power steering is exceptionally quick, but heavy enough to let drivers know that the 350Z is designed for safe driving at high speeds — when too much power boost isn’t always desirable.
   The mileage numbers aren’t bad: high teens in the city and mid to high-20s on the highway — but premium fuel is required.

Whines: The wide, confusing pricing spread may lead people to think the base trim is marginal and it takes $30,000-plus to get a decent Z. Because of the rear hatch slant, visibility in the rearview mirror is very poor. You can’t push the button to open and lift the hatch with one hand. The unfastened passenger seat belt rattles annoyingly.

Bottom Line: The new 350Z is fast, stylish and handles like a race car. There are numerous really good sports cars on the market right now. But, as with the original, the 350Z has no direct rivals offering the unique package of affordability, hot styling, great mechanical design and such a powerful standard engine. It seems like 1970 all over again for Nissan. This car promises to be a hands-down winner and a very worthy successor to the original.