I was out for a Saturday morning ride in the Z when I stopped by a local Nissan dealer to check out the inventory. Low and behold, way in the back among the used and loaner vehicles, still covered with sheets of shipping plastic, was this sparkling Lemans Sunset convertible. It had just arrived, and the managers and salesmen were just starting to gather to check it out. I watched as the plastic was gingerly peeled away, chatting with the forming crowd. To say the car was eye catching is an understatement. Simply beautiful.

Obviously my next question was when are you letting me take it for a spin? To their credit, the fine gentlemen at Thompson Nissan told me to just let them run it through the PDI and they'd be happy to let me take her out. Soon after, I was tooling around in this beauty. More pics and impressions to come (once I get home to my 'puter and broadband)...

 

coool.............lemme add it to the headlines.

"Tim's Roadster Impressions"

 

I posted some of mine in a thread I made in this forum a couple of days ago. Might want to look, I mentioned some little things...

 

syf0n, I did check out your thread...good points. I did not check the quality per se of the top, but I believe you. It did not look great with it up...I was more concentrating on the driving and overall appearence.

My impressions on appearence...generally looks good. Of course, looks great with the top down. Looks good with top up from the front and front three quarter view, a little less so from side view, worst from rear three quarters view. There's something about the break from the "roofline" to the backlight that just doesn't look quite right. Top looked kind of lumpy too, the hardware poking out a bit much through the canvas. Difference in appearence between top up and down is similar in degree to the Boxster. Overall: top down A, top up B-.

Driving impressions were all positive. The exhaust sound when motoring with the top down is intoxicating. Like syf0n mentioned, it is a little different than the coupe...smoother and more melodious. The ride was first rate. They must have made some adjustments to the suspension, because the ride was noticeably smoother than the coupe, as in less harsh. Body feel was solid. Overall driving: A+.

Favorite thing: the "Z" logo etched into the clear wind deflector between the seats. Awesome.

Here's some pics...

 

z...

 

zz...

 

This one I retouched out some stuff behind the rear deck and roofline of the car so you could see it's outline better...I know, hack job, but I only spent about thirty seconds on it...

 

Who you lookin' at, punk?

 

One word...stunning...

 

Top opening and closing is very slick...bystanders gawk unabashedly...

 

Nice...

 

Note the "Z" logo on the wind deflector...beyond cool...

 

zzz...

 

zzzz...

 

Again, many thanks to the staff at Thompson Nissan for letting me drive in and drool over their first, one hour old, Z roadster.

 

All during the time I was there my girlfriend patiently waited for me to finish...

 

Two questions:

1. From the picture of the top folding back, it looks like the top has a headliner---does it?

2. The wind deflector w/ the Z logo, is it glass or clear plastic?

 

Randy, two good questions, and of course, I didn't check more closely. The wind delfector certainly looked like glass. Here's another pic to show you how clear and reflective it was. Seems like glass....

 

And a closer look at the top as it was folding. Definately appears to have a headliner...

 

Absolutely stunning with the top down!

Absolutely appalling with the top up!

Why, oh why, couldn't they have made the top extend farther back in the rear?