Open-topped Nissan 370Z Roadster revealed

Nissan's 370Z has just gone on sale in coupé guise, but the company hasn't waited long to take the tin opener to it to create a roadster. The Roadster opens up the 370Z to the elements and the driver and passenger to the rousing soundtrack created by its 3.7-litre V6 engine.

The coupé has a bit of a reputation of being a brutish drivers' car, but Roadster drivers are slightly more pampered behind the wheel. That's thanks to the availability of some heated (or cooled) ventilated net seats, keeping the driver and passenger at their preferred temperature regardless of how warm or cold it is with the roof down. Dropping the fabric roof is as simple as pressing a button, it unhooking itself from the windscreen rail and hiding away under a hard cover in just 20 seconds.

The interior benefits from the same improvements as its coupé relative, with greater cubby storage, better interior finishes and more standard equipment. With 306bhp it'll be rapid too, the Roadster likely to lose some of its ultimate sprinting ability against the clock thanks to its greater weight over the coupé. Not that buyers are likely to care, the 370Z sure to be a brilliant way to enjoy the summer - next summer that is, as the Roadster is not anticipated to reach UK showrooms until this autumn.

Kyle Fortune