The 350Z is a looker. We couldn’t resist a closer inspection of this new stunner and so we visited our local store for a test hop. The ‘track’ model that we drove had the huge alloys with the Brembo (racing) brakes. With 287 horsepower advertised it certainly could put them to use! I must say that I wasn’t that thrilled. The shifter was precise but the clutch loose and sloppy. The exhaust note did not inspire and the transmission had a gear whine just like the original Z’s from 1970. There would be some learning curve to be smooth with that long throwclutch. The emission controls don’t allow it to idle down even though the throttle is closed. Lack of space for my roller bag or even the grocery bags was a non-plus unless you were to lean clear forward over the rigid body torsional structure roll bar under the rear hatch.

So, we tried Honda’s offering, the S2000. This is a sports car that’s been out for awhile but I must say that their engineers got it right! By contrast, you feel like you are wearing this ride. Easy to handle. Point and squirt and with the tach in the sweet zone (between 6000 and 8000 revs) it makes awesome Formula One metallic mechanical song underhood. Not a Miata. Never bothered to preview the radio. The driving experience was enough. We came away wearing big grins after this one.