Buyers have a choice of two trim levels – the standard 370Z Roadster or the GT Pack. Crucially, all models come with the same 3.7-litre V6 petrol engine which is at the heart of every 370Z, delivering 323 bhp.

Even standard Roadster models come equipped with newly designed 18-inch alloy wheels, electrically adjustable seats, an engine start/stop button, Bluetooth connectivity with steering wheel mounted controls and Bi Xenon headlamps. The GT Pack adds black suede and leather seats, an 8 speaker BOSE audio system, 19-inch forged alloy wheels and cruise control.

Nissan claim that the transition from Coupe to Roadster has done nothing to diminish the performance of the 370Z. It was designed from the start to be a Roadster from the ground up as well as a Coupe, and therefore a typical driver should not notice any dynamic compromises.

The Roadster is available in Europe with Nissan’s advanced 7-speed automatic gearbox offered alongside the conventional 6-speed manual transmission. GT Pack models also benefit as standard from SynchroRev Match manual transmission, which does an amazing job in the Coupe of synchronising downshifts and matching revs, creating a smooth and almost seamless shift.

Nissan’s new 370Z Roadster which is available from March 2010

The Roadster’s black canvas hood not only gives an authentic convertible look and feel, but its shape has been styled to look great up or down. The one motion closed-to-open movement takes around 20 seconds and a specially developed full body-colour hard tonneau cover helps to eliminate wind turbulence at speed.

Standard on GT Pack models, the 370Z’s newly developed seats are air conditioned, allowing chilled ventilation through their netted material so that both the driver and passenger can keep cool with the roof down no matter what the weather. What’s more the seats also make winter top-down driving a pleasure as they can also push out hot air to keep you warm.

Prices start at £29,900 for the 370Z Roadster and rise to £36,150 for the Roadster GT Pack with Sat Nav, depending on the options chosen. The Roadster is also available in a new colour called Black Rose.

The launch of the 370Z Roadster also marks the arrival of the 2010 model year Coupe. In addition to several engine tweaks bringing its V6 powerplant in line with the latest environmental regulations, the Z is now available with an optional Uphill Start Support to make hill starts that little bit easier.

GT Academy 2010 is a competition set up by Nissan and PlayStation to unearth a real racing driver from the virtual world of the hugely successful Gran Turismo race simulation game. Run across 15 European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand, 19 winners will have the chance to take part in a racing driver ‘boot camp’ at Silverstone Circuit. The eventual, overall winner will take the controls of a real Nissan 370Z race car to compete for a full season in the European GT4 Cup as experienced by Lucas Ordonez in 2009.

The Time Trial stage of GT Academy has given gamers the chance to download a new section of Gran Turismo, offering a small taste of what is to come in the new Gran Turismo 5 due for release later this year. The download features the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, a newcomer to the Gran Turismo series. Players drive the circuit using a standard, road-going virtual version of Nissan’s new 370Z and a race-tuned version of the same car.

Their combined lap times give them their position on their territory leader board. The fastest 20 players from each territory, when the competition closes at midnight GMT on 24 January, will then battle it out at a live national final event. Nineteen winners, from across the participating territories, will be invited to take part in the five-day GT Academy 2010 event at Silverstone to be schooled by the race circuit’s instructors.

Sony’s Playstation 3 console

“Hitting one million downloads of the GT Academy Time Trial from the 17 participating countries alone is a very important milestone,” explained the creator of the Gran Turismo games and president of Polyphony Digital Inc., Kazunori Yamauchi.

“We created the Time Trial purely as the mechanic to run the first phase of GT Academy 2010. The massive interest is testament to the strong GT Academy concept that offers the chance to make a dream come true. But it also clearly demonstrates the popularity of Gran Turismo. This Time Trial is only a tiny sample of what is to come in Gran Turismo 5, so it is particularly pleasing to have seen such a positive reaction to it.”

Anyone from a participating country who is over 18 years of age, holds a full driving licence and is eligible under the terms and conditions of the competition can enter the Time Trial stage of GT Academy 2010. All you need is access to a PlayStation3 connected to the internet.

Just download the Gran Turismo time trial from PlayStation Store via the PlayStation Network and you’re ready to go. Lap times will be recorded on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course driving the Gran Turismo versions of both a standard road version of Nissan’s 370Z as well as a tuned version of the same car.

Combined lap times will give each player a place on their country leaderboard, from which a shortlist will be selected to join an intensive driver training programme in the summer of 2010. Participants can enter times as many times as they like, with the best times being selected for inclusion on the leaderboard.

Mark Bowles, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s PlayStation3 Brand Manager said, “We imagine that the combination of a preview of the new GT5 game, the ease of entry and, of course, the spectacular ultimate prize will really boost the numbers taking part in GT Academy 2010.”

He goes on to say, “When we ran the competition in 2008 we had 25,000 gamers from across Europe taking part. This year we have more countries, including the welcome addition of Australia and New Zealand. It is very exciting and we can’t wait to see what the final numbers are and who emerges at the end of the competition.”

Nissan Europe Interactive Marketing Manager Darren Cox worked closely with Bowles to bring this second instalment of GT Academy to life. “The first part of GT Academy 2010 is all about the virtual, gaming world,” says Cox. “And it is great to see the virtual 370Z look so good. Driving the real thing in a full championship is a huge incentive for people to have a go at GT Academy. is an incredible prize. At Nissan we ‘dare to be different’ in our range of sports cars and in GT Academy we are daring people to follow their dream and give it a try!”

The time-trial stage of GT Academy 2010 runs until 23:59 GMT 24 January, 2010. The fastest 20 Gran Turismo drivers from each territory will then face each other in live national finals events. A total of nineteen winners will emerge to attend the GT Academy at Silverstone – a ‘boot camp’ for racing drivers. Two winners will then be set up with accommodation at Silverstone itself while they are trained to international race licence stage during a two month period.

Only one, however, will have the chance to drive the Nissan 370Z GT4 for the RJN Motorsport Team.

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Here are a few pictures to be going along with..

New Cayman s v Old Cayman s v 370z. Hopefully we’ll know which is best by 4 pm!!

The automatic downshift blip on the Zed is superb

You only realise how good the cayman is when you’ve driven a 40k mile example and it still blows you away

350 owners are going to see a 370 and want it. Looks like it was designed by hot wheels