The Datsun 240Z was the most popular sports car in the world in the 1970s. It didn’t rack up many sales in Britain but its impact here was huge — because it took America by storm. A Japanese two-seater with the looks of a Jaguar E-type for just $3,600, the 240Z sounded the death knell for the traditional British sports car.

As cars do, over the years the Z got fat. It was made more powerful and more expensive and when the time came to replace it with a completely new model in 1989, the 300ZX — now a Nissan, of course — was a £35,000 rival for Porsche. The 300ZX was a talented car but enthusiasts rejected it: if you wanted something like a Porsche you bought a Porsche.

After six years for reflection, the Z is back. Called the 350Z, its avowed intent is to recapture the spirit of the original 240Z. Back to basics means $27,000 in today’s money and the reaction in the United States, where sales started a couple of months ago, has been rapturous.

The 350Z was designed in America — albeit by Ajay Panchal from Leicester — for America. It was not even certain that it would be sold in Europe, let alone in Britain, but

it was announced at the Paris motor show that it will be available with right-hand drive from next October. Nissan’s target price is £26,000, at which the Z’s rivals will be the likes of the Audi TT and Honda S2000.

Nissan bosses decided early on that the Z would adhere to some very strict design parameters. Like the original, it would have a six-cylinder, front-mounted engine driving the rear wheels. It would also stick to a two-door, two-seater hatchback configuration. The idea was to create a car that could be driven every day but also deliver a rewarding drive for enthusiasts.

It is a good formula, with 287bhp from a 3.5 litre V6 and a six-speed manual gearbox. Nissan claims it can do 0 to 60mph in 5.5sec and 155mph flat out, and performance-wise the 350Z leaves the Audi, Honda and the much more expensive Porsche Boxster S trailing in its wake.

It grabs attention, too. I drove the 350Z in Michigan, over hundreds of miles on city streets, busy freeways and quiet country roads. It drew admiring glances everywhere; whenever it was parked people came up to look and asked: “Is that the new Zee? Wow!” I immediately liked its clean, athletic looks, as if the skin has been stretched tight over bulging muscles, but I wondered how that bluff front will accommodate a big British numberplate (front plates not being required in the States).

And I discovered that it goes, steers and handles like a sports car should. The V6 is big enough to deliver its power without a turbocharger. So while an Audi TT feels fussy and lethargic at low speed, the responsive Z provides a lovely progressive stream of torque.

The new Z uses all of the bag of tricks that you’d expect to find on any modern sports car. One of the key missions for Nissan engineers was to create a car that is as happy pootling around town as it is blasting along an open road. To get the blend right, the Z uses a continuously variable valve timing system which gives the car that fine low-rev torque response, but also sporting high-rev performance.

It has a neat drive-by-wire throttle system, too. Among other things, the system checks in with the traction control program to make sure that there is no shortage of grip before allowing the throttle to be opened. Nissan claims that this all happens in a tiny fraction of a second, so drivers don’t notice it.

Rear-wheel drive makes for well-balanced handling and steering precision. This is a car that inspires confidence when driven briskly on a winding road. Handling balance is aided by weight distribution that just about hits the ideal 50/50 ratio. The suspension is stiff but the ride comfort is generally acceptable, though concrete motorway ridges are a jarring exception.

The driver is made to feel welcome by excellent body-hugging seats and the positioning and slick action of the controls. The main instrument housing, with the rev counter prominent at the centre, moves up and down with the adjustable steering column, just as on the Porsche 928.

Good design and some nice touches, such as solid aluminium switches and door handles, disguise plain, inexpensive furnishings — a mixture of variously textured dark grey plastic mouldings. An Audi TT looks and feels much smarter.

So, thrills but no frills. That’s a fair proposition for a high-performance sports car at a reasonable price. For the same reason the 350Z shares its engine, transmission and basic structure with other rear-wheel-drive Nissans sold in Japan and America. But therein lies a compromise. To give it the extra body stiffness that a good sports car needs, bracing bars connect the upper suspension mountings. The bar at the back bridges the luggage compartment. It’s massive and it makes it impossible to carry a suitcase of any size.

Criticising a sports car for its luggage space seems perverse, but I have some personal experience here. Hatchback coupés are very convenient for everyday use but they are few and far between. My first, years ago, was a Datsun 240Z and in recent times I have had Porsche 944s and an Audi TT. The 350Z looked like a possible successor. It has all the right ingredients — but for a bridge too far.

Vital statistics

Model Nissan 350Z
Engine type V6
Capacity 3498cc
Power 287bhp @ 6200rpm
Torque 274lb ft @ 4800rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Suspension (front and rear) multi-link, coil springs
Tyres (front) 225/50 17 (rear) 235/50 17
Fuel 24mpg (combined)
Acceleration 0 to 60mph: 5.5sec
Top speed 155mph
Price £26,000
Verdict Nissan's Z goes back to its roots. Worth waiting fo