Nissan Z to get rag top
Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S AUTOMOTIVE REPORTS Ward's AutoWorld, Feb 1, 2002 12:00 PM

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s hotly anticipated 350Z sports coupe will see a convertible incarnation as well, a top Nissan official tells WAW. A topless Z has been in the works from the car's inception, and designers tackled the look of the new coupe with an eye toward a future convertible, says Jack Collins, vice president of product planning at Nissan North America Inc. He would not give a timeframe, except to say, “as soon as we can.”

The Z coupe, a 280 hp-plus 3.5L V-6-powered throwback to Nissan's early enthusiasts' classic, goes on sale in August with a base price of $26,269 — well below the $30,000 target Nissan originally had set. The most expensive of the five trim levels ranges up to $34,079. Officials expect volumes in the 20,000-unit range. Some sample Z coupes arrive in dealer showrooms Jan. 15 to kick off orders through an unprecedented pre-release program.