Rosslyn - Although it doesn't enjoy quite the cult status of the fire-spitting GT-R, Nissan's 370Z coupé still subscribes to the official 'driving purist' credo of rear wheel drive and a high-revving engine.
It's just that after being on the South African market for over eight years, it tends to get easily forgotten. To remind people it's still around the sports coupe's been given a facelift and a gearbox upgrade.
The mild restyle includes new metal chrome door handles and a black painted rear diffuser, and it also acquires the dark-tinted headlights and taillights that were previously only available on the Nismo model. The facelift is rounded off by distinctive new 19-inch alloy wheels and the introduction of a striking new Red Metallic body colour.
Mechanically the only change is the introduction of an Exedy high-performance clutch in the six-speed manual version which Nissan says optimises the downshift and reduces driver pedal effort to deliver greater levels of gear change precision and comfort. As before the car's also available with a seven-speed auto transmission.
Power's supplied by the existing normally aspirated 3.7-litre V6 petrol with outputs of 245kW and 363Nm, good for a claimed sea-level 0-100km/h sprint in 5.3 seconds and a 250km/h top speed according to Nissan.
A premium infotainment system with 18cm touchscreen, satellite navigation, DVD player, 9.3GB music box system and rear-view camera, is standard.
Pricing is unchanged at R661 900 for the manual and R680 900 for the auto, and includes Nissan's 6-year/150 000km warranty and 3-year/90 000km service plan.
There's no official word on when the next-generation Nissan Z car might make its appearance, although with the 50th anniversary of the Z line coming up in 2019 there's a chance of a possible concept-car reveal at next month's Tokyo motor show, with whispers that it could be called the 390Z.