Marc, sorry to disagree with you so vehemently, but you started thisk, so
here goes.
Marc wrote:
>A designer looking to develop a new Z could have come up with the 350Z or the
>Aston Martin DB7 ... One is cheap, immature, overdone, and flashy. It
panders to a
>"target" audience. The other is elegant, stylish, refined, and a true styling
>achievement.
Posh! I like the DB7, but I'm liking the 350Z quite a bit at this
point--it's a decent evolution of the Z car lineage (FYI--I hated the 350Z
design when it was first unveiled). The fact that the design revolted me
at first but is now winning me over shows that it is a fresh design, much
like the Ford Taurus was revolting when it was the first "bubble car" out
there, but now looks "normal" and pleasing. (anyone else remember that
period in the early 80s?)
>that the 350Z is "targeting children and
>teens, the other targets adults. Nissan has shown its true colors in this
>effort, as far as I am concerned, pandering to style instead of creating
it. The
>pricing reinforces this idea, being price pointed to the demographics of the
>target audience."
Ok, so the 350Z is now the Joe Camel of the car world? What, Nissan should
commit Hari Kari by building another stupidly expensive sports car that
nobody will buy or can afford? The pricing is, in fact, an attempt to
return to the Z cars lower-priced GT roots not to mention return Nissan to
profitability(or do you forget that the 240Zs sold for under $4k back in
1970? Was Nissan 'pandering' to teens back then?) Besides, to compare any
Nissan with any Aston Martin is absurd. They exist in completely different
car buying universes. Apples and oranges.
>When the 240Z came out it made a bold statement and set style trends for a
>generation. This new 350Z is doing none of that. It is following style trends
>set by others and trying to cash in on the Z name, period. It is just another
>video-game car. Luckily for it, "the emperor's new clothes" syndrome is still
>alive and well.
The 240Z robbed plenty of cars for styling cues (Toyota 2000GT, Ferraris,
Jaguars). It wasn't that bold a design. What was bold was selling a great
looking coupe that performed great and didn't cost an arm and a leg. That
is the Z car's legacy, and a legacy that Nissan forgot when it was making
that last, bloated Z thing that cost $50,000 and didn't give back $50k in
performance. I think the new Z is evolutionary and I for one am beginning
to covet them.
Just MY $0.02
Alex Avery
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