So, you think motoring journalists have a good and easy life,
don't you? I did and when friends at Nissan invited me to test
drive their new 350Z on German roads with a few selected French
writers, I looked forward to an enjoyable time.
When I arrived at the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport to meet
with the group, the first I saw was old acquaintance Paul Frère.
I have known Paul for forty something years. I was a young enthusiast
and he already an accomplished racing driver and an established
journalist, and I had written him to ask if he would take me with
him to the Turin Motor Show. In those days, the Italian show was
a yearly event held in November and it was a fascinating place
where all local coachbuilders displayed their latest creations.
Against all odds, two days later, a telegram arrived at home.
Paul, who had never heard of me, suggested I call him to make
final arrangements and indeed, he took me to, and back from, Turin
in his Fiat 2300S Ghia coupe. It was an unforgettable experience,
the best part being the Alpine passes (there were no tunnels yet)
covered with snow, for they revealed the performance of a talented
driver in full control of his car, as Paul was.
Paul was not happy after having spent a night in a Parisian hotel
arranged by Nissan which was clearly below his expectations. The
chartered, cramped, twin-prop KLM plane that slowly transported
us to Nürnberg did not improve his mood. The unpalatable
food served on board finished to lengthen his face. Could it be
that I was wrong? Was the press not as nicely looked after as
it used to be? Had the budgets become that tight? Or had Nissan
so much trust in the qualities of their new car that they did
not feel the need for other treats? On top of everything else,
the weather was against us and we landed under heavy rain.
Just outside of the airport, fourteen cars exactly were waiting
for their drivers, half of them in a metallic amber colour, the
other half in a less flamboyant but more elegant, at least we
judged so, silver grey. Paul most kindly offered to share a car
with me, and I was delighted because it was bringing back so many
nice memories. We had made plans last year to travel together
to the Turin Motor Show again to celebrate the 40th anniversary
of our first encounter, but the show was cancelled and so was
our trip. This now proved a welcome compensation. After a short
brief from the Nissan men in charge, off we went, Paul at the
wheel and me with the road book on my lap.
To say that I felt totally confident would be overstated. I had
no fear but, perhaps, a trace of doubt. After all, Paul Frère,
at 86, is no young man anymore. I had known him at the peak of
his driving art, would I not be disappointed now? And would he
not commit something silly, I even asked myself? It did not take
long to realise that my questions were unfounded.
The first portion of the road was mostly free Autobahn,
and gradually, as he rejoiced and understood the car better, Paul
increased our speed to well over 200 km/h on a soaked wet surface.
Sometimes, given the poor visibility, I felt we were nearing the
slower traffic ahead of us at high speed, but there was never
a moment of surprise nor the hint to an hesitation. Without any
doubt, his eyesight was clear and his judgement sharp. At one
moment, he shouted 'brake test' and slammed the pedal. I had a
short spell of dizziness. How many g's did we take? His guess
was about 0.7. Would he perhaps be in better condition than me,
I wondered? I announced that we had 52 more kilometres before
leaving the motorway. He said with a smile 'I hope we don't leave
it before'. We then had a stint on little country roads. His pace
was fast, his line smooth, his precision diabolic, his concentration
total. We had been amongst the last to leave Nürnberg and
were amongst the first to reach the coffee break inn.
It was my turn to take the wheel. There I was, a Grand Prix and
Le Mans winner sitting next to me and reading the map for me!
Paul remarked that he always tries to have a car to himself because
he had made some bad experiences in the past with other people
wanting to impress him. Such was not my intention and I felt relieved
when he commented that he was perfectly at ease with my driving.
He just observed that I was changing gears more often than he
did, which he felt was not necessary because of the rather generous
torque developed by the engine. Right.
We arrived in Pegnitz where Nissan accommodated all of us in
the Pflaums Post Hotel, an amazing place run since over three
hundred years by the same family and part of the Relais &
Châteaux chain. All rooms are different and have a modern
'design' atmosphere. The keys were in a large bowl at the reception
desk and it was to everyone to pick his at random. I loved the
place and so did Paul. We were also given a pair of very nice
driving shoes. Our barometer climbed. Drinks were served, coming
with delicious cheese quiches, and a few Sony Playstations were
available for entertainment. Paul, a newcomer to the game, learned
quickly and was soon taking maximum revs.
Before dinner, a formal presentation of the 350Z was organized
by the Nissan staff, including a few Japanese executives. They
explained their goal had been to produce a car performing like
a Porsche Boxster and to sell it at the price of an Audi TT. How
successful they had been was for us to decide. They also developed
a theory that, thanks to the 'central front' engine layout, their
front/rear weight balance of 53/47% was ideal because, with the
transfer occurring under acceleration out of a bend, it became
the perfect 50/50. I looked at Paul with questioning eyes and
he said 'clever marketing explanation'. Finally, they pointed
at the fuel consumption, supposed to average around 12 l/100 km.
We had achieved 15.7 l. An engineer in awe wondered at what speed
we had been driving. Were there any questions? Sure enough, Paul
was the first to raise his hand: 'Do you have a figure for the
torsional stiffness of the car?'. There was a blank. French Nissan
staff looked at European Nissan staff who, in turn, looked at
Japanese Nissan staff. Torsional stiffness … the car certainly
was stiff, but how stiff exactly, nobody had a clue. They said
they would find out and, unless it was a secret, they would come
back to him. Paul knows by heart the measures for many cars including
the Rolls Royce Phantom which, with 40 000 Nm/°, is the stiffest,
but also the heaviest, of them all. By comparison, a good roadster
would achieve about 1/3rd of such numbers. Paul's curiosity is
insatiable and his memory unbeatable. During the day, he had looked
at the engine bay and asked me if I could find the ABS calculator,
which he did not see. We discovered it, under a trap housing the
brake master cylinder. Then I spotted him lying down, looking
at the aluminium suspension elements. No wonder his reports are
factual. Would you call this professionalism?
The four-course dinner was truly excellent and, by the time we
had eaten too much, we had forgotten about the miserable start
of our day. The next morning, our team was officially confirmed
and there was a large label 'Reserved Frère-Philippsen'
on the windshield of our car which had been cleaned overnight.
The roads were now dry and I was happy to let Paul do the driving.
We took a more leisurely pace, enjoying the quite stunning Bavarian
landscape. Much to Nissan's relief, our consumption fell to 11.7
l/100 km.
So, after nearly 300 km, what did Paul actually think of the
350Z ? 'A lot of good' he replied. He liked the car, believed
it offers great value for money indeed. The engine felt powerful
and produced a nice sound, both inside and outside. The 6-speed
gearbox was commendable for its short travel between the gears,
though it required muscled action. Same observation for the steering,
which was incisive and gave a good feedback, but was heavy at
low speeds. Will the 22% female buyers targeted by Nissan agree?
Brakes, suspensions and road manners were beyond reproach for
what we could observe, but only a track test will tell all the
truth. Both Paul and I would have liked to sit a bit higher. We
were told the seat adjustments were not definite and more flexibility
would be offered in the production cars. Paul also thought the
footrest next to the clutch pedal should be raised for more comfort.
I noticed the lack of a handle inside the trunk lid to grab and
facilitate its shutting. What else? Oh yes, there was only minimal
storage space in the cabin, with the absence of a glove box in
the dashboard. There was a generous box behind the passenger seat,
but it was unreachable whilst seated and thus not practical for
maps and guides. There was a cup holder, a Bose radio system and
a screen for a GPS, all of which we did not try.
Our time was over and the car had to be turned in for the next
group of journalists. We had a delicious closing lunch in Der
schwarze Adler near the airport in Nürnberg before checking
in and flying back to Paris in the same KLM plane we had arrived
in. It felt more spacious though, because some had left us as
they had moved on to attend another presentation in Germany. We
did not care about food anymore, we had had more than enough.
Paul and I said good bye to each other in Paris as we had different
schedules from there on. I had had a lovely time with a truly
impressive man, a most desirable car, and concluded that, after
all, motoring journalists don't have it all that bad.
July 2003
Specifications for the French market (Works data)
Engine: V6, 3498 cc, 2 overhead cams per cylinder bank, 4
valves per cylinder, sequential fuel injection, 280 bhp at 6200
rpm, 363 Nm at 4800 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual gearbox, rear wheel drive, ESP and
TCS
Chassis: independent suspension front and rear, power assisted
rack and pinion steering, Brembo power assisted brakes with 4
ventilated discs and ABS and EBD, 18" light alloy wheels
fitted with Bridgestone Potenza tyres
Body: 2-seat coupe, Cx 0,29
Dimensions: length 4310 mm, width 1815 mm, height 1320 mm, wheelbase
2650 mm, weight 1545 kg, fuel tank capacity 80 l
Performance: top speed 250 km/h (electronically limited), 0-100
km/h in 5,9"
Price: from 34 500 to 38 900 € (Pack version as tested, including
optional 'light' light alloy wheels, metallic paint and 'Alezan'
leather seats), first consignments in November 2003
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