As you may know, JNC’s Art Director (the one responsible for our new design and layout) owns just one mode of transportation, a 1972 Datsun 240Z. Well, technically he also owns a vintage Japanese Univega but let’s not split hairs. Living in LA with a forty-year-old kyuusha means adventure is always around the corner. Here’s Yee’s own words. -Ed.
So I was at Haus Dessert Cafe, the upscale coffee shop on 6th, and an Aston tried to overtake my parking space to no avail. The Z looks like a car Aston Martin built in the late 60s. This DB9 is closer to what a Z should be than the current 370Z, at least in triple Black Gloss PPG. That valet space is mine (though I park it myself).
it does look like siblings, haha the 370z is designed so wrongly, ahhh
I don’t know if it’s just the camera lens or what, but to my eyes, the Aston actually looks a tad SMALLER than the Z car. That can’t be right, can it??
Derrick, I think that’s probably perspective playing tricks on you.
And yes, driving a nostalgic is definitely fun. The 240 looks great and so does the new 370, imo. Different animals, I suppose. Let’s see more readers cars in here!
hehe “overtake my parking space”
i was just looking at a 370z the other other day and realized i agree with mr. k, that the car stinks
Wonder what Jeremy Clarkson would have to say about that comparison… They are almost identical but I never noticed the similarity
I think the first Z has many cues from the E type Jag. So its natural that it would bear a resemblance to the Aston as well.
I still pick the Z, hands down every time. And no doubt the aftermarket will have a better looking front end for the 370 soon!
I recently took pics of a new Nismo 370Z at one of my dealers that looked better with the Nismo fascia. The front splitter’s going to be expensive when it gets banged into the first speed bump coming out of the dealership! As far as the Aston looking bigger than the 240, I’d say thats deffinately from the camera angle! 240Z: 2400lbs, Aston Martin: 4 1/2 Tons!!
btw, hate to say this, one of my aston martin enthusiast friends say this is a DBS, not a DB9, cheers
It’s ok, Kevin. This is JNC, not British Exotic Car! 🙂
Design aside, I like the 370Z. Comparing the 350Z and the 370Z to a 240Z, the 370Z seems to be very close in intent and execution to the original, there is just some quality it has the the 350Z is missing, and it might be down to the overall size, or the power to weight ratio, or even the cabin layout. That said, I don’t like the 370Z gauge clusters, the 350Z seems more 240Z in that regard. All 3 are fun cars, but my 350Z will move on for a 370Z Sports Pack when the used prices fall into the teens, and I’ll keep my 72 Z until it rusts into a tiny pile of metal filings.
As far as the 370Z styling, fortunately Base<Sports Pack<Nismo S-Tune<Nismo so there is room to find a good looking one in the bunch. I also think color matters a lot. I'm not sure silver/gray is so flattering anymore. Blue/Black/Black Cherry/40th seem to all work well.
None the less, nice to see the S30 hold it's own against an Aston!
No worries, just pointing out, The AM is not something I could afford, why I resorted to a Honda, rawr!
I did notice the hood vents on this Aston, but since the DBS is a souped up version of the DB9, I just called it that. I am not crazy about hood vents or big bulges on hoods signifying a performance model. From a performance standpoint, it shouts out aggressive and mean. From a design standpoint, it is usually an eyesore, in my humble opinion.
Looks like two dogs meeting at the park 😉
The Z is definitely the alfa of the bunch
Dan, I hope you meant alpha, and not alfa… romeo.
-Robert