Nissan 370Z

Japan contributes 48 cars to this catalogue of 600, yet only 22 combine a V6 with rear wheel drive. That narrow overlap is where the Nissan 370Z finds its identity. It does not stand as a representative of every Japanese performance car here. Instead, it occupies a distinctly defined corner, pairing a 3.7 litre V6 with RWD in a way that very few cars across the entire collection do.

That engineering choice shapes everything else. With 332 bhp and 366 Nm, the figures place it in the lower fifth of the catalogue for power, while its 5.4 second run to 100 km/h leaves it ahead of 102 cars but behind the majority. A 250 km/h top speed follows the same pattern, respectable within the wider field rather than dominant. Those numbers matter because they resist easy assumptions. The 370Z is not trying to overwhelm the catalogue with headline statistics. It occupies a more specific position, where layout and balance define the conversation as much as outright output.

The car's rarity reinforces that sense of purpose without overstating it. Production totalled 2,008 examples, making it rarer than 42 of the 177 catalogue cars for which production figures are available, while 135 are scarcer still. That places it comfortably away from the commonplace without asking to be treated as an unattainable curiosity. It is distinctive because of measured scarcity, not because the numbers demand reverence.

Its place within the Nissan contingent is equally revealing. The manufacturer contributes 10 cars to this collection, drawing from a company established in 1933, yet the 370Z distinguishes itself through its combination of Japanese origin, V6 configuration and rear wheel drive. Even viewed solely against its stablemates, that pairing remains one of its defining qualities.

The financial argument is unusually persuasive. A typical used price of £18,000 makes it one of the least expensive cars in the catalogue, with only 23 costing more. Spread across 332 bhp, that works out at £54 per bhp, a figure that underlines how much engineering is available for the money rather than simply how much performance.

Every collection develops its own patterns. A garage built entirely around peak power or outright rarity leaves little room for a car whose appeal comes from the precision of its engineering choices and the clarity of its place within the catalogue. The 370Z changes that balance.

It belongs there.