IN FEBRUARY this year, Nissan Australia introduced an enhanced version of the GT-R flagship coupe, tweaked by its Nismo high-performance division, which managed to wring extra power out of its engine, boosting its dynamic capabilities with tweaks to handling and body rigidity, and setting it apart from the rest of the range with a distinctive bodykit.

Given the success of the GT-R, Nissan has decided to offer another Nismo-fettled model, the ageing-but-dynamic 370Z coupe, giving it similar enhancements to the GT-R and creating a new variant to sit atop the regular coupe and roadster range.

While it is no spring chicken, the current Z car is the most suitable candidate for some Nismo spanner-turning, given the rest of Nissan’s Australian product range consists of SUVs and the Navara ute.

The question is, has Nismo done enough to keep Nissan’s elder statesman competitive against other affordable sportscars such as the hot-selling Ford Mustang?