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| Roadster looks just as good as coupe |
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Most western visitors never leave the capital city, which is a shame because visitors to Tokyo gain only a one-dimensional view of Japan. No sooner have we left the city limits on the Tomei Expressway than the scenery shifts and the horizon is dominated by the looming presence of Mount Fuji. At 3776m high, Fuji rivals Vesuvius for the title of best-known volcano. It's still active, but the last time it spat forth was in 1707 and the last large eruption was as long ago as 930BC. No worries today, then.
The motorway slog offers me a chance to gather my first impressions of the car. The transition from hard to soft-top has done little to compromise the Z's appearance. At the tug of a handle and the flick of a switch the roof disappears behind a solid cover in a mere 20 seconds to leave a chunky, dramatic profile. To these eyes it looks terrific - purposeful yet authentic.
Fears that the drop-top would shake like a teen on a first date can also be allayed. Structural reinforcements have added 53kg to the car's mass but succeeded in creating a car that feels impressively stiff, at least when allied to the softer suspension set-up fitted to Japanese models. The addition of a subtle glass wind deflector behind the rear seats has also created a cabin that's pleasingly free of wind buffeting, even at motorway speeds.
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| Roads leading to Hakone are excellent |
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After about sixty miles, we dive off the highway and pick up the Hakone Skyline Driveway which, as it name suggests, leads to the tourist-trap town of Hakone. These roads are used by Japanese journos to test new cars, and it's not difficult to see why. A challenging series of switchbacks that wind their way up hill are a test of man and machine.
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