In 2002 Nissan Introduced The 350z To The World. It Would Be Another 2 Years Before The Convertible Would Be Introduced In 2004 (And It's Kinda Ugly With The Top Up). So What Is Up With This 2003 Drop Top 350z With What Looks To My Eyes To Be Cutting A Rather Handsome Figure With ITS Top Up?

I spotted this lil' gem on craigslist while just putzing around on the cars for sale section a couple of days ago.  Didn't think much of it...until earlier today when I noticed a 350z Convertible on the road, and something just didn't look right.

Yeah, you see it too?  The 350z Convertible above is what Nissan thought the 350z should look like with a rag top.  It looks a bit awkward, don't ya think?  The 350z coupe has a nicely sloped hatchback giving a little more balance than it's wierd looking drop top cousin.  But ya know what?  Even before Nissan introduced the 350z Convertible a company called Newport Convertible Engineering got the top styling right...much more so than Nissan in my humble opinion.

So these photos are not my own.  They are by Arch Auto Sales where this car is currently available (as of 05/01/16 so far as I know).  But they are some pretty decent shots and I'm surprised at how many there are with the top up.  There is no mention in their ads (either on craigslist or their website) that this is in fact a pretty special car.  I don't think they know that it may be fairly rare.  I can't find a photo of another NCE 2003 350z Convertible on the web anywhere except the NCE website...and they only have TWO!

The top on this particular car looks like it might have a little damage, but it's good to know that the supplier is still in business.  I can't imagine that it would be cheap to replace, but if I owned this car I would buy a replacement top (or maybe Two!) now, before they become nearly impossible to source.  Such is the price of the Drop Top life, and more so if'n you wanna do so in a 350z AND rock the prestige of not only the BEST looking rag top, but also one of the rarest.

Did I mention this car only has 54,000 (ish) miles on its ticker?  The sellers are asking just under $10K.  Sounds like a bargain to me.  I gotta tell ya, before I purchased the Eclipse Spyder I looked at a bunch of other cars including Miatas and 350zs...if I had run across this particular one I might be blogging on and on about it instead of just getting the word out that it does indeed exist!