There's a wacky commercial on YouTube that pits a Mexican chicken in a street race against a meat-eating Nissan 370Z.
It sees Pepe, who comes from a long line of racing chickens, donning racing helmet and goggles to meet the foe of his dreams.
He is told by his trainer - with the kind of intensity and drama that can only accompany a prize cockfight - that he must make use of the corners to win.
Well, race he did, and while chicken comes hair-raisingly close to the 370Z’s front rubbers at many a turn, he does edge forward when it seems to matter most.
Or so he thinks, only to awaken from what appears to have been a dream.
It’s a good-humoured piece of entertainment from Nissan and has to be seen to be appreciated. But what it says about the car is not so obvious.
You do leave with some lingering visuals of a beefy brute of a car - an image that the Nissan 370Z carries with assurance.
Well, the current iteration of Nissan’s Z-car has blown its top and as of late last year, is also available locally in roadster guise.
Given the top-off treatment, some sports convertibles end up looking like toys to put Barbies in. while others are notably more hairy-chested.
We’re happy to report that the 370Z Roadster veers much towards the latter.
It’s quite a bit tighter and leaner than the old 350Z roadster but with its hunkered down stance, boomerang-shaped head and tail-lamps and broadly flared wheelarches. there’s little to suggest that the brute has digressed from its meat-eating habits.
Under the roadster’s long bonnet, the 3.7-litre V6 engine pumps out 326bhp and 363Nm, giving the car plenty bang-for-the-bucks.
It’s a potent unit that picks up strongly from low revs and is totally naturally aspirated.
The roadster’s credentials are impressive, dispensing the 0-100kph dash in 5.1 seconds and on to a 250kph top speed.
Tickle the throttle at any speed and you surge forward in bullet train fashion.
Being a soft top, the engine soundtrack filters through more richly than the coupe.
That said, the bark doesn’t quite measure up to the bite as the exhaust note is a tad bland.
We seem to recall a more zesty tune from the old 350Z. Power is fed only to the rear wheels and the paddle shift equipped seven-speed automatic transmission is quick to the task, blipping the throttle nicely for some smooth downshifts.
The chassis sees a number of lightweight alloy components merged with a fully independent suspension.
Any fears of wobbly tendencies on the limit as a result of cutting the roof off are soon put to rest, thanks to extensive reinforcement of the chassis.
While the end result is an extra 55kg, you’d be hard put to tell the difference in handling from the coupe.
On good surfaces, the 370Z goes where it is pointed with considerable enthusiasm.
There’s less understeer than the old 350Z and when you start pouring the coals on corners, the rear follows through nicely.
There’s huge grip from the chassis and broad 18-inch Bridgestones while the brakes rein in your enthusiastic overtures with confidence.
The steering is well weighted and a lot less ponderous to manage than its predecessor.
The low to medium speed ride passes muster but when pressed hard, stretches with successive undulations do ruffle the car’s composure enough to warrant some steering corrections.
Inside, a high centre console divides driver and passenger seats. Some distinguishing features of the old 350Z remain, like the instrument cluster tripod attached to the steering column - it moves as you adjust the driving position, ensuring an unhindered view of the dials.
We like the chunky controls and the centrally located dash-mounted storage bin - useful for keeping wallets and mobile phones.
The electrically-controlled black suede and leather seats are figure hugging and give good support.
One sits low in classic sports car fashion and the frontal vision is good.
The same can’t be said of the rear view with a narrow slat to look through, unless of course the top is down.
Being a soft top, heightened road and wind noise, along with things like the chatter of school children in a bas sekolah at a traffic light are what you must live with.
The soft top rakes nicely towards the back and raising or lowering it takes all of
20 seconds.
To accommodate the folding roof mechanism, the boot has shrunk to 140 litres - enough for a couple of weekend bags and a little more.
But then wind-in-the-hair thrills are what the car is about, not practicality and we figure most owners are not going to care.
Neither is the car a boulevard cruiser.
As we said earlier, it’s a bit too hairy-chested for that.
But with the top down on a great road and the weather so kind, the Nissan 370Z Roadster is a nice place to be in.