The 370Z Nismo has a 3.7-litre V6 engine pushing out 339bhp at 7400rpm, 16bhp more than the standard Nissan 370Z. At £37,575 that’s a lot of cash for a Nismo badge when you consider the standard edition starts at just under £30,000 and you are only getting 16bhp more, or is that all you are getting?

No it's not, when you compare the specifications of the two models there is quite a lot of difference between them. From the wheels, aero, suspension and braking upgrades to the interior and free flowing exhaust, these are modifications that most owners will change anyway. So when owning a car like this, to have Nismo do it for you looks to be a relative bargain.

A classic driver's car, the 370Z is a front engine rear wheel drive car that Jim was happy to demonstrate the performance of, keeping within the speed limits of course. 

We were not alone on our journey from up north a pair of 370s joined us for the drive along the A1. The traffic was light as we cruised down the Great North Road, arriving at the ACE café early. This gave us the opportunity to get a great parking spot right at the front of the café.  

The Ace Cafe is located in the north of London just off the north circular road and is a long way from the PistonClick HQ. So why did we, on a cold wet and windy day, go on a six hour round trip to visit a café in north London? 

The all day breakfast can't be that good! The grub is good, however the ACE Café is an iconic petrolhead venue that anyone who is remotely interested in car and motorcycle culture should visit at least once in their lives, so we did.

The ACE Café first opened in 1938 on the London north circular road to cater for the passing motorists and soon became a hang out for the motorcyclists of the time. The Second World War was not kind to the café due to the nearby Willesden railway marshalling yards. 

The ACE Café is a standard road eatery but now holds regular events where like minded bike and car enthusiasts meet up for a brew and chat whilst checking out each others' rides. These days it's not limited to motorcycles but caters for all forms of automotive transport. 

In a few weeks time there is an all electric powered night. The café has installed two charging points since my last visit, as unfortunately this looks to be the way forward for transport in the big cities.

I'm not in the Clarkson camp of dismissing cars and bikes powered by wiggly amps - I think it’s a good idea. Think back 100 years where most of the transport was horse drawn. The internal combustion engine appeared and the horse got relegated to a leisure activity. That evolutionary progress is something you can't stop and I see the petrol engine going the same way as the horse.

Once established and developed properly, the alternative propulsion power, whether that might be hydrogen or battery power to propel you down the Queen's highway, will then mean that the limited stocks of petrol will only be used for the classic cars that we own now. You never know, the cost of petrol might drop due to lack of demand but I doubt it.

The 350Z club does not limit itself just to that mark of car. All Z models are welcome, with a very nice Datsun turning up at the café to mix it up a bit. I used to cut around in one of these back in the day with a friend, so it brought back some fond memories.

Overall about 25 cars turned out for the meeting at this iconic venue and considering the poor weather at the start of the day, not a bad number. 

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