In fact, it took Nissan almost a decade to bring a new six-cylinder sports car to market, debuting the 350Z in coupe form in 2003 and a convertible version a year later.

Nissan's 350Z delivers on its sports-car promise with precise, communicative steering, a crisp turn-in response, and taut suspension that keeps the car composed and ready for the driver's next move.

The much-revised-for-2004 Honda S2000 is a lightweight, inline-four-cylinder screamer with one foot in the traditionalist drop-top two-seater past and the other in the high-tech high-revving present.