Our first impressions can be found later in this issue, although we have already spent some considerable time with the 350Z, including the annual thrash that is evo Car of the Year. In the Highlands of Scotland against the greatest cars from '03, even with its mouth-watering list of ingredients, the Zed was good, and at times very good, but it never quite hit the spot. It revealed itself as a strong and honest performer but lacking ultimate sparkle, and against fierce competition it couldn't quite mix it with the best.

Perhaps another dollop of good old-fashioned horsepower is what it needs. On the face of it 276bhp at 6200rpm from a big-cubed lump should be plenty, but most of the torque arrives too far up the rev range to fully exploit the chassis. We weren't the only ones to think this; experienced Merseyside-based Nissan tuner Middlehurst Motorsport also got the vibe.

The car you see here has a Stillen supercharger strapped to the V6, running half a bar of boost pressure. Power has climbed to 370bhp at just 6500rpm, but equally important is the enhanced torque, 346lb ft, up from 268 and usefully spread over a wider and lower rev-range. Along with the supercharger, the engineers have installed a Nismo exhaust system and induction kit to aid airflow and throttle response.

Adding a supercharger to the top of the engine has necessitated a cosmetic change for the simple reason that it wouldn't fit under the bonnet. The resulting carbonfibre bulge is very Gran Turismo and it's offered either colour-coded or as here, naked and lacquered. At first sight it's quite a shock, incongruously rising up the nose to a bulbous peak over the 'charger itself. Hardly subtle but justifiable as it's there for reasons of go rather than show.

In Scotland we'd found that the standard car was very keen to steer from the rear if the roads were a little damp, and if you switched out the traction control you had to be alert to keep on top of it. So more power, more torque and even more rain on this test should make things very interesting...

Taking things steady around the streets of St Helens, the first thing that becomes obvious is the increased volume from the Nismo exhaust. The V6 is an aural gem; the only problem in the standard Zed is you can't hear enough of its rich tone from the cabin. You can now, and as we reach a dual carriageway and stretch the motor above 4500rpm, it's paired with the demonic wail of the spooling supercharger.

And with the noise comes thrust, lots of thrust. Middlehurst's claim of a sub-5.0sec 0-60mph time seems entirely plausible. And there's no need to pile on the revs; acceleration that squashes you deep into your seat is yours from as little as 3000rpm. It's deeply impressive and that bonnet swelling is becoming more acceptable by the minute.

Through the corners the traction control gets very busy, the brawn of the low-range torque quickly exceeding the grip available from the standard 18in Bridgestone Potenzas. The ESP kills the power the instant the tail starts to slip; it's too keen, really, so it gets turned off in favour of the organic traction control system of my right foot.

In these conditions it takes a leap of faith to remove the safety net, but it's very rewarding. The tendency to slide is now even greater than before, but the linearity of the delivery makes it more faithful, less twitchy and very predictable. It's a drifter's car, where the throttle is as much a part of the steering as the wheel. As your confidence builds, so do the slip angles.

You feel confident in the mechanicals, too; this blown 350 retains the solid feel of the standard car. And although this mod waves your Nissan warranty goodbye, Middlehurst will replace it with its own 12-monther.

The cost of all this? The supercharger with the bonnet cover is ΂£4800 fitted; add another grand for the Nismo exhaust, a further ΂£350 for the induction kit. When you consider the standard car comes in at ΂£25K with these wheels, it all adds up to a bit of a bargain. The next cheapest rear-drive, two-seater coupe with 350bhp+ on tap is the TVR T350C and that costs ΂£38,500.

So it all boils down to a question of the bonnet aesthetics - given the quality of the rest of the car, who cares?