MONDAY sees the start of ordering for Nissan's eagerly-awaited sports car, the 350Z.

But from the 4,000 poeple who have registered an interest in the £24,000 car, only 450 are likely to get their hands on one this year.

There'll be two models, the standard Nissan 350Z priced at £24,000 and the 350Z 'GT Pack' at £26,500. Both share the same pure, sports car formula with seats only for two, rear-wheel drive, dramatic styling and equally dramatic performance from a front-mounted, 3.5-litre V6 engine pumping out around 280PS. Acceleration to 62mph will take less than six seconds.

Customers will have to go to a Nissan dealer to order. When the order is placed on-line by the dealer specialist, and a refundable £2,000 deposit handed over, a number on the 350Z waiting list is immediately allocated at headquarters. A short time later, the customer will be given an approximate delivery date. From this point on, till the happy day of delivery, the customer will continue to receive updates and contact from Nissan about the progress of his or her 350Z.

The Nissan 350Z was designed to appeal to car enthusiasts the world over but there have been developments specifically to tune it for Europe's demanding roads and drivers.

The radiator is larger because European average speeds are higher and journey times are longer. Powerful Brembo brakes are standard on all 350Zs sold in Europe, as are xenon headlights with a wash function.

Because Nissan expects owners will be spending a lot of time in the 350Z, there is electronic climate control, an integrated, hands-free mobile phone system and a trip computer.