I think you forgot the hatch springs are too weak, some people have throttle lag, other people have oil consumption resulting in new engines (!).
A couple of laps around the track as they come off the assembly line would have caught some of these, but doubled the price
I think the 370Z is at a wonderful price/technology/power point, with perhaps not iconic but very good looks, but I don't think it is a benchmark car in most respects, which is why it is a bit of old news. I think it has always been more of a price/performance leader than a pure leader in any one area (though I really think the VQ technology is amazing - I don't think there is another sports car that uses VVEL like technology, though others have similar mass market applications).
The NSX is still brought up today in comparisons - that's a benchmark
The GTR is similar for Nissan.