Nissan first showed us the 2010 370Z 40th Anniversary edition back in October, and a few months later, we learned it would cost $38,860. Today, as the car hits the floor at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, we get a gallery of high-res official photos fresh from Nissan.

The photos don't show any new features, but they show them in the much more informative light of a desert racetrack, as opposed to the darkened studio shots previously released. Perhaps the most intriguing photo is the one comparing the newest Z to the original, which started production in 1969 and was released in the U.S. as the Datsun 240Z in 1970.

That first 240Z featured a 150-horsepower 2.4-liter L24 straight-six engine paired with a five-speed manual or optional (and rare) three-speed auto, front disc brakes and rear drums, a MacPherson/Chapman strut suspension combo, and a price/performance ratio that blew the Europeans out of the water. Today, the 2010 Nissan 370Z features a screaming 332-horsepower 3.7-liter V-6 engine, a six-speed manual with SynchroRev Match (and optional seven-speed automatic), advanced multilink suspension at all four corners, and a price/performance ratio that's not quite as revolutionary as the original.

Check out our previous coverage for full details on the 40th Anniversary 370Z, the 2010 Nismo 370Z and the standard 2010 Nissan 370Z.

[Nissan]