Z Restoration Progam

[26th-Z]

Thanks DatsunZGuy! The article actually conveys some nice information for me. For instance, reference has been made to the first few cars completed dedicated as "press" cars - examples to be reviewed and test driven by the automotive press for publicity purposes. This article discusses a "gray" colored car (probably silver) and some of the other press photos I have depict a 920 gold car. Interesting.

So I go back to mperdue's paint color site http://datsunprojects.org/zpaintcodes/ to confirm the color number and look what I find! Check out he Vintage Z sticker in the quarter window. This was taken in Richardson, Texas according to Mike. Thanks Mike.

The article was completed later in the program (November 1997) and indicates a number of cars dedicated to the program at 150. This number may have been the number of cars Nissan actually bought. Interesting. The article is not the most complimentary description and it is a good example of the different thoughts we are going to see about the program. There were and are today many different conversations about the cars and the program.

Many thanks for your contribution.

[Carl Beck]

Chris wrote:

>...snipped....... "This number may have been the number of cars

Nissan actually bought."

Hi Chris (everyone):

Having been in direct communications with with the buyer for the Vintage Z Program, while he was buying... I can tell you with certainty that he was finding it all but impossible to buy more than around 45 cars, for the $3,500.00 budgeted. I did send him leads as they came in and I did try to get him to buy HLS30 000240 for the "charity" car ... Nissan didn't want to spend the $8,500.00 that the owner wanted for that car.

I'd guess that the number of 150 was based on indicated demand. The initial price that Nissan put on the cars was around $23,995.00. At that price point there was a pretty quick and strong interest from buyers.

FWIW

Carl

[JLPurcell]

I just recieved an email from Les Cannaday (Classic Datsun). He has been following this thread. He said Carl has been sharing some really good information. He said he would be posting some information soon. JLP

[26th-Z]

A brief update before I post some more this weekend...

The research is going well and several contributors have sent me great stuff. Thanks to MikeW, 240 in OZ, and HS30-H. The working bibliography has now grown to twelve Nissan documents and twenty-six independent magazine and newsletter articles including three from Japan and one from Australia. There are notes from several telephone conversations as well. Quite a bit of information to sort through!

Stay tuned. I'll be writing more shortly.

[26th-Z]

Have you caught the latest buzzword from the collector car / auction crowd? “resto-mod”. Flip over to Jerry Purcell’s thread; “Your Thoughts Wanted; Preservation / Restoration”. “Resto-mod” is a term that can be applied here as well. One of the reasons I took on this subject has something to do with a statement I made earlier in this thread having to do with Vintage Zs being a benchmark restoration. I’m sticking to that statement and find the “resto-mod” expression an interesting word in the context of Vintage Zs.

But lets talk about the Vintage Z Launch Rally held at Nissan USA corporate headquarters in Carson, California, May 3, 1997. The Vintage Z Quality Control Launch Rally was the introduction party and publicity “kickoff” for the Z Restoration Program and introduced the Z-Store and the Vintage Zs. It was a picnic, an exhibition, a car show and a rally / parade through the streets of Los Angeles.

Nissan had decided to approach their future with the past. The 300Zx had been discontinued in 1996 and Nissan was without a sports car flagship that they were so famous for. The Z car had come from an affordable sports car that delivered incredible performance to an expensive luxurious super car. It had transcended its original market niche and with buyer focus shifting to minivans and SUVs, the Z lost popular buying potential through both price and market niche. Yet there was a ground swell of Z enthusiast support and outcry of despair for the loss of the most popular and fastest selling sports car of all time. Nissan marketing reacted and saw an opportunity; “With the End of an Era Comes the Birth of a Legend”. The legendary 240Z was to return.

The Z Store program was announced on November 20, 1996; “…an innovative marketing program…to demonstrate our heritage and prove our commitment to the consumer by offering reconditioned Z-cars – a model line that is legendary in the automotive world”. “We are really excited about this program because it allows us to offer consumers what they are requesting in an imaginative new way”. “With Z-car production for the United States recently drawing to a close, Nissan is answering the call from enthusiasts and Z-car aficionados. We are proud of our roots and are demonstrating this through our Z Store program.” “Throughout the lifetime of the Z car, we witnessed a strong commitment to the car from enthusiasts and ‘Z-Zealots’ because of its illustrious style and performance. We are proud that we can continue this commitment”.*

Initially the event was anticipated for an earlier date (late 1996 or early 1997), but delays in completing Vintage Zs and orchestrating the event with local Z clubs pushed the activities to May. As the planning progressed the event schedule grew larger, causing further difficulties and coordination. One magazine article sites the large turnout at the Motorsport Auto event a few weeks earlier as influencing plans to be expanded. Finally, in early spring, the commitment was made and invitations were sent out. “This is your invitation to be part of automotive history and witness the rebirth of the Z”. A full day of activities was planned. Beginning with registration at 8:30 in the morning, the entertainment lasted until 6:00 in the afternoon. The registration form was comprehensive, tracking ownership, club participation, and model type. And Nissan had arranged for a grand party encompassing approximately three acres of car show and festivities! The event included a road rally / poker run, Vintage Z displays, a “Best Original” and “Best of Show car contest, merchandise displays, and food, beverages, and entertainment. The final Nissan 300Zx was on display as were several vintage Datsuns contributed by Nissan, Nissan employees, and Les Cannaday. Inside the corporate headquarters lobby, a number of “Dream Garage” vehicles were on display. A band played period ‘70s cover songs throughout the afternoon. It was a lovely sunny day and a slight breeze blew in from the West. The picnic area was set with a number of umbrella tables and colorful red and yellow balloons fluttered in the breeze. A little after 1:00, the awards presentations began.

Although there were minor changes to the agenda when it was announced that Yutaka Katayama would attend, the schedule began with a car show and judging early in the morning. Bill Halsey of Z Owners Northern California took top honors for “Most Original 240Z”. The Rally / Poker Run lasted approximately two hours with over 150 cars in participation followed by an awards presentation, announcements and comments. The completed Vintage Zs were formally presented to the representing Z-Store dealers. The Z-Store program was discussed indicating that certified 1990 – 1996 300ZX cars were already on sale as phase 1 of the program. Phase 2 was the introduction of the Vintage Zs and they were offered for just under $25,000 that day. During the presentations hosted by Tom Orbe, Vice President of Nissan Marketing (NMC USA), Mr. K was introduced and given a gift of a photo album reflecting on his years with Nissan USA. Mr. K gave a short speech and discussed his feelings about his test drive in the Vintage Z; “smooth acceleration and comfortable ride”. He described the cars as “refurbished” and used a “VZ” abbreviation from his notes during his speech. Introductions of key people in the program were made including Pierre Perot. Dale Ishimoto, the “Hollywood Mr. K” was also introduced complete with the dog from the Dream Garage commercial.

The first few Vintage Zs were just complete by the time of the Rally. The delay situation is reflected in the invitation with an explanation that the Quality Control Launch Rally was actually a component of the Nissan program of quality control. Announcing that Vintage Zs would be sold with a 12,000 mile / 12 month bumper-to-bumper warranty, the Rally was presented as the final step in the extensive inspection and quality process; an extended road test. Notable racing legends including John Morton and members of the automotive press were invited to participate and test drive the cars. To my best understanding, five Vintage Zs were available at the Rally. Two were automatics. Two were the typically seen silver cars. As the restoration process was in full progress, an extensive display was prepared including a chassis on a rotisserie and a chassis covered in protective foam padding exclusively made for the program. Engines were on display stands and component parts were on display.

The program was a large success for Nissan USA Marketing. Within 24 days, Nissan marketing estimated an audience reach of over 84,000,000 people as a result of the publicity the Rally generated. Nissan figures estimate over 59 “news coverage” references including approximately 25 television news broadcasts and 6 major automotive publications. The Z Restoration Program was a major automotive news as well as corporate news topic for the moment. And if I may conclude with my own speculation….this is where I think the F word began!!!

[gnosez]

As an off-shoot for those wondering how a Nissan restored 240Z would fair in a judged car show where ZCCA rules apply, an inquiry has gone out to the individuals responsible for determining the rules for ZCCA's "stock" class to see what they say about "resto-mod" or whatever you want to call these 240s. I imagine it will take a few weeks to get a ruling from this group of people but I will post it as soon as I hear.

In advance of this request for information, let me pre-guess the answer. I believe the reply will be that a car owner can place their car in any class as long as they realize that points will be deducted as per the ZCCA rules. As an example, a 240Z with more than 10 modifications would score very low against a similar car with fewer mods in stock class. The modded car would be better off in the "street mod" class.

If you haven't been part of a ZCCA judged car show, a few points would help to understand the classes. There's daily driver (no engine bay inspection), stock, street mod, Nissan mod, and Ultra. Awards are given for each model (240, 260, 280, etc.) and classes progress as the mods increase. A mod is something a judge can see (wheels, seats, radio, etc.) as opposed to say forged pistons, a ported head, or different gears in the diff. There are 300 total points available which is broken down into three catagories- engine bay, interior and exterior (100 points each). More info can be found at www.zcca.org . The farther you go away from stock class, the more appearance (vs OEM correctness and appearance) plays a role in the judging since a mod is the product of the owner's imagination and budget. For the judge it's a matter of how well the mod was installed and the lack of dirt, dings, scratches, etc.

Stock class is the hardest to get a high score mostly IMHO due to the number of mods POs might have made to their cars or in the use of incorrect replacement parts (ie., plastic where metal was used, etc.), dealer options that are not considered "stock", the wrong paint, or the removal of stock items (smog equipment).

While of importance to those whos' interest is strictly stock Zs, it goes towards what the ZCCA defines as a bench-mark example of what really is a stock 240Z. I for one doubt that the resto-mods would do as well in a ZCCA judged event as some might think.

[Carl Beck]

gnosez wrote:

>As an off-shoot for those wondering how a Nissan restored 240Z would

>fair in a judged car show where ZCCA rules apply, an inquiry has gone

>out to the individuals responsible for determining the rules for ZCCA's

>"stock" class to see what they say about "resto-mod" or whatever you

>want to call these 240s. I imagine it will take a few weeks to get a ruling

>from this group of people but I will post it as soon as I hear.

Hi Gnosez /everyone:

A "Stock" 240-Z, A Modified 240-Z and a Vintage Z are three entirely different categories. I seriously doubt anyone that knew anything about the Marque would put any of them in the same category for a seriously Judged Competition.

Secondly, the ZCCA depends to a large extent on the financial sponsorship of Nissan Motors. They would not be foolish enough to put Vintage Z's in the common classes of "Stock" nor "Modified" cars. The Vintage Z Program Cars are an Automotive Historic Milestone themselves and therefore will always be of more interest to the public and the serious collectors.

Five years from now, there will most likely be 1000 Very High Quality Modified 240-Z's around, a 100 Pure Stock 240-Z's and 1 Vintage Z. Maybe the numbers are 4000, 400 and 40... Whatever the absolute number.. the ratio's well be about that..

Enthusiasts are always drawn to examples of the Marque that offer something more interesting in terms of their history. Cars owned by famous people, famous competition cars, factory specials etc. are simply "SHOWN"... they usually don't even compete in the normal Show Car Categories.

FWIW,

Carl

Carl Beck

Clearwater,FL USA

http://ZHome.com

[TomoHawk]

We "discussed" the differences in stock, original (vintage), etc. cars in another topic. I'm not sure where mine would be. I think we all got 'discuss-ted.'

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11413

[TomoHawk]

If these cars are being sold as "new" with a warranty, etc., then they are STOCK as-is. There can be no other conclusion. Just because it's a"1972" doesn't mean it's not "new." Otherwise, either the owners are paying to much for a "used car," or the rebuilders are getting overpaid.

Lots of streetrod builders register their cars as a new "1932 ford" thought it was built in 2004.

[Zedrally]

This will be the eternal discussion point revolving around the definition of stock.

Isn't stock just the basic car/whatever without any additions as it comes off the assembly line?

Any factory/dealer options added after that point would be original accessories?

[TomoHawk]

I like the definition from the ACCA:

STOCK CLASS:

Vehicles exhibited must be configured exactly as shipped

from factory (NOT DEALER). Cars with Dealer add-ons

such, as wheels, other than stock tires, side moldings,

etc. can enter this class with deductions for same.

Radios, paint color, tires, etc. must be as shipped. A/C

must be factory installed except 240Z which may have

same A/C as installed by dealer, i.e. ARA or Frigid

King, with basic York compressor. Daily Drivers can

enter this class if desired.

The reason is that of documentation. You can look up what was on the car from the build sheet (which has the add-ons) or the manufacturer's brochure.

That way you won't have to depend on memory.

The new preoblem we have now is that since these 240Zs are being reduilt/refurbished/whatever, we (or they) need to decide if the condition at sale is F-stock, rebuilt-stock, or whatever. I haven't heard of any non-stock extras being added to the cars buring rebuild, but the the possibility is there.

thx

[gnosez]

I may be wrong but didn't I read in this, now 6 page thread, that buyers could request paint colors not available for the original 240s or have 5-spds installed? Point deductions, but finding a 5-spd with a 4-spd shift knob would require a change in the no-touch rule so that this tranny swaps could be found out.

As to dealer options they are not considered to be stock items as per the ZCCA. For those showing in a ZCCA sponsored event, then those rules would apply. As to whether anyone would put these restored,"F" 240s in stock class against other orginial 240s, that I think might be moot, as I recall hearing about a Nissan restored 240 entered in a ZCCA judged event. I will contact the head of ZCCA stock judges committee and see if this has in fact occured.

That being said, a very good point can be raised as to just who defines what "stock" is. An owner of a significant 240 will want the ultimate value of the car determined by the organization with the most standing. The ZCCA is not there yet, therefor it would default to the another group. Thanks Carl for pushing me to think about these and other Zs being judged in other than ZCCA events.