Zutopia (Euro Z meet)

[Sean Dezart]

Salut everyone, especially but not exclusively, those in Europe.

Fred Caen and I want to see a Europe wide Z event, similar to those that the States puts on, a leap on from the UKs Billing event, the JAE which started life back in '92 at Goodwood as the Z Club UKs track day.

We're not proposing a track day or an invite for other Jap car clubs - just Zeds.

So far the idea is at the stage of one year in the UK and the next in a continental country but always attracing a Europe (world) wide participation.

Idealy a long weekend with enough to amuse the men, the womens, the kids and perhaps the cars also!

What do you all think, what are your ideas?

Sean Dézart

[Z-point]

Dear mister Sean,

How very nice to meat to you. I’ve heard a so much good things about you!!ROFLLOL

As a fellow European I like to strongly advice you to include a track day because lots of people like to ‘race’ with there Z’s.

Ok now for real. How are you doing? Every thing alright deep down in France?

I fully support your idea, now I’ve my car ready. I also made a notice in our magazine of September about the dates of your meeting in France and Billing..

I’ll talk to later. I’m working on my lights:stupid:

[HS30-H]

Hi Sean,

Fred just prompted me to reply to this question in another thread by asking if I would attend such an event, so here goes.

First of all, one of the main reasons that I am a fan of this site ( the "Classic Z Car Club" as it is now called ) is that it specifically caters for the S30 series Z car in all its variants. The bias is certainly toward the HLS30 USA / North American market version, but that's natural considering where the site was set up and is run from. For me its perhaps one of the best sites out there dedicated to the early Z cars, and I particularly enjoy seeing the input of the Australian, New Zealand, France, Belgium, Germany, Canada and other non-USA based participants. I like they way they balance things up a bit and remind everybody that the internet / web is a global arena, as well as the fact that the S30-series Z cars were sold in other markets than the USA...............

Whenever I have been to any Z-related car meetings in the UK, they have usually been a mixture of a few S30-series cars dotted around between hordes of S130, Z31 and lately Z32 series cars. I really do not feel that I want to see this; I feel that the S30-series cars have little in common with the S130-series, let alone the Z31 and Z32. This is why I am not a member of the "Z Club of GB" / "Z Club" or whatever it is called: I think a club with this broad a church is just plain silly.

I don't mind parking up in a field with such a mixture, but I think its far from ideal. I would prefer it if there were some sectioning-off or delineation between models, but I have noticed that this seems to create friction and accusations of "snobbery" are sometimes heard.

The JAE ( "Japanese Auto Extravaganza" ) event here in the UK has certainly grown into a real Frankenstein. Again, a broad church ( any Japanese-made car?!? ) has spread the theme too thinly, and confusion reigns. This year the event was overpopulated by what some of our American friends would call "Ricers" - revving their stationary cars so that the wastegates popped open ( whatever that proves? ) and sporting audio systems in some cases more powerful than their engines. Not a place that I wanted to be.........

Not that I don't appreciate a good, well-tuned and tasteful modern car. When I was living in Japan I participated in alfresco events and ( naughty naughty ) streetracing / posing, as well as officially sanctioned events.

Here's the rub; I want to see and be seen with the "cool" cars and cool people. I want to talk with Z owners who know what they are talking about, and trade parts / stories with like-minded souls who know where I am coming from. Actually, not only Z owners; at the JAE this year I felt I had more in common with the guy who came in the mustard coloured 510 with black eight-spokes. You are also likely to see me and my car parked up in the paddock at a VSCC or HSCC race meeting, or taking part at an Austin Healey Club track day - so I'm not bothered about things being Z or Japanese-related.

So if anyone organises an event called "Zutopia" in Europe, I would be concerned that it would cater for too broad a church and the early cars would be swamped by S130 or later models. I would prefer something with a stricter door policy.

The old motto of the Brooklands race circuit from the 1920's comes to mind; "The Right Crowd, and No Crowding"..........

Regards,

Alan T.

[Sean Dezart]

Hi Guus and Alan

Thanks for your input - Guus, where were you in April for the karting and when you want to ask Nissan to hire a circuit here to perhaps promote Nissan via the new 350Z, I'll race you but you'd better paint a smile on your face! Alan, we'll make sure there is plenty of sand!!!

Seriously, we are making enquiries for Ledenon circuit where I think it costs 50 euros for unlimited track time in one day.

I think we are going to start something up (in 2004) with a run in France finsihing at Le Mans and the 24 hour race in June.

There are less people on the roads,the season hasn't fully started and the weather seems more stable than in July/August.

Next September (2003) we hope to host a weekend in the Toulouse area.

Alan I hear you, but how can I forbid Zs other than the HS30series especially here where there weren't many imported and I believe only then from about 1972/3 onwards?

In order for any club to grow and stimulate interest, it must cater for the entire range before (perhaps) splitting into different registers!

For me also the JAE wasn't my scene, I prefer a cool weekend when I can sleep at night! They were too many, over-excited, over-paid kids with little taste and no hearing!

I can assure you that the weekends that we put on here are much less formal -a gentlemans outing - put us to the test!

Sean

[HS30-H]

Hi Sean,

I don't mean JUST the "HS30" series - I mean ALL variants of S30 series Z. I'd still like to see ALL the variants of the S30 series in one area at one time somewhere in Europe. I got pretty close to seeing it last year at the NISMO Festival in Japan, but no cigar.

Any S130 series should be segregated, and so should any Z31 and Z32 series. I think that if the different types are at least parked up in different areas ( and not mixed up ) it would help a great deal. I don't think anyone benefits from them being mix-parked, and it just confuses the look of the event and comparisons between version are much better drawn this way than by having mixed series parking. I've got nothing against the other series models, but I don't see how anyone can think that they are all the same car because they are all "Z" cars.

I think that you will find that the Z31 and Z32 owners will have a lot of trouble relating to the S30 series owners, and the S130 series owners will be confused anyway!................

Maybe the odd Z33 might turn up and it might be funny to see if the owner recognises some of the other series cars..............

As for me - just give me a gravel trap to spin into and I should be happy for the rest of the day digging all the stones out of the car.

I would not fancy taking on the job of organising something like the dream show you are describing. I think it would be very difficult to please everybody and the temptation would be for it to grow like Topsy. I'd rather go to a smaller "Hard Core" event / meeting than something that tries to be all things to everybody.

All the best,

Alan T.

[Sean Dezart]

Alan,

Don't you sleep? I need mine to dream of zeds and recuperate at the same time.

I'm going to think about this a while - organising it doesn't frighten me - I started it all off with Peter Traffords' help in '92 at Goodwood - where you there - I seem to remember one or two like yours?

Yeah, I'm damned proud - I even have a video of it knocking around somewhere!

You know, usually at shows, as you wrote, the cars park as they arrive or by club and not by series - I saw it done once in Switzerland in '91 and it looks great - why not?

I 'll need some help to put on one over here but the aim is that each country hosts one each year.

GUUS - WHEN IS HOLLAND PUTTING ON ANOTHER - 2005?

But I don't want it to be just cars and just parked up. Let's get out there and drive and see things, visits etc.

Sean

[Z-point]

Sean,

I assume it will be 2005. As always we have every 5 year a big meeting. So I can’t imagine why we will not do it this time.

But it will be hard to hire the Zandvoort circuit. Last time it costs about 16000 Dutch gilders (8000 euro), of course Nissan helped a lot but probably we have a look at the TT circuit Assen. Less expensive