Greetings from The Windy City ~ Chicago Metro Area

[HowardzzEnd]

As an Industrial Designer by profession my love affair goes all the way back to 1971 when the ubiquitous Z Car appeared on the market for the second year with very nice improvements. Zowie! I raced to the show room to make my purchase only to learn that there was an 80 person waiting list and they were only getting in 4 to 6 cars a month. Do the math! Right! 2 ½ Years, June 1972. Being the eternal optimist, I said, "Hey man, I really, really want a Z, so put me on the list."

Hard to believe, but absolutely true. I got a call the very next day from the sales guy. He said, "Do you want to buy a Z and do you have the cash? All $2,495.00. And do you care what color it is? I said Yes! and any color is fine! He said the car is yellow and the top three people on the list said they wanted to wait for a different color. I said, I'll be there in 10 minutes. That’s how I bought my first Z Car. Honest Truth!

My recent Bride, at the time who gave up her fully restored Austin Healy to get married, did most of the Z driving, hauling our two little kids around, shopping, etc. We had it 6 and a half years until a jerk made a U-turn in front of her on a highway and she did a four wheel drift and broad sided his olds 98! All 3 survived her nifty driving skills! With only a few bruises. We fixed it up and she rear-ended a Cadillac two years later. The woman had a dream that she would get hit by a train and slammed on her breaks at an unused railroad track crossing in the snow. So ends the life of my first Z that I sold for $1,000 for the useable engine, interior and rear end parts.

I bought my second 1970 240Z Car in 1989 for my 17 year old daughter to drive to high school as a Senior. The HS boys went nuts! My savvy daughter said you can ride in the Z, but I do the driving! She's now 34 and has her own glass blowing studio in Lincoln City, Oregon. I still have the Z and enjoy a fun weekend drive when the Chicago weather is good. That's why it only has 89K miles on it. So that's my 34-year love story . . . from HowardzzEnd.

[Virto]

Too bad the weather is currently nuclear hot.

Nice to have another Chicago-near-close to-type person.

Welcome!

[Marty Rogan]

Welcome aboard! You will find plenty of info here to support your Z addiction. You should join the WCZC: http://www.windycityzclub.com/default.asp

There are quite of few other Z nuts in the Chicago Area.

Marty

[=Enigma=]

Welcome aboard. Are you still looking to sell your Z or have you had a change of heart?

[HowardzzEnd]

Welcome aboard. Are you still looking to sell your Z or have you had a change of heart?

Hi Adam,

Thanks for the Welcome. After some deep soul searching late Sunday, actually early, early Monday I decided to put the 70 240Z on the blocks. I have been sitting on it hoping to find the time for a full restoration, paint job and more. I found a place that uses plastic chips to take the original paint job down to the bare metal without removing any metal whatsoever. I had originally planned to repaint my yellow 71 Zcar metallic silver with a bronze tint and had the P.O. set up ready to go when my wife Lynne pan caked the entire left side of the Z. That changed everything! I bought her a safer used 4door Chevy Caprice, which she hated, until the 71 was repaired but the insurance didn't cover an entire paint job, so you just don't redo a deflowered Zcar and throw money into a nonvirgin vehicle, so the dream went South on that scenario.

Anyway my Industrial Design consulting business is taking all my time, including weekends, mostly because I love designing new products for inventors, start-ups, venture capital groups and corporations. Were going bonkers and I just keep postponing the Z involvement and don't want to delegate the process by just throwing money at it. We have our own model shop, paint booth, auto workspace inside our 3,000-foot shop. But I know once I start it will sit half finished for the next 2 or 3 years or more. I'd rather see someone pick up the ball and turn this puppy into a real show dog or snappy street machine. It really is a virgin, with all original everything and a rock-solid body. So I put it up for sale Monday as "Virginal 1970 240Z" take a look at the Classic Zcars ads. I already have two inquiries that have not said for sure they want to buy, as of today. If you want to buy my baby let me know. Talk to you later,

Best regards,

John

John@Designkda.com ~ use this e-mail to reply as a cc.

[=Enigma=]

I'm not in the market but I'm sure someone out there would love to take it off your hands.

[Troutman]

As an Industrial Designer by profession .

John,

im an industrial designer as well. ive been with Buell Motorcycles in East Troy WI for almost 4 years now, fresh out of U of Cincinnati in 2002. Do you have your own consulting firm?

-Todd