May/June - Z Club of Texas
Transcription
May/June - Z Club of Texas
5E I-3 EM MO NS May / June 2012 N SH L BELT MAR ST I-35 635-LBJ FRWY LINE RD LL W AY TO AS Visit our website at MAY / JUNE 2012 LL DA zcluboftexas.org for details Muenster Center Cafe P.O. Box 2766, Grapevine, TX 76099-2766 Texas Tour Wo r kb en ch President’s Column by Jonathan Maddox Greetings! May 2012 Customers have very recently (within the last couple of weeks) begun to take the first deliveries of a brand new sports car platform that, if successful, could begin a new wave of more-affordable sports cars. The new platform doesn’t have huge power, but it does appear to have huge fun potential, and seems to be about as basic/simple as possible for something brand-new in 2012. I’m referring to the all-new “Toyobaru” triplets: the Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ, and Japanese-market Toyota FT86. These cars combine small size, rear wheel drive, 2 doors, and 2 liters of boxer engine to form affordable lightweight track tools with an ultra-low center of mass. 1980sThey are essentially a Mazda Miata alternative, which is not a bad thing to be considering the humble Miata is the best-selling sports car ever, worldwide. Every review I’ve read says these new cars really do deliver on everything Toyota/Subaru said they would be. They won’t be overwhelming anyone with power output, but like the Miata they are very well-sorted and fun to drive with easily-approached limits, and will reward driver skill while helping to develop it. You’re probably wondering, why am I talking so much about a non-Nissan product? The simple fact is, developing this new platform is a huge gamble by Toyota and Subaru. If successful, the other manufacturers will most definitely take notice. There isn’t much going on in the small, affordable, RWD market currently: Nissan doesn’t currently build a sporty car below the $30K+ 370Z, GM killed the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky years ago, Chrysler’s Challenger is more cruiser than sports car, Honda killed its last sports car a couple of years ago (the S2000), and it always seems 50/50 whether Mitsubishi will continue to survive in the US market, and they haven’t made a RWD performance platform in ages (the 3000GT/Stealth). The only real players in the “cheap RWD sports car” market are the V6 Chevy Camaro, V6 Ford Mustang (a vastly more respectable performance car than it used to be), and Mazda with the Miata (the RX-8 is no more). Competition between manufacturers ultimately benefits the consumer, and if the new FR-S and BRZ do well, we might very well see some vehicles in this niche from other manufacturers, including Nissan. Might the FR-S/BRZ lead to a modern version of the well-liked Nissan 240SX? Time will tell. Jonathan Maddox President – Z Club of Texas BELT LINE RD zcluboftexas.org AS TO Visit our website at LL W AY EM ST I-35 MAR SH L N MO NS LL E 35 DA I- for details 635-LBJ FRWY 2 PRESIDENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . VICE PRESIDENT. . . . . . . . SECRETARY. . . . . . . . . . . . TREASURER. . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan Maddox. . . . . H Mike Blanco. . . . . . . . . . H Lance Reedy. . . . . . . . . H Kay Newton. . . . . . . . . . H * * * * * * * * * * * Z-EXTRA * * * * * * * * * * * 972.971.8657 214.924.1658 214.934.0408 817.421.0139 * * * * * * * * * * COMMITTEES * * * * * * * * * * EDITOR . . . . Mike Taylor . . . H 817.329.1641 [ [email protected] ] Advertising Matthew Young H 817.993.9770 Appraisals Steve Ham H 214.674.3368 Feature Editors: Member Profiles. . Edward Cheung Texas Tours. . . . . . Katy Taylor, Kay Newton Front Covers . . . . . Dave Olson Production Staff. . Lois Liconte, Kay Newton . . . . . . . and Dave Olson ****************************************** Z-EXTRA Online [via the World Wide Web] http://www.zcluboftexas.org Webmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lois Liconte [email protected] ****************************************** If you wish to write an article, express an opinion, etc., please send to: Archives/Files Bob Bosse H 972.317.7363 Boutique Nancy Quan H 972.772.3359 Car Shows Warren Kline H 972.429.6332 Car Shows ‘Wild’ Bill Hayden H 972.394.8829 Comm. Svc. Katy Taylor Xmas Party Pam & Steve Ruzic H 972.530.0307 Guest Spkers Matthew Young Membership Z EXTRA PO Box 2766 Grapevine, Texas 76099-2766 Deadline: FOURTH FRIDAY of each month H 817.329.1641 H 817.993.9770 ‘Mad’ Mike Taylor H 817.329.1641 Memb. ProfilesEdward Cheung H 972.442.7599 Motorsports H 972.966.0125 Renee Hayden Tech Sessions Edward Cheung H 972.442.7599 Texas Tours Katy Taylor H 817.329.1641 Texas Tours Kay Newton H 817.421.0139 Webmaster Lois Liconte H 972.517.4580 ZCCA DelegateJonathan Maddox H 972.971.8657 BIRTHDAYS & NEW MEMBERS MAY / JUNE GREG BAISLEY ED BENSON SUE BRUNNER ANDREW CALVERT MATT FENTON MARY FOSTER ROLAND GASMENA NECHELLE HARRIS BILL HAYDEN MARY HORN AMY JOHNSON JEFFREY A. KUNKLE AUSTIN LAMPE, JR. JAE LEE JONITA LEVERTON JONATHON MADDOX CORY MARTIN MOREY MAST MELISSA MONK WILLIE NEVILLES VICKY ORTOLANI RICHARD PECK MIKE ‘CHINA CLIPPER’ QUAN JAMES QUIROGA JOEL ROPER DAMON SERKLAND DON SMOTHERS LISA STONG DOUG TALLER JOHN TRAUTSCHOLD BEVERLY TRAUTSCHOLD MARK TURNBULL CARY WIGINGTON SHERYL WILSON MATT YOUNG 11 New Members - May-June JOHN SKINNER DENTON YU CAO DALLAS Welcome Back: TURK AKTURK CARROLLTON Meeting Minutes by Lance Reedy The April 19th meeting of the Z Club of Texas began at 7:32 at the New New Chinese Buffet in Addison Texas. President Jonathan Maddox introduced the other officers: Vice President Mike Blanco, Treasurer Kay Newton, and Secretary Lance Reedy. Treasurers Report (Kay Newton) All Club bills are paid. P.O. Box 2766 Grapevine, TX 76099-2766 Boutique (Nancy Quan) The Club Boutique was open for business. Car Shows (Bill Hayden, Warren Kline, Jonathan Maddox) Nismo Fiesta was a hit, fun was had by all attendees. Branson Z Fest is still planned for the end of May, a group of Club members will be heading up, stay tuned for details. The North Texas Mustang Club has invited the ZCoT to join them at one of their monthly car shows, Bill Hayden is coordinating the details. Community Service (Katy Taylor) The next Center of Hope is planned for May 6th. TX Tours (Katy Taylor) The 3/31 trip to Clark’s BBQ and the Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch was good, Clark’s didn’t disappoint. A weekend trip to Fredericksburg is being planned for April 21-22. Please note the weekend part of this Tour. Preferred Hotel details will be posted in the forums soon. Motorsports: (Renee Hayden) The Driver’s Edge event at Motorsports Ranch in Cresson on May 19 & 20 is filling up rapidly, register soon if you wish to attend! There is also a Driver’s Edge event planned at Texas World Speedway in College Station on October 13 & 14 that a number of Club members will be attending. Close attention is being paid to the new Forumula 1 track being built in Austin. Warren Kline gave some details about the TX2K12 event in Houston, both drag racing and a road course were well enjoyed. ZCCA Update & Local Dealerships (Mike Taylor) Registration is open for ZCon in Phoenix, Self Family Associate (non-Z car owner) $36.00 $41.00 $25.00 Track Events the hotel is almost full so register now! 2013 will be in New Hampshire in Fall, and 2014 will be in San Diego. New Item: Z Club Car of the Month (Matt Young) Matt will be running a monthly event in the Club forums where the Club members can enter their car’s photo and vote on the entries. Details are in the Forums, the winning entry will be highlighted on the forums and/ or the Club website. 50/50: (Mike Quan): $136 was collected, $68 were donated to the Club treasury, and Able Rovira won the remainder. Meeting adjourned at 8:25 10 3 S po n so r s Underlined SPONSORS are paid ADVERTISERS Key Dates Center of Hope Cooking JUNE (cont’d) 17 Father’s Day Monthly Meeting Z-EXTRA Articles Due Texas Tour - Muenster 21 21-22 22 JUNE 1-3 Branson Z Fest JULY 4 9 Tech Session 19 MAY 6 17 25 26 Monthly Meeting Fredericksburg Z-EXTRA Articles Due Independence Day Monthly Meeting http://www.zcluboftexas.org Shift ....... Nancy Quan [email protected] [H] 972-772-3359 Parts Service Other Wholesale Price to Members All ‘Z’ Car Specialist 817-483-0383 5101 Mosson Rd, Ft Worth - Jerry DiBenedetto Special consideration to Members BANKSTON NISSAN - IRVING 1500 Airport Freeway, Irving 972-438-4848 20% off Parts 10% off Service Bankston Nissan - Lewisville 1601 South Stemmons, Lewisville 972-353-0270 20% off Parts 10% off Service BLACK DRAGON AUTOMOTIVE 1-888-789-3746 Special consideration to Members [formerly Victoria British, Ltd.] Visit our website or forum for any changes in schedules Z BOUTIQUE Discounts Offered to Club Members in GOOD STANDING: ALL IMPORT AUTO PARTS 214-349-3300 1277 East NW Hwy. – 3068 Forest Ln 972-481-7757 Jim Cook Racing 1-800-JCR-1440 5450 Katella Ave #107 Los Alamitos, CA 10% off Parts Jotech Motorsports Inc 3513 Dividend Drive, Garland, TX Special consideration to Members 972-494-2100 COURTESY NISSAN 972-644-3942 1777 North Central Expwy, Richardson, TX 20% off Parts Grubbs Nissan - Buckley Shegitz Parts Mgr 817-282-3698 Airport Freeway @Norwood, Bedford 25% Parts Steve Millen Sportscars - Adam Hume 1-800-576-2134 x138 Special consideration to Members 3176 Airway Ave., Costa Mesa CA 92626 (Please call BEFORE 9 pm) New Shirts! All 100% Cotton Motorsport Industries Inc. 714-639-2620 1139 W. Collins Ave, Orange CA 92667 800-633-6331 For Men Ash Polos w/Embroidered Logo: S,M,L,XL: $20; 2XL,3XL: $25 Deep Royal Blue Long-sleeved Tees: S,M,L,XL: $15; 2XL,3XL: $18 For Women Ash Polos w/Embroidered Logo: S,M,L,XL: $20; 2XL,3XL: $25 Royal Blue Long-sleeved Tees: S,M,L,XL: $12; 2XL: $15 For YOUTH Royal Blue Long-sleeved Tees: S,M,L,XL: $15 Also Available Neifach & Associates - CPA’s 4800 Preston Pk, STE 8303, Plano 972-867-4749 Special consideration to Members Nissan of McKinney 3800 S Central, McKinney, TX 75069 214-491-6565 25% off Parts North Texas Nissan I35E at Shady Shores Exit 817-267-6411 10% off Parts 10% off Service PALCO Industries [Full Dash Covers] 5980 Alpha Avenue, Reno NV 89506 800-349-3274 Call for list of distributors RISING SUN PERFORMANCE 817-731-6092 7600 Benbrook Pkwy, Suite #2, Benbrook, TX 76126 Special consideration to Members SMITH INSURANCE 972-424-5541 520 Central Expressway, Suite 102, Plano Special consideration to Members INNOVATOR Z PARTS Special consideration to Members 1-586-293-8623 TOP SPEED AUTO ACCESSORIES, INC. 972-233-0888 4109 Billy Mitchell Drive, Addison, TX 75001 • “Classic” Logo Tees: $12 • 240Z Restoration Guide: $10 • New Patches, 2 styles: $3 • Lapel Pins: $2 • Logo Pens: $3 “Z” Jewelry: email for prices 10% [Selected Parts] PLEASE USE 800 # FOR ORDERS ONLY Special consideration to Members www.topspeedauto.com THIS SPACE IS AVAILABLE FOR ADVERTISING The Z Club is always looking for good, reputable Sponsors and Advertisers. If you know of any firms that qualify, please contact ‘Mad’ Mike Taylor 4 9 02.09.2012 Nissan Facebook Fans Invited to Participate in “Project 370Z,” Helping Define the Ultimate Enthusiastsʼ Z® Car – Social Media-Directed Modifications Focus on Powertrain, Exterior and Interior; Finished Project Planned for Reveal at Annual “ZDayZ” Gathering in May – CHICAGO - Monday, Sept. 17th Early Registration & Z Store 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Ocotillo Rm. Suds-n-Shine 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM Parking Lot - Pool Area Tuesday, Sept. 18th Registration & Z Store 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Ocotillo Rm. Sponsored Product Demo. 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Ocotillo Rm. Suds-n-Shine 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM Parking Lot - Pool Area Opening Reception 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Acacia Rm. Texas Chilly Pow Wow 8:30 PM - 11:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Pool Area Guided Tour to Sedona TBD TBD Wednesday, Sept. 19th Registration & Z Store 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Ocotillo Rm. Sponsored Product Demo. 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Ocotillo Rm. Apache Trail Jeep Tour 7:45 AM Wild Horse Pass - Parking Area ZCCA Business Meeting 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Acacia Rm. Judges Meeting 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Acacia Rm. Don Rice Charity Hypnosis Show 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM Wild Horse Pass - Acacia Rm. Guided Tour to Tortilla Flat TBD TBD Thursday, Sept. 20th Registration & Z Store 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM 2:00 AM - 5:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Ocotillo Rm. Sponsored Product Demo. 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Ocotillo Rm. Judged & Spec. Interest Car Show 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Riverview Center Rawhide Dinner 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Rawhide Western Town Friday, Sept. 21st Registration & Z Store 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Ocotillo Rm. Sponsored Product Demo. 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Ocotillo Rm. Track Day at Firebird International Raceway 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM Firebird Raceway Guided Tour to Tucson TBD TBD Saturday, Sept. 22nd Nissan Test Facility 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM Stanfield, AZ Autocross ( Nissan Test Facility ) 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Stanfield, AZ Closing Awards Banquet Dinner 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Theater Sunday, Sept. 23rd TimeLocation Z Ya Later 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM Wild Horse Pass - Acacia Rm. For more up to date information go to: http://www.zccazconvention.com/conventions/2012/ 8 Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today launched a social media-directed Nissan 370Z build-up called “Project 370Z” at the Chicago Auto Show – where the upcoming 2013 Nissan 370Z is also being previewed. The goal of the project is to utilize the passion and knowledge of Nissan Z® fans online to help direct the creation of a unique, one-off Nissan 370Z utilizing readily available aftermarket parts and accessories. Fans will vote on potential modifications and follow along with the progress online through facebook.com/nissanperformance. “Car companies build project vehicles all the time, but we thought itʼd be interesting to harness the power of social media to reach out to Z® enthusiasts – the people who are doing this to their own cars everyday,” said Jon Brancheau, vice president, Nissan Marketing, NNA. “Together weʼll create a vehicle that expands on the already outstanding performance and style of the Nissan 370Z with a balance of street and track ready modifications. Then weʼll share the finished project at upcoming Z® car enthusiast gatherings around the country.” Project 370Z will be built in several phases – power, handling/brakes, interior and exterior. Fan Likes, Comments and Wall Posts will be reviewed over the course of each voting session and the part or accessory with the most fan support will be chosen for the build. For example, in the initial Power Phase, fans might vote between a turbocharger or supercharger for the factory 3.7-liter V6. Phase 2 may include suspension and braking system, since the finished vehicle is expected to see substantial track time. Fans will take part and share in every aspect right up until the final design is revealed at its planned debut set for late May at the annual “ZDayZ” event. ZDayZ is an annual Z® car enthusiast gathering that takes place in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. Each year the event draws hundreds of Nissan Z®, GT-R and other Nissan performance car enthusiasts from all over North America. This year's ZDayZ will be held on May 17-20. Attendees will participate in a car show, exhaust sound-off, dyno competition, group dinners and multiple group drives – including runs on ”The Tail of the Dragon,” which has 318 curves over an 11-mile stretch of scenic Tennessee mountain highway. “Weʼre excited to see how this group-sourced Z® will come out and how it will perform on both the street and track,” said Brancheau. “Social media has become a powerful communications tool and a great way for us to stay connected with our tremendous fan base. Immediacy, like social media itself, is another benefit of Project 370Z – which will be built from start to finish in less than four months.” In addition to its debut at ZDayZ, Project 370Z will be shown at other enthusiast events such as ZCON 2012 and the 2012 SEMA show. The finished 370Z will also be made available for testing by leading enthusiast publications, forums and blogs. The 2013 Nissan 370Z, which goes on sale at Nissan dealers nationwide in June 2012, features a number of enhancements – including a revised front fascia with vertical LED daytime running lights. About Nissan North America In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, design, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010 and has been recognized as a 2010 and 2011 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. 5 6 7