I've been a Nissan 300ZX fanatic for the last 10 years. Currently own a 1990 Twin Turbo heavily modded and a 1993 Convertible.
This spring I went to the Datsun Matsuri in Kelowna, BC, Canada and met up with a bunch of the roadster folks. What a difference from my 300ZX:
I got talking to a few people and met some good folks, Ross Mullen & Mitch Jensen among others. Got the bug to get one, as I run autoX events here in Edmonton in conjunction with our local Miata Club... our Z cars are quite a bit heavier and less nimble on the course. Looking for something lighter, and definitely more stylish
Well, I zeroed in one one that looked like exactly what I wanted, a '70 SPL for sale at a dealer in Lynnwood WA. Hopped in the 300ZX, and in convoy with my brother, did a weekend run to the coast to check it out. Unfortunately, as nice looking as it was, it was a incomplete project car with several issues... not what I was looking for. Didn't help that the dealership owner was holding out for a riduculous price and refused my offer... Sure was pretty, however:
Disappointed, but still looking. I e-mailed Ross and asked if he knew of any roadsters for sale here in Canada. He put me onto Mitch Jensen who had his '69 2000 Solex for sale. After a few e-mails and summer holidays out of the way, I made a round trip to BC to have a look at it:
What a beaut... and everything works on it! Completely different experience from the previous one I drove. We made our deal, and I drove it 1100 km home over the next 2 days with my wife following in my pickup... you know, just in case. Turns out the roadster came through in spades, not a problem on the entire trip, lots of mountain driving and through the flats of Northern Alberta to Edmonton.
Just had our Fall Run on Sunday with the Z Club, of course I had to take the Roadster:
Will be setting it up for autoX, looking at suspension & brake upgrades in the future.
Cheers,
