Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post - It's The People

Robert_Nash · 08-05-2010, 11:51 AM

It's The People - my personal "take" on ZCON 2010

Quote:

A collection of steel, glass, aluminum, electronics and other materials go into making a car. Sometimes, the automotive press and even individuals start calling a particular car an “icon”; but what makes a car an icon?

Perhaps it’s re-defining a genre of vehicles or defining a whole new genre.

Maybe it’s a car that remains true to its heritage – where the basic DNA of the original doesn’t change, even over the course of decades or maybe it’s being so popular that the vehicle has been in production for several decades.

Many say that the Datsun/Nissan “Z” redefined the sports car genre when it was introduced to the U.S. market as the 240Z in late 1969 as a 1970 model; that nothing before it and little since has offered such refined and true sports car performance for such a reasonable cost. Certainly, while modernized, the basic DNA of the “Z” hasn’t changed much over the years; even as the “Z” celebrates its 40th anniversary.

But perhaps a better question than ‘what makes a car an icon” would be, what makes people from all over the United States and even other countries drive or trailer Z cars hundreds of miles just to spend a few days in Franklin, Tennessee?

Well…it’s the people!

Over and over during the five day event, I spoke those who came to the 23rd Annual International Z Car Convention (ZCON 2010) and heard them say nearly the same thing; that “it’s the people who keep me passionate about the Z - it’s the people that keep me coming to events like this”. Many own or have owned other performance vehicles but again and again they said it’s “Z people” who keep them involved – that make them want to drive thousands of miles just to attend a convention.

Of course, the specific reasons for why a person is passionate about cars and passionate about one particular car like the “Z” are as many as there are people. That means there were a lot of reasons why people came to ZCON 2010 this year to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the “Z”. The parking lot of the host hotel was full of “Z” cars (which doesn’t even include the overflow hotels that many had to use) - there were people everywhere! Hundreds of “Zs” from all over (nearly 30 cars from Canada alone) and over a thousand people registered for the five day long event and hundreds more who came to see the car show on a very hot and sticky Saturday!

The host hotel for the event was the Embassy Suites, just a few hundred yards from Nissan Americas headquarters. Registration opened on Wednesday, July 28th with the opening banquet that evening. Registration lines were long but those who braved the wait were rewarded with the opening banquet which included brief messages from many involved with the Z car’s design and development as well as a group video chat with “Mr. K”; (Yutaka Katayama), now 100 years old and affectionately called the “father” of the “Z” car.

As is normal with “Z” conventions, much of the real convention happens in the parking lot as owners and enthusiasts gather and talk about the cars, renew old friendships and generally simply enjoy being around so many who share their passion - many, many hours are spend just hanging out in the parking lots sharing stories, meeting new friends and getting reacquainted with old ones!

The convention was full of activities and Thursday and Friday offered a variety of things to do including a dinner at the Wild Horse Saloon, tours of the Smyrna plant and the Lane Motor Museum; a nearly 180 mile cruise on some of Middle Tennessee’s beautiful back roads to Fort Campbell, home of the 101st Airborne Division and the museum dedicated to the 101st as well as self-guided spirit and wine tour. Other events included an autocross and a drifting exhibition at the Nashville Superspeedway! Friday evening was left open so folks could spend time getting their cars ready for the biggest event of the week, the car show!

Saturday morning began early as vehicles started arriving at the Americas headquarters building around 7AM. Hundreds of cars parked on the front lawn of the headquarters representing a labor of both passion and love of the “Z” car. Pristine examples of Zs from the first generation (240Z) through the current 6th generation (370Z) were everywhere along with displays of many special Nissan vehicles from the heritage collection. Nissan employees also brought their personal vehicles to display in the adjacent parking garage to put on a show that rivaled the size of the convention show!

The weather had been hot and steamy all week and especially so on Saturday but as well as turning out for the car show, local Nissan employees turned out in a big way to volunteer for the event including taking care of such jobs as stocking free, cold, bottled water at locations around the lawn. Many people took time to escape the heat by visiting the first floor of the headquarters building where they could enjoy some food in the cafeteria, browse at the expanded company store or get a free demo of the Bose sound system in the new Maxima!

Saturday night brought the last banquet of the week – the main ball room of the Embassy Suites was literally filled to capacity as everyone waited anxiously to hear the results of the judged car show; hear from various special guests and, again, a group video conference with Mr. K.

Many people were on the way home by Sunday morning but there were still many who stayed around for the Sunday events which included “hot laps” at the Nashville Superspeedway, “touring light” laps (opened to all and done at typical highway speeds) which benefited the Nissan Heritage Museum as well as a group photo for all Z cars which staged at the Start/Finish line on the front straightaway.

I have traveled to many “Z” events over the years including Chicago, Branson, Tampa, Tulsa and places in-between but as enjoyable as those events are, I don’t think anything is quite like the international convention; especially one held at Nissan Americas Headquarters. This convention was by far, the largest ever held in its 23 year history. The 2011 convention will be in Savannah, Georgia - I plan to be at that one as well!