Maryland 'Z Club

 

saw my first Nissan S130 Fairlady 280Z during my first duty station with the U.S. Navy at Clark Air Force Base in Angeles City, Philippines 1985-1986.

 

Following the Philippines, I spent two years at Misawa Air Force Base in Misawa, Japan from 1987-1989, which is when I purchased my first car ever a 1979 Nissan Bluebird 4 door sedan. I always liked the Datsun 280ZX, but did not know when I would get one. When I was about a year from moving from Japan to London, England my 1980 Nissan Fairlady Z-L came up for sale. I just had to have it, so off to the bank I went to secure the funds. I didn’t know the first thing about differences between Fairlady Z cars and Fairlady 280Z cars. I bought the car thinking it had an L28 engine, turns out the engine was an L20E. For the 79-83 line of cars, if a Nissan Fairlady has an L28 engine, it is a Fairlady 280Z. If a Fairlady has an L20 engine, it is a Nissan Fairlady Z. The descriptive "ZX" was not used for the homeland version Z. The other major differences between the North American version and the Japanese version are the fender-mounted mirrors up to 1983 and the location of the steering wheel. Japanese regulations required fender-mounted mirrors on cars in different tax classes based on their physical size. By fitting the mirrors to the fender, you can make a car with a wider passenger space fit inside the same maximum width of a given tax class. In 1983 Japanese laws changed concerning mirrors on the fenders. For the 79-83 line of cars, if a Fairlady has an L28 engine, it is a Nissan Fairlady 280Z. If a Nissan Fairlady has an L20 engine, it is a Nissan Fairlady Z. The descriptive "ZX" was not used for the homeland version Z The other major differences between the North American version and the Japanese version are the fender-mounted mirrors up to 1983 and the location of the steering wheel. Japanese regulations required fender-mounted mirrors on cars in different tax classes based on their physical size. By fitting the mirrors to the fender, you can make a car with a wider passenger space fit inside the same maximum width of a given tax class. In 1983 Japanese laws changed concerning mirrors on the fenders.

 

I shipped my 1980 Nissan Fairlady Z-L to London, England in 1989 for my new assignment with Commander in Chief, United States Navy Europe, but it was shipped to Iceland by mistake, which caused a delay in its arrival to England. The car fit right in while I was stationed in London 1989-1991 as they drive on the left side of the road. England was my first exposure to a group of Zed enthusiasts, which are now known as the Z Club of Great Britain. I knew the car would be coming back to the states with me, so I was able to obtain an EPA hardship exemption letter, which exempted me from emission requirements. The two stipulations were 1) could not sell the car for three years, why would I want to sell the car 2) could not register the car in California or Hawaii. Prior to departing London for Fort Meade, Maryland I had to arrange for the car shipment back to the states, the military shipping office tried to tell me I could not ship the car. Fortunately, I knew they were in error as I had shipped the car from Japan and didn’t purchase it on the English Economy as they assumed. I knew the government-shipping manual like the back of my hand, which was a good thing or the car would still be in England.

 

I hired ICI International to post bond on the car and provide transport from Cape Canaveral to Orlando, Florida where the DoT conversion was completed. DoT conversion included reinforced doors, bumpers, and changing speedometer from KPH to MPH. I got off easy with a $1,276.00 bill, which could have been a lot worse if I did not already have DoT approved safety glass and tires. I spent six months stationed in the Fort Meade area in 1991, which missed the establishment of the Maryland Z Club by two years.

 

Following Maryland, I transferred to the USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) home ported in San Diego, California. I was associated with a number of Z Car Enthusiasts in San Diego 1992-1994. We mostly cruised the beach as we weren't aware of the San Diego Z Car Club. I used to cruise my 1980 Nissan Fairlady Z-L in Pacific Beach with some other Z cars. While at ZCON Ontario, California I saw a car I hadn’t seen in 30 years. The car is an S30 convertible; it was all black when my friend owned it in San Diego. I had heard he passed away after I left San Diego in December 1994. I had no idea David Bailey bought the car. Walt Bailey and his son David were a big help at ZCON Colorado Springs, Colorado when my 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z-L broke down on the Interstate with my son Jake. I road in Walt's car to get my trailer and David stayed with Jake. They were a big help! JDM Legends crew stopped as well!

 

Following San Diego, I transferred to Naval Technical Training Center Pensacola, Florida and took a stab at starting the Emerald Coast Z Car Club in 1997, but transferred to Naples, Italy in 1998 prior to anything coming to fruition. I gave all my documentation to a fellow Z Enthusiast as he also had intentions of starting a Z Car Club. I would like to think that our efforts played a role in the establishment of the Panhandle Z Car Club.

 

My 1980 Nissan Fairlady Z-L was stored at my parent’s house in Flagler Beach, Florida for the next two years as I was not taking the car to Naples, Italy for my assignment to Cryptologic Services Group, Allied Forces Southern Europe. If you have ever experienced Italian driving styles, you would understand why. The Neapolitan's will turn a two lane road into eight and slapping mirrors as you pass is common practice, “ciao”.

 

Following Italy, I transferred to the U.S. Navy / Canadian Forces Personnel Exchange Program in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, which is on Vancouver Island. During my tour I was involved with two car groups. First was the Vancouver Island Datsun Enthusiasts (VIDE) and the second was the parent club British Columbia Z Registry. I met a lot of Z enthusiasts while living in Canada. I participated in many events in Vancouver and Washington. While residing in Victoria, I came across a 1984 Nissan Fairlady 200ZG for sale in Seattle (Redmond), Washington. Greg Macaulay VIDE founder and myself drove down to Seattle to pick the car up from Trevor Elston. The range for the Japanese market continued to list a 2-liter engine to make the most of local taxation laws. On the home market, the Z31 also came with a 2.0 liter motor. The 200Z, 200ZG, and 200ZS used the VG20ET motor while the 200ZR had the RB20DET. Other than the 300ZX, the only other factory Z31 variant to use the VG30DE engine is the 300ZR. The Japanese 300ZX Turbo was not subject to the tough emissions regulations found in the US, allowing it to produce 230 hp (172 kW), outperforming not only its North American counterpart, but the 2.0 liter Z31s as well--their engines only made 170-180 hp. The 1984 Nissan Fairlady 200ZG has the VG20ET engine, which is rated at 170bph, only 60bhp less than the 3-liter equivalent. The Z31 series was the last of the 2-liter versions, as Japanese taxation laws changed in 1989. Differences between the North American version and the Japanese version are: pressure sensitive device on hood to activate wipers, different mirrors, side turn signal lights between front wheel and door, no turn side turn signal lights on rear fenders, and rare hardtop with turbo engine. The 2-liter version differences are: no injector fan, no battery gauge in dash, 4 vice 5 lug bolts, and smaller window washer reservoir. The 1984 Nissan Fairlady 200ZG had about 8 coats of burgundy, so it was stripped down to bare metal. The original factory paint scheme was put back on in blue-black metallic with silver accent and painted on pin stripes. As I was living in Canada, it was easy to obtain Nissan Fairlady Z parts directly from Nissan Japan through the local dealer. I never understood why we cannot walk into a dealer here and get parts directly from Nissan Japan. Some people think U.S. Customs was the problem, but I am here to tell you Canadian Customs is no joke. I ordered some parts from Australia and went through an ordeal taking the ferry over to Vancouver and processing the required forms. A little history on the ownership of the 1984 Nissan Fairlady 200ZG, Reginald Alston shipped her from Tokyo, Japan to Sanford, North Carolina and sold the car to a New Jersey auction. A car dealer in Brooklyn, New York purchased her from the auction. Trevor Elston purchased her from the dealer in New York.

 

I found out I was going to get stationed at Naval Information Warfare Activity in Fort Meade, Maryland for my retirement assignment. I looked up the Maryland Z Car Club, contacted Mark Lambert, and joined in February 2003. I traded the 1984 Nissan Fairlady 200ZG to Erik for rebuilding the 1980 Nissan Fairlady Z-L converting it from a L20 to an L28 engine. In 2009, I obtained a 1972 Datsun 240Z from my cousin in Upstate New York. My cousin Kathy Hoenig purchased a 1972 Datsun 240Z and drove it for years around Upstate New York. Kathy sold the car to her then husband Eric Blackwell who after many years agreed to let me take the car. Unfortunately, the car was too far gone for a restoration after having been exposed to the harsh upstate winters. At the time it was too much money to invest in a restoration. The car had a tree growing through the hood and was well seated in the ground. It took putting the truck in four wheel drive to take the car back from Mother Nature. The Yellow Jackets were another story! At the time to restore the car would have been about $30K, which is what it could be sold for today. I parted the car out and learned a lot about the S30. The parts went across the United States to keep other Datsun 240Z cars going.

 

It was a sad day in 2016 when my 1980 Nissan Fairlady Z-L burned up in a shop fire. A car that had a head-on with a deer decided to catch on fire after two weeks while at Jim’s Body Shop in Pasadena, Maryland. The insurance adjuster said “99 percent of the time a car will catch on fire from a head on collision with a deer.” The body shop failed to disconnect the battery on the source of the fire that took out my 1980 Nissan Fairlady Z-L and four other cars. The police thought they heard gunshots as they drove up to the shop at 1 am. Turns out the loud bangs were the car tires popping from the heat! The 1980 Nissan Fairlady Z-L was a total loss. The firefighters did more damage than the fire! I bought the car back for $70.00 and parted out what was salvageable. My 1970 S30 Nissan Fairlady Z-L was for sale on ClassicZCars.com. In February 2017, I contacted the second owner Eric Jolly and arranged a trip to Utica, Pennsylvania to look over the car with my son Jacob. I was the only person to take the time to make the trip to see the car. Similar to Eric, I loved this car and he could tell. We shared dinner and a few brews the night before I saw the car. Eric brought all the original paperwork from 1970 and a limited edition framed Z Car poster signed by Mr. K. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. K for the first time at ZCON Nashua, New Hampshire. Eric and I hit it off and made a handshake deal as he handed me the keys with no deposit. I borrowed a car hauler from my good friend Dan Banks and picked the car up a couple of months later. I engage regularly with the original owner Don Davis who resides in Florida. Don provided me with some pictures of the car over the years and two Japanese License Plates (export and transport). The Japanese License Plates were hanging in Don’s garage for 33 years. Don Davis purchased the car new from Aomori Nissan near Misawa, Japan. Don owned the car for 30 years. Second owner Eric Jolly worked for Don at the Pentagon in Washington DC. Eric eventually purchased the car and owned it for 17 years. Eric lost interest due to the unexpected death of his brother in a four-wheeler accident on their farm. Eric and his brother Jason restored the car. Eric tucked the car away in their barn, a true barn find!

 

History of the 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z-L: 

 

· Misawa, Japan 1970-1973

· Omaha, Nebraska 1973-1975

· Misawa, Japan 1975-1978

· Busan-Kunsan, South Korea 1978-1979

· San Francisco, California 1979-1982

· Washington DC 1982-1984

· Alexandria, Virginia 1984-2001

· Utica, Pennsylvania 2001-2017

· Lake Shore, Maryland 2017-present

 

The car raced at the following speedways: Sears Raceway Sonoma, California, Bonneville Speedway Wendover, Utah, and Summit Point Raceway, West Virginia. In 1997, the White Rose Z Car Club in York, Pennsylvania hosted the ZCCA International Z-Car Convention. Mr. K was present and signed the rearview mirror, another inconspicuous place in case of theft and on the owner’s manual. Mr. K also wrote “69 model year” on the original purchase documents. The original owner Don Davis insisted the car was a 1969, which transitioned to the second owner Eric Jolly. The original owner had actually ordered the car in 1969. Based on serial number “S30-03814” the car is a September 1970 production. Maryland Vintage License Plates GZ 9045 = September Japanese Showa Year 45 = September 1970, which matches the production date. I found the authentic Maryland 1970 plates online when I knew the 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z-L was mine! It was meant to be! They are legal in Maryland as vintage registration. I was able to get some rare parts from a contact in Japan via Yahoo Auctions. Examples: Nissan 2000 OHC valve cover and mesh grille. I smile when I walk into my garage and think to myself, I own the original history of the Z car; a 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z-L. 

 

Over the last 37 years my Nissan Fairlady Z cars have won numerous car show awards and accolades, and have been featured in multiple publications.

 

· Z Car Magazine

· Sport Z

· Street Machine Muscle

· Antique Automobile Club of America

· American Collectors insurance

· Hagerty Insurance

 

My 1980 Nissan Z Fairlady Z-L was featured twice at the Motor Trend International Auto Show in Baltimore, Maryland. I will always have a Z car in my garage!

 

My good friend Glenn McCoy is a career mechanic and has worked on Z cars since the beginning. He has helped me with the Z cars a lot over the years. He has been a Godsend with the 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z-L. Some of you might remember the blue Daytona Z he built, which was at ZCON Daytona Beach, Florida. The yellow 1972 Nissan Fairlady Z-L now called "Fairlady Z R1" is his latest build. Another good friend has started the body work on my car! We will be traveling together down to ZCON Tampa, Florida.

 

“Love Cars, Love People, Love Life”

Mr. Yutaka Katayama “Mr. K”

The Father of the Z Car

 

Z you around!

Kirk Towner

CPO USN (Ret)

 

Jester

Captain John Odber Ride for the Fallen

Laurel, Maryland

501(c)(19) Corporate Outreach

CPO USN (Ret)

RIDE FOR THE FALLEN (rideforthefallenmd.com)