Created: 5/4/2004
Last updated:
Hey folks, it's
that time again. You've guessed it, it's another Ultimate Z Weekend. As some of
you may already know, this year's Z Convention, or ZCON as it is affectionately
known, will be held at the Nissan Headquarters in Torrance, California. The ZCON
itself is a convention that is held at different venues every year. In years
past, it has been in Texas, and other cities. This year, Club Z will be headed
down to Torrance, California to join in the hoopla and the celebration that
surrounds the annual roving Z Convention, sponsored by the
ZCCA (Z Car Clubs of America), Group Z of Southern California, and Nissan of
North America. Group Z of Southern California has a whole slew of activities
planned for the week of ZCON which is June 14th - June 20th. If you would like
more information on their activities, it can be found at:
Group Z's Z Convention
Information Link
In order to attend this event with Club Z, you must be a dues paying member. There are three levels of membership.
Regular Membership
$25/year
* Attend Club organized events (track, social, tech days, etc.)
* Insurance for Club Z events
* Membership Card
* One set of Club Z rear quarter window stickers
* Member Rides Page (anyone can view, but only members will be listed)
* Ability to post items in our Classifieds Page
* Full access to the Web site
* Sponsor Discounts
* E-mail Newsletters, and annual hard copy
Associate
Membership $15/year
* Membership Card
* One set of Club Z rear quarter window stickers
* Member Rides Page (anyone can view, but only members will be listed)
* Ability to post items in our Classifieds Page
* Full access to the Web site
* Sponsor Discounts
* E-mail Newsletters, and annual hard copy
*** NOTE: Associate members can only attend Club Z events if accompanied by a
Regular or Lifetime member. ***
Lifetime
Membership $125
* All Regular member benefits with no annual renewal fee.
Here is the link for Club Z membership
This
is the official list and schedule of what Club Z will have planned while we are
down in Southern California.
Note: We will have two separate meeting places for UZW attendees. People living
in the North Bay area can meet in Pleasanton and those who live in the South
Bay area can meet in San Jose.
A)
The North Bay group will meet in Pleasanton in front of the Starbucks at the
shopping center located off Hacienda Blvd and Highway 580 starting at 6:30 AM.
The Starbucks is next door to a Jamba Juice. There is a Shell gas station in the
entrance to the mall where you can top off your gas tanks. We will leave for the
drive down to SoCal at 7 AM sharp. Before we leave, we will discuss rules and
driving etiquette during the caravan. We will exchange cell phone numbers as
well and check our walkie talkies. Club Z's official radio is the Tekk radio Pro
20 red dot frequency radios or newer. Make sure to have your car fully fueled
and ready to go at 7 AM. We will not make a gas stop before we start out on the
drive. We will however, make a stop at the first rest stop after 152 joins with
HWY 5 to meet up with the South Bay Group.
B)
The South Bay group will meet in front of the Starbucks in the shopping center
off of Blossom Hill Road and Highway 101 at 6:30AM. The address is 854 Blossom
Hill Road, San Jose, CA 95123 (cross street is Santa Theresa). We will leave for
the drive down to SoCal at 7 AM sharp. Before we leave, we will discuss rules
and driving etiquette during the caravan. We will exchange cell phone numbers as
well and check our walkie talkies. Club Z's official radio is the Tekk radio Pro
20 red dot frequency radios or newer. Make sure to have your car fully fueled
and ready to go at 7 AM. We will not make a gas stop before we start out on the
drive. There is a Chevron station across the street from the Starbucks. We will
stop at the first rest area after HWY 152 joins with HWY 5 to meet up with the
North Bay Group.
C)
After both the North and South Bay group have both made it to the rest area, we
will jump back on the freeway and head south HWY 5. Once we are on 5, we will
shoot down 5 until We will stop to get lunch and refuel at the Willow Ranch
Restaurant 300 E. Lerdo Hwy at Buttonwillow. Hopefully, we'll be able to get to
the restaurant around 10:30 - 11:00 AM.
D) After eating and refueling (hopefully around 12:30- 1:00PM), we will head to our Club Z hotel this year at the Courtyard Marriott, 1925 West 190th Street, Torrance, CA 90504. ETA around 3:00 - 4:00PM. We will then check into the hotel, drop off our luggage and personal effects and then after freshening up, we will take our cars to either the Gardena Car Wash for a Club Z detailing session or if things with the hotel work out, we might be able to use the hotel facilities to wash our cars. This is still being determined.
E)
We will leave by 6PM
after detailing our cars and head to the Twin Turbo.net sponsored ZCON banquet
held at the RMS Queen Mary Hotel and restaurant located at 1126 Queens Highway,
Long Beach, CA 90802.
TT.net is the largest and most visited Z32 forum on the net. The banquet is scheduled from 7PM - Midnight but you can
leave whenever you feel like to head back to the hotel for some much needed shut
eye and or any other partying at the hotel that you may want. There is also an
informal show and shine at this banquet. With the banquet, you will get a TT.net
lanyard, badge, and other goodies. Here's the link for the TT.net festivities:
TT.net Queen Mary Banquet Information
A)
Have breakfast at the Courtyard Marriott and then head to the Super Autobacs
store at 12645 Beach Blvd, Stanton, CA 90680 starting at 9:30 AM. This store has
just about every import and domestic car parts and upgrade items available. We
will browse the Autobacs store for a little while or so until everyone is ready
to leave for the Peterson Auto Museum.
B)
From Super Autobacs, we will head out to the Peterson Automobile Museum located
at 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036. ETA to the museum is around 1 PM
and we'll officially stay there for about 2 hours or so for the tour, and photo
opportunities. We are working on getting a Car Club Discount for admission and
parking. The guided tour will cost $6.00 for club members and parking in the
garage will be free for club members who are driving a Z of some sort. We all
have to drive the same cars in order to get the parking discount. If you aren't
driving a Z, you will have to pay $6.00 for parking. We will have lunch at a
restaurant to be determined that is within walking distance to the museum. We
will then cruise down the Pacific Coast Highway back to the hotel. After
returning to the hotel, there are no further Club Z activities planned for the
day so feel free to take this time to tour the area and check out what it has to
offer. If the cars are dirty, you may want to wash and/or spot detail your cars
before the car show at the Nissan Headquarters the next day.
A)
We will leave the hotel by 6 AM to get to the Group Z sponsored car show at the
parking lot of Nissan North America's headquarters 18501 South Figueroa,
Gardena, CA 90248-4504. The show is scheduled to run from 7AM to 4PM.
B)
We will leave the show around 4 PM or so and head back to the hotel for some
freshening up. We will leave our hotel at 6PM and head for the Long Beach Hilton
located at 701 West Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90831 for the official ZCON
closing banquet. The banquet is from 7 PM to whenever. This banquet will have
the guest of honor Mr. Yutaka Katayama (affectionately known as Mr. K) first
president of Nissan North America in attendance. This event is the termination
of the Z Convention and they will raffle a four piece set of 350Z luggage
specifically designed for the 350Z coupe. Obviously, you are welcome to leave at
any time during the show.
A)
This is our recovery day of course. We can leisurely have breakfast at the
hotel, check out, and then begin the trek home. We will tentatively set the
official caravan to leave around 11 AM from the hotel parking lot to return to
the Bay Area. Of course, you can leave whenever you want.
1) You need to make hotel reservations. Club Z will be staying at the Courtyard Marriott, 1925 West 190th Street, Torrance, CA 90504. The deadline to reserve a room in the discounted block has passed. Call 1-800-MARRIOTT for reservations as they still have some rooms available at a reasonable rate. They do offer a discount if you are a AAA member.
2) Register with Group Z for the Banquet and car show. In order to attend the ZCON car show at the Nissan headquarters and the closing banquet, you will have to register with Group Z. The registration link for that is:
Offical ZCON Registration with Group Z
The price is $85.00 for the opening reception, banquet and car show but that will net you a registration packet, T-shirt, 1 car in the show, opening reception, and closing banquet. Please note, that Club Z will only be involved in the ZCON car show and closing banquet. The opening banquet will take place on Monday.
3) Purchase tickets for the Twin Turbo.net banquet and show and shine show at the Queen Mary.
Official TT.net registration for the Queen Mary Banquet
4) Please email the social group at social@clubz.org once you have made hotel reservations, Group Z registration, and the following information: Name, cell phone number, email address, make, model, color of car, hotel reservation (yes?), Group Z registration (yes?) and whether you will be there for the car show at Nissan headquarters and the closing ZCON banquet, Tekk Radio, where you will meet up with our caravan (North or South Bay), Petersen Auto museum and Autobacs (will you go with us). We will compile a spreadsheet with everyone's contact information to hand out at the beginning of UZW so that we can keep in touch if someone gets lost during the caravan. The spreadsheet will have names, cell numbers, and emergency contact information. If you want to be left out of this spreadsheet, please let us know.
5) In order to drive to UZW with the caravan, you have to be a regular or Lifetime member in good standing. This nets you full insurance for the drive. If you are an associate member, you will only be allowed to ride as a passenger with a regular or lifetime member. An associate member will not be allowed to drive as part of the caravan due to insurance concerns or drive to and from Club sanctioned activities. Of course, spouses, and friends are allowed to ride as passengers with a regular or lifetime member.
6) Prepare for a long trip. You will be driving a little over 1000 miles. Check all fluids, belts, tires, etc. It may be a good idea to bring a small tool kit, tire inflator, tire repair kit, extra coolant, oil, etc just in case. Also, folding chairs, sunscreen, and coolers would be great for the car show portion of UZW in addition to your detailing/ car wash stuff.
7) We will be printing out a limited number of extra itineraries and maps for
travel to and from each location and have them available at the meeting on
Thursday before the caravan. We will make sure to forward you the word
attachment with the complete itinerary, directions, and addresses. If you can,
please print these out yourself.
8) As of now Joe K has a navigation system in the car so that will help if there
are last minute changes in travel due to road closures, accidents, and/or other
acts of God/nature. Please let us know if you have a navigation system in your
car as well so that if the group gets lost for some reason, you can provide
assistance.
9) Once you have confirmed by email that you will attend UZW, you will be added
to an email group that will only be there for UZW information and nothing else.
More information will be forthcoming.
10) Please feel free to email any further questions to
social@clubz.org and we
will answer your questions in a timely manner.
Remember that ZCON is held only once a year in the US and this is the first time
that it will be held in California. This is a definite event that you should try
to make. Mr. K is getting along in his years and there are rumors that this
maybe the last time that he will come out to the US for a Z/Nissan event. Mr. K
loves to autograph items and to have the opportunity to have a piece of history
signed by Mr. K himself is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
1) Do I have to be a member of Club Z to participate in the events?
No, if you want to do just the ZCCA convention and it's related activities you just have to pay Group Z and attend their functions. But, in order to caravan with and attend Club Z's events and gatherings during ZCON, you have to be a member.
2) Can I just be an associate member and attend ZCON with you guys?
Yes, if you are riding in the same car as a current regular or lifetime Club Z member. Why don't you just pay the extra $10 and be a regular member. One of the great benefits of being a regular or a lifetime member is that when you drive on a Club Z sanctioned caravan and/or attend a Club Z sanctioned stationary event you and your car are covered by our umbrella insurance policy. It's an extra benefit for peace of mind.
3) Do I have to attend all the events that Club Z attends?
No, you can attend or not attend when you are down in SoCal with us. You are absolutely free to do whatever your heart desires.
4) Do I have to stay at the Club Z hotel?
No, you are welcome to make your own arrangements. The official ZCON hotel, The Long Beach Hilton, has a group rate of $125.00 per night. Can we say ouch? The Courtyard has become a favorite of Club Z and they even have free broadband internet access (for your laptop) and available breakfast facilities for a nominal fee. It's nice to be in one area with the club. That gives you a chance to mingle with the members, check out the nice Zs, and be sure to leave when the Club leaves. That may be tough to coordinate if you try to meet the club at the hotel.
5) Why should I want to go to ZCON, it just sounds expensive?
Well, ZCON only takes place 1 time a year in the US and is held at different venues and different cities. I just don't know when ZCON will ever come back to the West Coast. Also, Mr. K, first president of Nissan North America and father of the Z will be in attendance. He loves to autograph memorabilia and this may be one of your last chances to get an autograph from Mr. K. Rumor has it that this will be the last time that Mr. K will be in the US.
6) What do I need to prepare after I'm a Club Z member?
Book the hotel room, and register and pay for the events? Make sure that you have your Z prepared for a 1000 mile trip or so. Check all the fluids, belts, and related maintenance items. You may want to bring emergency tools, a tire inflator or repair kit, and oil and/or coolant. Bring a lawn chair or even one with an umbrella as the sun may be out in full force, sun tan lotion, and cash of course. It's not a cheap trip but one that is well worth it. If there is just one event that you attend, this is the one. We have tried to make the expenses as low as possible so that everyone can have a chance to attend this trip. Let's have a big turnout of Zs.
7) Here are some Ultimate Z Weekends from years past:
Ultimate Z Weekend April 27-29, 2001
Ultimate Z Weekend October 19-21, 2001
Club Z UZW Ultimate Z Weekend May 3-5, 2002
Updates
1) The deadline to reserve rooms in the discounted block that was originally setup has passed. You will have to make your own arrangements. There are still rooms available at our hotel for a slightly higher rate.
2) There is one person who may potentially want to share a room, email me at speedyzx@pacbell.net and I will forward your request to the UZW attendee.