70FairladyZ
Forum User
I 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 from 1985-1986. Following the Philippines, I was at Misawa Air Force Base in Misawa, Japan from 1987-1989 and purchased a 1980 Nissan Fairlady Z. I shipped the car from Japan to England in 1989 and it was lost in transit and ended up in Iceland. England was my first exposure to a group of Zed enthusiasts, now known as the Z Club of Great Britain. I met some of the members in 1992 while going to visit an Aunt's longtime friend in Ipswich. The man I met had a big barn and property loaded with Z cars. I am not sure if that was Clive Standish or Mike Feeney. Maybe some of the older members recognize my car. I shipped the car from London, England to Cape Canaveral, FL in 1991. The car spent 30 years with me from East to West Coast to include Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. I met Len Welch in 2003 at ZCON in Nashua New Hampshire, he put together a story in the Z Club Magazine and my cars were included. It was a sad day in 2016 when my 1980 Nissan Fairlady Z 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. Jim’s Body Shop failed to disconnect the battery on the source of the fire that took out my Nissan Fairlady Z and four other cars. The police thought they heard gunshots as they drove up to the shop. Turns out the loud bangs were the car tires popping from the heat! The Nissan Fairlady Z was a total loss. I bought the car back for $70.00 and parted out what was salvageable. My 1970 Nissan S30 Fairlady Z 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. I was the only person to take the time to make the trip. 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 at ZCON 2003 held in 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 Alexandria, Virginia. 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 Misawa Air Force Base. Eric eventually purchased the car and owned it for 17 years. Eric and his brother Jason restored the car and tucked it away in a rural Pennsylvania barn. Eric lost interest due to the unexpected death of his brother in a four-wheeler accident. History of the 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z: Misawa, Japan 1970-1975, Seoul, South Korea 1975-1978, Misawa, Japan 1978-1980, Omaha, Nebraska 1980-1983, San Francisco, California 1983-1984, 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. 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 a 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z. "Love Cars, Love People, Love Life" Mr. K
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