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Samuri Motor Company Reborn
- Thread starter Ross Scott
- Start date
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- samuri motor company
Ross Scott
Roscoe
Thank you for the encouragement
Albrecht
Well-Known Forum User
Personally speaking, one of the things I've always found to be amazing about this whole 'Samuri' thing has been the constant repetition of mistakes, half-truths and - apparently - plain old lies. Even when the bigger story is pointed out, documented and demonstrated, it still goes on.
A couple of cases in point: In the latest "History Of Samuri Motor Co" section of the website...
https://www.samurimotorcompany.com/history-of-samuri-motor-company/
... we can read about the beginnings of the car(s) known as 'Big Sam', here:
"Not satisfied with building modified road cars and entering them into Hill Climb championships, in 1974 Samuri Motor Company decided to develop a sports racing version of the Super Samuri, This led to Samuri’s pinnacle in Motorsport when Spike acquired an ex-works 240Z rally car, which he converted to full Group 4 race specification and christened “Big Sam”, which was then entered into the 1974 Blue Circle Modified Sports Car (Modsports) Championship with Win Percy at the wheel, putting the fledgling Motorsport Team up against the full might of Porsche...
...The donor car they began with was a highly significant example in its own right being the ex-works 1970 RAC Rally car driven by Rauno Aaltonen. Samuri Motor Company acquired this example with less than three weeks to go before their first race entry and so had their work cut out to get it ready for action. The car’s racing design was typical of the era with flared front and rear wings to cover enlarged Minilites, a deep front air dam and a rear spoiler. It also featured extensive use of perspex for the windows and fiberglass, which was used for the bonnet, doors and tailgate. The car, which had by now acquired the nickname Big Sam, was finished in the distinctive Samuri livery of Flame red and Rootes Tango metallic with White outlining with promotional signwriting."
So once again we see the facts being twisted and a serious omission being made. That serious omission is the fact that the car acquired as the base of 'Big Sam' had already been prepared to FIA Group 4 circuit racing specs and had been extensively campaigned in Europe and Africa by owner/driver Rob Grant. Indeed, it was already on its second ex-works rally bodyshell...
Rob Grant:
'Big Sam' (Version One):
Rob Grant's activities in period are certainly not given the credit and respect they deserve. To paint Rob Grant out of the 'Big Sam'/'Samuri' story is a serious omission.
Secondly, the true identity of 'Big Sam's' current bodyshell was proved back when it was in Nick Howell's hands. I helped him to prepare a dossier of data, period photographs and information which went with the car when it was sold in the Bonham's auction at the 2010 Silverstone Classic. J.D. Classics clearly had this data in their hands as their website's write-up (no longer online since they were 'taken over'...) referred to the fact that the current bodyshell had started out as a Works recce/fast service car for the 1973 Monte Carlo Rallye and had subsequently been crashed whilst being driven by Shekhar Mehta on the 1973 Burmah Rally in Scotland. This had been laughed off by the likes of Peter Riley and Win Percy, who - like so many other people - had swallowed whole the story that it was an "ex-Mehta Safari Rally car", which is nonsense and doesn't stand up to even the most basic scrutiny.
However, reading through the 'History Of Samuri Motor Co' on the new site, we can read the following - which appears to have been taken verbatim from the old J.D.Classics website:
"In this new form the engine produced 250 bhp and was good for 8000rpm, which was enough to take on the Porsches and the Championship points grew with almost every outing as Percy and Big Sam showed their true potential. Progress continued in this way until Brands Hatch on August 11th. Percy was pushing hard when he hit a patch of oil going into Bottom Bend. In the ensuing crash Big Sam’s shell was severely twisted and although Percy was relatively unharmed, the Datsun required a complete rebuild. With just over two weeks until the next race a fast fix was needed and the problem was duly solved with another ex-works shell that Gathercole managed to acquire through Datsun UK. Shekhar Mehta had rallied this car in 1973 and it was used as a high-speed recce and backup car on the Monte Carlo Rally as well as being loaned out by the works team to the Old Woking team for the Burmah Castrol Rally in Scotland where it suffered a minor accident. It is not known for certain whether this shell was the same one used by Mehta on the Safari Rally but it is certainly possible."
Pay close attention to that last paragraph. Basically it is saying that the car's current bodyshell might have been used by Shekhar Mehta on the Safari Rally. How...?!
1971 East African Safari Rally: Shekhar Mehta's car ('TKS 33 SA 1224') was an HS30-prefixed RHD car.
1972 East African Safari Rally: Shekhar Mehta's car ('TKS 33 SA 4540') was an HS30-prefixed RHD car.
1973 East African Safari Rally: Shekhar Mehta's car ('TKS 33 SA 7924') was an HLS30-prefixed LHD car which had also been driven on the 1972 RAC Rally, and having won the Safari Rally outright it was taken back to Japan for Nissan to use as a promotional display, and having toured selected dealerships it was shown at the 1973 Tokyo Motor Show. It still exists - in unrestored form - in Nissan's 'Heritage Collection'.
...so with 'Big Sam's' current bodyshell having originally been an HLS30-prefixed LHD car (because it had originally been prepped for the Monte) it simply cannot be "certainly possible" that it was an ex-Mehta Safari car. This is really not much more than mistaken hearsay being repeated enough to become fact. If you dispute it, it's as though the believers will do almost anything to try to deny the plain facts. Bizarre...
A couple of cases in point: In the latest "History Of Samuri Motor Co" section of the website...
https://www.samurimotorcompany.com/history-of-samuri-motor-company/
... we can read about the beginnings of the car(s) known as 'Big Sam', here:
"Not satisfied with building modified road cars and entering them into Hill Climb championships, in 1974 Samuri Motor Company decided to develop a sports racing version of the Super Samuri, This led to Samuri’s pinnacle in Motorsport when Spike acquired an ex-works 240Z rally car, which he converted to full Group 4 race specification and christened “Big Sam”, which was then entered into the 1974 Blue Circle Modified Sports Car (Modsports) Championship with Win Percy at the wheel, putting the fledgling Motorsport Team up against the full might of Porsche...
...The donor car they began with was a highly significant example in its own right being the ex-works 1970 RAC Rally car driven by Rauno Aaltonen. Samuri Motor Company acquired this example with less than three weeks to go before their first race entry and so had their work cut out to get it ready for action. The car’s racing design was typical of the era with flared front and rear wings to cover enlarged Minilites, a deep front air dam and a rear spoiler. It also featured extensive use of perspex for the windows and fiberglass, which was used for the bonnet, doors and tailgate. The car, which had by now acquired the nickname Big Sam, was finished in the distinctive Samuri livery of Flame red and Rootes Tango metallic with White outlining with promotional signwriting."
So once again we see the facts being twisted and a serious omission being made. That serious omission is the fact that the car acquired as the base of 'Big Sam' had already been prepared to FIA Group 4 circuit racing specs and had been extensively campaigned in Europe and Africa by owner/driver Rob Grant. Indeed, it was already on its second ex-works rally bodyshell...
Rob Grant:
'Big Sam' (Version One):
Rob Grant's activities in period are certainly not given the credit and respect they deserve. To paint Rob Grant out of the 'Big Sam'/'Samuri' story is a serious omission.
Secondly, the true identity of 'Big Sam's' current bodyshell was proved back when it was in Nick Howell's hands. I helped him to prepare a dossier of data, period photographs and information which went with the car when it was sold in the Bonham's auction at the 2010 Silverstone Classic. J.D. Classics clearly had this data in their hands as their website's write-up (no longer online since they were 'taken over'...) referred to the fact that the current bodyshell had started out as a Works recce/fast service car for the 1973 Monte Carlo Rallye and had subsequently been crashed whilst being driven by Shekhar Mehta on the 1973 Burmah Rally in Scotland. This had been laughed off by the likes of Peter Riley and Win Percy, who - like so many other people - had swallowed whole the story that it was an "ex-Mehta Safari Rally car", which is nonsense and doesn't stand up to even the most basic scrutiny.
However, reading through the 'History Of Samuri Motor Co' on the new site, we can read the following - which appears to have been taken verbatim from the old J.D.Classics website:
"In this new form the engine produced 250 bhp and was good for 8000rpm, which was enough to take on the Porsches and the Championship points grew with almost every outing as Percy and Big Sam showed their true potential. Progress continued in this way until Brands Hatch on August 11th. Percy was pushing hard when he hit a patch of oil going into Bottom Bend. In the ensuing crash Big Sam’s shell was severely twisted and although Percy was relatively unharmed, the Datsun required a complete rebuild. With just over two weeks until the next race a fast fix was needed and the problem was duly solved with another ex-works shell that Gathercole managed to acquire through Datsun UK. Shekhar Mehta had rallied this car in 1973 and it was used as a high-speed recce and backup car on the Monte Carlo Rally as well as being loaned out by the works team to the Old Woking team for the Burmah Castrol Rally in Scotland where it suffered a minor accident. It is not known for certain whether this shell was the same one used by Mehta on the Safari Rally but it is certainly possible."
Pay close attention to that last paragraph. Basically it is saying that the car's current bodyshell might have been used by Shekhar Mehta on the Safari Rally. How...?!
1971 East African Safari Rally: Shekhar Mehta's car ('TKS 33 SA 1224') was an HS30-prefixed RHD car.
1972 East African Safari Rally: Shekhar Mehta's car ('TKS 33 SA 4540') was an HS30-prefixed RHD car.
1973 East African Safari Rally: Shekhar Mehta's car ('TKS 33 SA 7924') was an HLS30-prefixed LHD car which had also been driven on the 1972 RAC Rally, and having won the Safari Rally outright it was taken back to Japan for Nissan to use as a promotional display, and having toured selected dealerships it was shown at the 1973 Tokyo Motor Show. It still exists - in unrestored form - in Nissan's 'Heritage Collection'.
...so with 'Big Sam's' current bodyshell having originally been an HLS30-prefixed LHD car (because it had originally been prepped for the Monte) it simply cannot be "certainly possible" that it was an ex-Mehta Safari car. This is really not much more than mistaken hearsay being repeated enough to become fact. If you dispute it, it's as though the believers will do almost anything to try to deny the plain facts. Bizarre...
uk66fastback
Club Member
Albrecht's knowledge is fascinating to read (for a newbie to Zs like myself) ...
I wish the new (old) company well in their endeavours. Not a million miles from me, so nice to see something happening in the middle of the country for once!
I wish the new (old) company well in their endeavours. Not a million miles from me, so nice to see something happening in the middle of the country for once!
8658kv
Club Member
Personally speaking, one of the things I've always found to be amazing about this whole 'Samuri' thing has been the constant repetition of mistakes, half-truths and - apparently - plain old lies. Even when the bigger story is pointed out, documented and demonstrated, it still goes on.
Rob Grant:
'Big Sam' (Version One
Hopefully with your’s and others input, a lot of myths can be corrected.
Steve
Ross Scott
Roscoe
Personally speaking, one of the things I've always found to be amazing about this whole 'Samuri' thing has been the constant repetition of mistakes, half-truths and - apparently - plain old lies. Even when the bigger story is pointed out, documented and demonstrated, it still goes on.
A couple of cases in point: In the latest "History Of Samuri Motor Co" section of the website...
https://www.samurimotorcompany.com/history-of-samuri-motor-company/
... we can read about the beginnings of the car(s) known as 'Big Sam', here:
"Not satisfied with building modified road cars and entering them into Hill Climb championships, in 1974 Samuri Motor Company decided to develop a sports racing version of the Super Samuri, This led to Samuri’s pinnacle in Motorsport when Spike acquired an ex-works 240Z rally car, which he converted to full Group 4 race specification and christened “Big Sam”, which was then entered into the 1974 Blue Circle Modified Sports Car (Modsports) Championship with Win Percy at the wheel, putting the fledgling Motorsport Team up against the full might of Porsche...
...The donor car they began with was a highly significant example in its own right being the ex-works 1970 RAC Rally car driven by Rauno Aaltonen. Samuri Motor Company acquired this example with less than three weeks to go before their first race entry and so had their work cut out to get it ready for action. The car’s racing design was typical of the era with flared front and rear wings to cover enlarged Minilites, a deep front air dam and a rear spoiler. It also featured extensive use of perspex for the windows and fiberglass, which was used for the bonnet, doors and tailgate. The car, which had by now acquired the nickname Big Sam, was finished in the distinctive Samuri livery of Flame red and Rootes Tango metallic with White outlining with promotional signwriting."
So once again we see the facts being twisted and a serious omission being made. That serious omission is the fact that the car acquired as the base of 'Big Sam' had already been prepared to FIA Group 4 circuit racing specs and had been extensively campaigned in Europe and Africa by owner/driver Rob Grant. Indeed, it was already on its second ex-works rally bodyshell...
Rob Grant:
'Big Sam' (Version One):
Rob Grant's activities in period are certainly not given the credit and respect they deserve. To paint Rob Grant out of the 'Big Sam'/'Samuri' story is a serious omission.
Secondly, the true identity of 'Big Sam's' current bodyshell was proved back when it was in Nick Howell's hands. I helped him to prepare a dossier of data, period photographs and information which went with the car when it was sold in the Bonham's auction at the 2010 Silverstone Classic. J.D. Classics clearly had this data in their hands as their website's write-up (no longer online since they were 'taken over'...) referred to the fact that the current bodyshell had started out as a Works recce/fast service car for the 1973 Monte Carlo Rallye and had subsequently been crashed whilst being driven by Shekhar Mehta on the 1973 Burmah Rally in Scotland. This had been laughed off by the likes of Peter Riley and Win Percy, who - like so many other people - had swallowed whole the story that it was an "ex-Mehta Safari Rally car", which is nonsense and doesn't stand up to even the most basic scrutiny.
However, reading through the 'History Of Samuri Motor Co' on the new site, we can read the following - which appears to have been taken verbatim from the old J.D.Classics website:
"In this new form the engine produced 250 bhp and was good for 8000rpm, which was enough to take on the Porsches and the Championship points grew with almost every outing as Percy and Big Sam showed their true potential. Progress continued in this way until Brands Hatch on August 11th. Percy was pushing hard when he hit a patch of oil going into Bottom Bend. In the ensuing crash Big Sam’s shell was severely twisted and although Percy was relatively unharmed, the Datsun required a complete rebuild. With just over two weeks until the next race a fast fix was needed and the problem was duly solved with another ex-works shell that Gathercole managed to acquire through Datsun UK. Shekhar Mehta had rallied this car in 1973 and it was used as a high-speed recce and backup car on the Monte Carlo Rally as well as being loaned out by the works team to the Old Woking team for the Burmah Castrol Rally in Scotland where it suffered a minor accident. It is not known for certain whether this shell was the same one used by Mehta on the Safari Rally but it is certainly possible."
Pay close attention to that last paragraph. Basically it is saying that the car's current bodyshell might have been used by Shekhar Mehta on the Safari Rally. How...?!
1971 East African Safari Rally: Shekhar Mehta's car ('TKS 33 SA 1224') was an HS30-prefixed RHD car.
1972 East African Safari Rally: Shekhar Mehta's car ('TKS 33 SA 4540') was an HS30-prefixed RHD car.
1973 East African Safari Rally: Shekhar Mehta's car ('TKS 33 SA 7924') was an HLS30-prefixed LHD car which had also been driven on the 1972 RAC Rally, and having won the Safari Rally outright it was taken back to Japan for Nissan to use as a promotional display, and having toured selected dealerships it was shown at the 1973 Tokyo Motor Show. It still exists - in unrestored form - in Nissan's 'Heritage Collection'.
...so with 'Big Sam's' current bodyshell having originally been an HLS30-prefixed LHD car (because it had originally been prepped for the Monte) it simply cannot be "certainly possible" that it was an ex-Mehta Safari car. This is really not much more than mistaken hearsay being repeated enough to become fact. If you dispute it, it's as though the believers will do almost anything to try to deny the plain facts. Bizarre...
Thank you so much for the direct feedback, believe it or not this is much appreciated. Kevin and I got involved in Samuri from the early eighties onwards and went on to write our own accurate piece of the Samuri history. However, this post dates the Big Sam and FFA 196L eras and like most people we have had to rely on what we were told and what material was available when preparing the Website content.
Rest assured as I mentioned to Steve Burns - the truth will out (eventually) and with the help of people like you in the forum, who have managed to unearth some gold nuggets of truth we will be able to get a lot closer to the truth. Rest assured that neither I or Kevin have any interest in perpetuating half truths, myths or fabricated stories, that have been told so often that many people actually believe it to be the truth. Therefore, I will be more than happy to edit the content of our website to be more accurate based upon reliable, factual information provided by the forum and the members. I was not around in 1973/74/75 to see it for myself so I apologise unreservedly if any of our content is inaccurate or misleading, this will be corrected, whenever it is pointed out that our information is incorrect.
We are also in contact with the owner of Big Sam and we are sure that he too will be only too keen on getting the actual facts right. We owe it to the history of all our cars to uphold factual information first and foremost. This is the main reason that we aim to set up a structured system and robust authentication system for any new cars that we work on going forwards with hard and soft copy data held on file. We would also very much like to get to a point where we have a well managed register of all Samuri's built past, present and future, that is robust to any challenge regarding the authenticity of the cars, more on this subject to follow at a later date.
If you are happy to assist with any more detailed information, we will be happy to receive this. Please e-mail to ross@samurimotorcompany.com or kevin@samurimotorcompany.com, we will be only too pleased to set the record straight.
Thank you again,
Roscoe.
Ross Scott
Roscoe
This is a priority for us and we will be getting a Samuri 350Z Demonstrator to showcase what can be done with the 350/370Z. Kristian is keen to spearhead this for us.
re 350/370.
I have owned 4 Classic Zs and a 350 and a 370.
IMO yes just mine, it is not going to be easy to take the Samuri name forward in a meaningful way with the modern cars. It may be possible to do what BMW did with the Mini and make a Mini One look more sporty and increase power electronically and produce the Mini Cooper but will that be enough to increase the personality and character of the cars in the way that happened with the 70s cars?
A 370Z doesn't really need more power, better brakes or lowering. I found the car already more than enough in those areas for the public roads and modern attitudes to speed etc.
A more sporty exhaust is all I really wanted, oh and smaller wheels (which is not what the younger guys want). I think a GT86 would be a better starting point and didn't Samuri run Win Percy in a Toyota!
I have never driven or been a passenger in a GT86 but I'm led to believe that it's easier to feel more 'at one' with those than a 370Z. The huge strength of the old 70s cars was that with a little ability you could feel confident and enjoy the twisty bits and if you went a bit too quick it would let you know early and react smoothly to your input. I never felt like that with my 370 or 350 I was just too scared to find the limit because I didn't feel confident. On just one occasion I excited a dual carriageway roundabout with too much power (A38/A5 near Lichfield) I'll do a Nigel Mansell and blame the conditions (diesel spillage?). The back broke away very quickly and there was no way without the stability programme that I would have saved it. Once the huge tyres lost grip I was a passenger and I was amazed how good the car 'saved itself'.
Perhaps if Samuri are staying with Nissan a 200SX may be the way to go.
I do accept that I'm an old man - what does Kevin think of Kristian's 350? By the way my 370 was a better car than my 350 but it gave me less confidence due to more power and wider wheels, which is contrary to what most people would expect.
It will be interesting to see if your business comes from the old cars or the modern ones.
I have owned 4 Classic Zs and a 350 and a 370.
IMO yes just mine, it is not going to be easy to take the Samuri name forward in a meaningful way with the modern cars. It may be possible to do what BMW did with the Mini and make a Mini One look more sporty and increase power electronically and produce the Mini Cooper but will that be enough to increase the personality and character of the cars in the way that happened with the 70s cars?
A 370Z doesn't really need more power, better brakes or lowering. I found the car already more than enough in those areas for the public roads and modern attitudes to speed etc.
A more sporty exhaust is all I really wanted, oh and smaller wheels (which is not what the younger guys want). I think a GT86 would be a better starting point and didn't Samuri run Win Percy in a Toyota!
I have never driven or been a passenger in a GT86 but I'm led to believe that it's easier to feel more 'at one' with those than a 370Z. The huge strength of the old 70s cars was that with a little ability you could feel confident and enjoy the twisty bits and if you went a bit too quick it would let you know early and react smoothly to your input. I never felt like that with my 370 or 350 I was just too scared to find the limit because I didn't feel confident. On just one occasion I excited a dual carriageway roundabout with too much power (A38/A5 near Lichfield) I'll do a Nigel Mansell and blame the conditions (diesel spillage?). The back broke away very quickly and there was no way without the stability programme that I would have saved it. Once the huge tyres lost grip I was a passenger and I was amazed how good the car 'saved itself'.
Perhaps if Samuri are staying with Nissan a 200SX may be the way to go.
I do accept that I'm an old man - what does Kevin think of Kristian's 350? By the way my 370 was a better car than my 350 but it gave me less confidence due to more power and wider wheels, which is contrary to what most people would expect.
It will be interesting to see if your business comes from the old cars or the modern ones.
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Thinking about it (again from my perspective) we are lucky that our old cars have been investments. My 350 and 370 were my 'daily drivers' and I lost money on both even though I bought them well. I would therefore be reluctant to spend money on them, but I can always justify spending money on an old Z.
Albrecht
Well-Known Forum User
I don't hold out much hope of researched and corroborated facts replacing the oft-repeated legends. They are pretty much set in stone now. I can see a situation where the people involved in the early days of the 'Samuri' story are contradicting any rewrites, as I've been through it all before - most notably with the 'Big Sam' saga.
I think the identification/authentication/certification of previous 'Samuri' cars is also on a hiding to nothing. Having been involved in supplying parts for the build of a car which - hey presto - suddenly became a 'Super Samuri' and was given a 'build number' and authentification certificate, it's clear that the whole thing is corrupted. They are trying to make it look as though they hold a lot of period-gathered data, but it's more chaotic than that. Some noted 'Samuri' cars have clear and undisputed provenance but others are complete pantomime, and I see both being "authenticated" by the old regime.
I might as well be Devils's Advocate here and say that I think reviving the 'Samuri' brand for a new venture is not necessarily something I would recommend. There's some nice history and kudos there, but also a lot of baggage. I can't help thinking that there will be a tug of war bubbling underneath it all, with the previous ownership being unable to resist the temptation to stick an oar in from afar. I've never forgotten the nonsense - played out in public through the Z Club magazine - surrounding the 'ownership' of the name decades ago. That was not a good look.
Ross Scott
Roscoe
Time will tell Alan and I would much
I think there will definitely be a natural balance, you are completely right about the modern performance car characteristics versus a seat of the pants feel from the Z in standard or tuned form. Just like my 997 GEN II GT3 RS was a totally different proposition to my '73 Carrera RS. I am looking forwards to trying out our 350Z demonstrator with all the bells and whistles and comparing this to the standard car. There will be a wide variety of choice from Road Sport spec to Modified and Super Modified specs and everything in between it is going to be a lot of fun. We also want to work with any of the Nissan performance car tipo's and would welcome any enquiries from Silvia, Skyline or GTR owners.
At the end of the day as we all know you have to create a balance and a super engine necessitates brakes and suspension mods to keep the car on the island so it will be a journey for each owner to determine what they are looking for, hoe much they can afford and how long they want to take to get to their end-games, whatever that might be?
Kevin and Kristian did a father and son blast to the Nurburgring and by all accounts had a real blast. Kevin and I are now getting closer to the Old Man moniker than the young guns we once were so our loyalties will always slide towards the classic Z's. We were a mere 20 years old when we both had our first Z's, totally inconceivable these days as we just wouldn't get insured! We had so much fun and have an abundance of great stories from back in the day when we were care free and fearless.
Thank you for sharing your story Rob as always they are very entertaining and something we can all relate to. I also see your point about the GT86 as it is a nice car just as the ST186 Carlos Sainz GT4 I had once was also a nice car and period competitor to the Lancia Integrale that I also had. However, the cars had totally different characters and my favorite of the two will always be the Integrale but the is down to pure personal preference and the feel you got back from the car.
We will watch the barometer and take the business forward with due recognition of the prevailing climate.
Best regards,
Ross.
I think there will definitely be a natural balance, you are completely right about the modern performance car characteristics versus a seat of the pants feel from the Z in standard or tuned form. Just like my 997 GEN II GT3 RS was a totally different proposition to my '73 Carrera RS. I am looking forwards to trying out our 350Z demonstrator with all the bells and whistles and comparing this to the standard car. There will be a wide variety of choice from Road Sport spec to Modified and Super Modified specs and everything in between it is going to be a lot of fun. We also want to work with any of the Nissan performance car tipo's and would welcome any enquiries from Silvia, Skyline or GTR owners.
At the end of the day as we all know you have to create a balance and a super engine necessitates brakes and suspension mods to keep the car on the island so it will be a journey for each owner to determine what they are looking for, hoe much they can afford and how long they want to take to get to their end-games, whatever that might be?
Kevin and Kristian did a father and son blast to the Nurburgring and by all accounts had a real blast. Kevin and I are now getting closer to the Old Man moniker than the young guns we once were so our loyalties will always slide towards the classic Z's. We were a mere 20 years old when we both had our first Z's, totally inconceivable these days as we just wouldn't get insured! We had so much fun and have an abundance of great stories from back in the day when we were care free and fearless.
Thank you for sharing your story Rob as always they are very entertaining and something we can all relate to. I also see your point about the GT86 as it is a nice car just as the ST186 Carlos Sainz GT4 I had once was also a nice car and period competitor to the Lancia Integrale that I also had. However, the cars had totally different characters and my favorite of the two will always be the Integrale but the is down to pure personal preference and the feel you got back from the car.
We will watch the barometer and take the business forward with due recognition of the prevailing climate.
Best regards,
Ross.
Ross Scott
Roscoe
Thanks Alan,
I am not interested in getting drawn into the mire of the old arguments and half truths. Kevin and I would like to be judged on what we do going forward not on the past, which we cannot change. We will act in the best interests of the brand and always with honesty and integrity. I am sure that there will likely be a lot of noise and discord in some quarters and this is to be expected. However, this will not deflect Kevin nor I from our objectives in taking the business forward. We would much prefer to be judged on the here and now and what we do going forwards rather than the actions of others in the past.
Time will surely tell if we get it right? The credibility of the previous identification/authentication/certification of previous Samuri cars was at best flawed. This is something that can only be rectified over time with good governance and laying down specific criteria against which any car can be judged and the provenance verified. I consider this to be a work in progress that it is in all our interests to get right and set the records straight. There is no baggage on our side and we will move forwards irrespective of the noise generated in some quarters.
Watch this space, if you are happy to share any research or factual information and documentation regarding the Big Sam saga, then my offer to give it air time still stands.
Many thanks,
Ross.
SeanDezart
Well-Known Forum User
Your last comment Rob re 200SXs is amusing as I tried to have these included into the club when released which was refused. The Z32s were for new buyers and the boat was missed as were the Z33s and Z34s - apparently it is very difficult in our Datsun/Nissan world to attract later, newer models compared to such clubs as Jaguar, MG, TVR etc
I await to see the results of a modern 'conversion' however, I'd like to think that both moderns are ripe for backdating rather than huge performance enhancements and 'light is right' ! Would this be the UK version of Stillen ?
The S30s surely give more sensations but with Z33s at a third of the price of a decent 240Z, that leaves a margin for some over-spend surely ?
But please Ross.......be flexilble with the cars' paint - only red over brown risks to be a little kitsch.
Ross Scott
Roscoe
Thanks Sean,
I think it is really down to the choice of the owner. We can offer the Samuri Classic color scheme as one of a number of options. However, back in the day there were other color schemes. I remember silver over sapphire blue looked great and there were a number of Super Samuri’s in this livery.
The new wrapping technology is amazing and gives owners another set of options that we will be keen to explore.
It is great to get the creative juices flowing.
We will certainly aim to be all inclusive and cater for the complete family of the Nissan performance cars as well as 240/260/280 and 350/370Z’s. We will also cater for UK, Europe and overseas market offering RHD and LHD conversions to our customers, wherever they are in the world.
Today the 350/370Z are more affordable than the classic 240/260/280Z but this will also change over time as there is s natural cycle to this. We can help this by building and racing the cars that people want and most of Kristian’s generation will want the 350/370Z’s and GT-R’s.
Fun times ahead for all.
Thanks guys!
Ross.
I think it is really down to the choice of the owner. We can offer the Samuri Classic color scheme as one of a number of options. However, back in the day there were other color schemes. I remember silver over sapphire blue looked great and there were a number of Super Samuri’s in this livery.
The new wrapping technology is amazing and gives owners another set of options that we will be keen to explore.
It is great to get the creative juices flowing.
We will certainly aim to be all inclusive and cater for the complete family of the Nissan performance cars as well as 240/260/280 and 350/370Z’s. We will also cater for UK, Europe and overseas market offering RHD and LHD conversions to our customers, wherever they are in the world.
Today the 350/370Z are more affordable than the classic 240/260/280Z but this will also change over time as there is s natural cycle to this. We can help this by building and racing the cars that people want and most of Kristian’s generation will want the 350/370Z’s and GT-R’s.
Fun times ahead for all.
Thanks guys!
Ross.
Al Douglas
Club Member
Just caught this thread and very interesting reading it makes.
Definitely more than one camp and school of thought which certainly livens up the forum.
What will the cars be called Ross, and will you start your own register and if so will it include Kevin’s cars?
Cheers.
Al
Definitely more than one camp and school of thought which certainly livens up the forum.
What will the cars be called Ross, and will you start your own register and if so will it include Kevin’s cars?
Cheers.
Al
Ross Scott
Roscoe
Hi Al,
we are hoping to resolve this long standing issue and get somewhere closer to where we need to be for the sake of all the owners. We obviously will look to move forwards in the correct manner and not repeat any of the mistakes made in the past - watch this space. Our cars will be Samuri's and categorized as RoadSports, modified and Super Modified so that there is a clear definition as to the scale of the conversion. We are also looking at a high integrity authentication system we can introduce linked to a database and official register - more on this to follow.
Thank you for your support.
Best regards,
Ross.