OK everybody ~ today's the day! It seems like a Loooooonnnng time since we've had a meeting, since our August meeting was moved up a week. So it's been longer since we've zeen the family together this time.

Neon John Williamson will be our guest tonight. John will tell us about today's racing helmets and what requirements the SCCA and CART have for racing hats. http://forums.ctzcc.com/viewtopic.php?p=12951#12951
Our WebWiZard Jim Hagani will coordinate this meeting and show us some videos of Club races over this past summer. Be sure to watch for your Z in Jim's video!

As always, you will be fed and watered. Paul Miller whispered some secret plans to make us remember this meeting, but didn't divulge much more. We had a great time at this dealership last year, and we all left feeling thoroughly 'MilleriZed'. Our member Robert Maxwell works there and is our Pointman for coordinating this meeting. If you have a good time tonight, be sure to thank Robert before you leave.

SO ~ everybody tell one person about this meeting tonight. Seriously.
Pick up the phone or email your Z buddy and remind them of this meeting. 7-9PM, Exit 24 off I-95. Wear some Z gear and drive your Z. Come and have some fun and zee what kind of food Paul Miller Nissan has planned for us!

The Zeason is fast drawing to a close . Zoon it will be time to put your Z to rest for the winter. . You need this meeting. You need to zee your brothers and sisters again. Call a Z buddy and haul yrslvs down to Miller Nissan in Fairfield at 7PM tonight.

Z y'all there.

Frank

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1970 240Z

well Zee you tonight Frank! i love it that this meeting is just 15 minutes from work for me.

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Mike Tubiak
1978 Datsun 280Z - HLS30-438694

We had a good time here tonight! Meeting coordinator Jim Hagani worked together with our member (and Miller employee) Robert Maxwell to provide everything we needed for a great night!

30 carz showed up (including Lucky #13 and Vinny's sensational 510), carrying 41 members. We even had three convertibles and three new members make tonight's meeting!

We were settled into the spacious meeting hall with a Datsun 1500 Roadster and a GT-R for ambiance! It set the mood for a Z meeting perfectly!

Great thanks to new member Mark (350Z North Haven) for meeting up with me and shadowing me both ways to make sure my 240 made the trip without conking out. I had replaced the ignition switch 17 miles ago and that seems to have resolved the problem of suddenly QUITTING for no apparent reason. It was good to know Mark was the next car back, just in case my Z decided to stop dead on the interstate.

Jim invited Neon John Williamson to speak about racing helmets. John has been selling them for many moons and explained the basics about buying a very good brain bucket for a very reasonable price. Rich and Scott from RDZ gave us a brief review of how the all new RDZ shop is doing, and will host us for an unscheduled Club Meeting at their place next month! YAY! An extra meeting! (And they talked about serving us LOBSTER!!! I can't wait!).

Jim also showed us the DVD video he made of our Zs on the AutoCross track in Bristol last month. He made it seem so professional ~ I wish I could learn to transfer ANYTHING from my camera onto a DVD!

It was significant that the YOUNGEST member of our Club (Patrick) and the NEWEST member of our Club (Mark) both showed up for their very first monthly meeting tonight! I watched both of them throughout the night and they each made many new Z friends. And I found it very impressive that Keith H. has given his beard to Ross for the upcoming cold weather. Ross actually looks pretty good in it, too. What a great Club.

THANK YOU to Robert and Jim for making this a comfortable, fun and informative meeting!

It makes me anxious for next month!

Frank

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1970 240Z

The meeting was a lot of fun. We were casual and there were a lot of laughs.

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1970 240Z

There were benefits of attending tonight!

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1970 240Z

It was a busy meeting, with a lot of info exchanged.

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1970 240Z

this truly was a great meeting! lots going on. the first meeting where i was the last one to leave. i will be definitely ordering my "brain bucket" soon so i can get the closeout price. i hopefully will be Autocrossing next year. i had fun getting the guided tour of Rick and Kathy's new trailer. very impressive! great job Rick! and it was nice to Zee Frank fixed his gremlin issue. it was nice to see one of my new Z buddies Dan. we had fun chatting it up. And i think Keith is close to getting in a 350Z that Paul Miller has for sale there. Come on Keith do it! this Z is sweet. it's the same one Isaac and I looked at. beautiful car! it ended up just four of us left. Scott, Rich, Keith and Myself. i am looking forward to the fall outing and the meeting at RDZ! oh and how can i forget sitting in the GT-R?? just awesome!! maybe if i tell my mom she only needs to buy me this and it will be like one present for all my future birthdays... well as always it was nice to Zee all my Z brothers! and not to get you guys too excited but i might have 4 lugs on ALL my wheels by the fall outing.

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Mike Tubiak
1978 Datsun 280Z - HLS30-438694

oh and it was nice too see Mark again and his sweet 350z convertible. and great Job on the video Jim and the meeting! and i think for future meetings we should have new members introduce themselves just like we did last. i thought that was nice.

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Mike Tubiak
1978 Datsun 280Z - HLS30-438694

From the "Membership" perspective, I wholeheartedly agree that Jim's idea last night was a winner. In the past I have asked for a show of hands from anyone who was attending for the first time, but Jim's call for personal introductions made absolute sense. I feel we should adopt that henceforth, and wonder what the heck I was thinking before this.

It's far more personal and friendly this way, as well as common-sense courtesy. New joins should have the chance to introduce themselves and tell us why they found their way into a Z Club.

I feel like apologiZing to anyone who joined recently and didn't get asked to stand and deliver. DUHHH! Sometimes I have the tact of a rattlesnake.

Frank

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1970 240Z

Great pics, wonderful meeting.
It's about time to come again!!

Thor

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T. Link
Germany
1971 240z (HLS30-16506)

Here are the pictures from last night's meeting. Again, sorry for the delay!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/philctzcc/2 ... 8898575298

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Phil
1981 280zxt - Now in the care my son!
2014 370Z Sports Touring Roadster

Believe it or not, I think I had even more fun than you guys did...it was a blast planning the meeting, seeing it all come together and then feeling the positive vibes afterwards. But, as we've said all along, the reason this club works so well is that we have a remarkably great group of members.

- Jim

PS: Thank you again to the Miller Family, Robert Maxwell and everyone else at Miller Nissan! I'm already looking forward having our Sept. 2011 meeting there (so save the date: Sept. 14th).

Oh, hey ~ I was so wrapped up in describing how much fun we all had, I forgot to mention one of the more-important elements of our meeting, for those of us who weren't there on Wednesday.

Our member Don Mei stood to advise us of an important new CT law which has been passed, which will allow us to pay a LOT less tax on our classic Zs (or any other classic car you might own).

Go to your local town tax assessor's office and tell them you have a classic car (or cars) and want an application to have it (or them) reassessed under the new law. If you fill out and submit the form BEFORE OCTOBER FIRST, you can get your car listed on the Grand List at a $500 maximum assessment for taxes, regardless of its actual value. Depending on your individual town, you might pay about $15 a year tax for that car. AND, you no longer have to have it registered with an antique plate to be eligible for this!

Don told us all the details on it, including the name and number of the new State Statute which makes this possible. Maybe he'll chime in here and cite it for those of us who couldn't be with us on Wed?

In any event, don't wait ~ the window of opportunity is small and closing quickly. You must submit your completed request before the 01Oct deadline date. Haul yrslf down to your town tax assessor and grab that form NOW!!!

Frank

*(Just a quick blurb to tell you THIS WORKS. I just now returned from my town hall, where I was the only person at the tax assessor's counter. Told them what I wanted, they handed me the simple one-page form which I filled in and handed back. Because i had already paid my MV taxes this year, they cut me a check for $99. I was back on the street in 6 minutes. From now on my tax on my Z will be $13 a year. Is this a great country, or what? THANKS DON!)

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1970 240Z

Let me try to clarify the changes in the CT paroperty tax law as it applies to older vehicles.

OLD LAW-Under the old law a vehicle at least 25 years old could obtain an antique license plate from the CT DMV. Doing so would cap the assessment on the vehicle at $500.00 , resulting in an annual town tax of $12 to $20 , depending upon the local tax rate. Failure to get the antique plate could have and often did result in the vehicle being taxed in the hundreds of dollars beause the town assessors began using collector car price guides to establish assessed values. The tax on my 1958 Corvette jumped from $80 to $400 a number of years ago because I did not want to give up a vanity plate I had at the time. Needless to say, the new tax bill had me running to DMV as fast as I could.

NEW LAW-Effective in October of 2008 a number of changes were made to the property tax rules applying to vintage cars: First, The age requirement was dropped from 25 years to 20 years. Secondly, it is no longer necessary to get an antique plate from DMV to limit the assessment. You can retain your original CT plate, whether or not its a vanity plate. So far so good. You must however go to the assessors office in the town where the vehicle is registered and fill out an affidavit certifying that the car is being preserved because of historic interest and is unmodified. Your assessor should have the appropriate form; if not, I can send you a copy of the one I have. Note also that they originally told me at the Branford assessors office the form would have to be completed every year. I told them I could find nothing in the statute requiring annual completion (I am not however an attorney) and Branford at least seems to have acquiesed to my point. I would strongly urge you to file the affidavit by the October 1, 2010. List date. Any questions, feel free to call me at my office; 203.483.9155.

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DN MEI
1996 300ZX
1971 240Z SCCA IT/Vintage racecar

I really want to THANK YOU guys for posting such great pics of the meetings and such detailed description of what takes place there. It really lets us guys from SO far away feel like a real part of the club. Someday I will make it to the East Coast and attend a meeting. Pronbably not this or next year but one of these days. I really enjoy the pics. I actually try to zoom in on the name tags so I can know who is who in the pics. ( Frank and Ross's are the easiest to read )

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Bill James
Western Nebraska
1979 280zx coupe parts car
1980 280 zx coupe
2005 Pathfinder
1971 240 z
1982 280zx, 1977 &1974 corvettes