| Yesterday I has the privilege of spending some time with Steve Millen at his shop to chat about the SMZ project from nearly 20 years ago. (If you are not a fan of the SMZ you can stop reading now.) I have been researching the SMZ for the last year or so.. I guess you could call it a hobby. There has been a lot of missing info in the story and I figured I would see what I could find out with some research. This has included conversations with some of the people at Nissan at the time who worked with Steve and a few other SMZ owners. I am going to pull all this information together in an FAQ for those who care along with some resources of info and decal images just incase someone with an SMZ needs them. The story of how the SMZ came to be is an interesting one and I really enjoyed having the chance to hear the details from Steve and a few of the guys from his shop (most of the guys who worked on the project still work at Stillen.) And of course the real treat was getting a chance to see SMZ #1... which isn't actually the first one built... it was one of the last. they saved #1 until they were ready to build a car for Steve to keep. Stillen's operation is quite impressive. I know he's moved on to more modern cars which kind of rubs a few people on here the wrong way... but I have to say that I was really surprised to see that they do all their own design and manufacturing in house. I didn't expect to see that level of manufacturing and CNC milling work going on in Orange County next to the SNA runway. Steve was very kind to spend some time with me and share some of his story and passion for racing and great cars. Anyway... if you have an SMZ and you are interested in more info or are willing to share a little info about your car please PM me. A few of us are working on putting together a list of all 104 SMZ and where they are today (or at least where they started their lives.) I am sure some are tucked away with very few miles and we know a few have been wrecked. More info coming (for those who care)... but here are a few interesting facts: Total production cars for north America: 104. + at least 3 test/press cars(if you count everything built its about 110 cars), at least 1 of the test cars was production quality and Nissan later sold to an employee. What years? The test and press cars were 1994 cars (that is why many of the press reviews show photo's of cars with the 1994 bumper and the old pearl white color.) The 1994 test/press cars were still numbered with a 95-xxx number plate. Production started with 1995 cars... most SMZ (almost all) are 1995. A few 1996 cars were made.. still verifying how many but it seems to be in the single digits. If you have a question about the SMZ you want answered just let me know and I will see what i can find out.
greggregtay.com - www.gregtay.com
Redmond, WA - http://www.zccw.org/ |
