As soon as I stepped off my flight in SFO, I was worrying that my overpreparedness would give away my newbie status. Similar to showing up for the first day of a new job dressed in a suit while all your coworkers show up in t-shirts and shorts, I was starting to feel a little conspicuous.
[Ed note: I am so excited to be bringing you our first-ever car review from a member. That’s right! We know Liyan because he’s an active commenter and a big part of our Discord. It’s just one of the many perks of becoming a member. Please see his full write-up on what the car was like. – MH]
My communications with my Autopian handler did not help my confidence. I mean, just look at how thoroughly he seemed to enjoy mocking me on The Autopian Discord:
It was ridiculous! I haven’t even owned a pair of Pilotis in years.
The Basics
Event: Nissan 400Z Nismo manual press event.
Location: Sonoma Raceway.
Transportation: Included.
Vehicles Involved: Nissan 400Z Performance manual, Nissan 400Z Nismo manual, Nissan Armada.
Fuel Economy: A lot of fuel was burned.
Event Style: Track drive impression.
Price: Nissan paid for all transportation and costs to and from the event.
What Am I Doing?
Ever applied to one of those “Be a ___ for a day” contests? I certainly did as a kid, but never won. Now, as a middle aged adult, I had somehow won one of those contests when Autopian asked me to cover the refreshed Nissan Z launch. I’m sure I got asked because nobody on staff wanted to cover a relatively stripped down event for a car that isn’t at the forefront of people’s consciousness. (Even I had almost forgotten the 400Z existed.) To me though, this was Christmas arriving early
[Ed note: We really wanted to send a member to a test event and, for various reasons (not the least of which is that he owns and tracks a K-swapped Lotus), we trust Liyan. It actually sounded like a super fun event that we’d all have enjoyed! – MH]
Where Is It?
Sonoma Raceway! A racetrack I’ve always loved but have barely driven. And of course, to me, going to a racetrack meant bringing my helmet, but apparently that’s a faux pas.
What Is It?
A track impression drive focusing on the newly available manual version of the 400Z Nismo. In reality, by press launch standards, this Nissan event was fairly small and subdued. Reflecting the Z’s positioning in the market, there were only two waves of journalists and influencers spread out over two days. The actual drive only lasted half a day and was limited to just Sonoma Raceway itself.
I had always assumed each manufacturer puts on their own press event. I was wrong. In reality, there are a handful of companies that specialize in putting on car launches, and manufacturers typically contract the events out to them. The automakers mostly fly their staff out to attend the events, same as the journalists and influencers. This lends itself to regular attendees developing a high degree of familiarity with event staff. I felt like a newcomer joining a club where everyone else knew each other.
Where Did We Stay?
Carneros Resort and Spa, a property offering private cabins for each booking. Over the years, I’ve heard references to press launches providing swanky travel and accommodations. This might have been a smaller event than others, but this resort is much fancier than something I would ever book myself. Furthermore, all drinks and food in the room were covered, although I only drank a water. No wonder everyone wants to be an auto journalist.
Now this resort was, depending on traffic, anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours away from the local airport, SFO. After checking my booking and seeing no mention of transportation, I booked my own rental car because I generally do not like Ubers.
Except, the day of the event, I received an email with a schedule that mentioned shuttle times. Nobody had mentioned a shuttle to me! I guess it was just assumed that shuttles would be provided?! Another quick check with my handler made me realize Autopian staff was probably awaiting my updates with popcorn:
Turns out, this “shuttle” was actually a private fully loaded Nissan Armada. I later learned that these are Nissan fleet vehicles that are shipped out to work the events before being shipped back to Nissan by the event organizer. Upon arrival, I was informed that dinner would be at “The Hilltop” and I would have some time to freshen up beforehand.
Did They Feed Us?
There was an informal dinner at the venue, scheduled for 6:30 pm. Now, punctuality is important for making a good first impression. Therefore, I left my room a few minutes earlier than needed to ensure I arrived at dinner on time.
Upon arrival I noticed a lot of well dressed people at the event. Too many well dressed people. Turns out, I had ended up at another event, perhaps a university recruiting dinner. Somehow, I had managed to incorrectly interpret “just go down this road to The Hilltop and you’ll run into the dinner venue.” A panicked and 15 minutes of running around the resort ensued, before finally arriving at the front desk and requesting a golf cart ride to “the Nissan event.” Hilariously, I was joined in the golf cart by someone else who could not find the university event I had inadvertently stumbled into.
Now tardy, sweaty, and more than a little flustered, I arrived at the dinner and immediately recognized faces from major publications as well as big name YouTubers, just people whose content I had consumed for years, but never met. It was a bit of a star-struck moment, but I tried to act cool.
The food was okay, but the conversation was very fun. Fortuitously, I picked out a seat at a big dinner table that allowed for great conversation. The topics included cars, but also other things such as travel, kids, and even common contacts that I shared with these people who were strangers just an hour ago. It was all a very enjoyable conversation.
At the end of dinner, a gigantic cake was presented with “National V6 Day” written on top. Apparently, Nissan is trying to make May 6th (with V being the Roman Numeral for five, the month of May) V6 day, to celebrate the company’s many V6 offerings over the years. Considering the sheepishness of everyone involved, I’m going to make a bold prediction and say National V6 Day will probably not catch on. [Ed Note: I’m a fan of V6 day and support Nissan in this quest. -DT].
How About The Event Itself?
Morning dawned on Sonoma Raceway. A line of 400Zs of all colors were lined up in the pitlane. A shelf full of clean helmets was wheeled outside, ready for journalist heads. But first, breakfast and a presentation from Nissan.
Nissan’s presentation was short and fairly low key, but seemed geared towards communicating two messages: (1) they are listening to feedback and improving the 400Z based on input provided to the team and (2) this was an important vehicle to Nissan even if it is not a sales superstar. A short technical presentation detailing the changes to the 400Z and a Q&A session was followed by an announcement that we were heading out on track, in groups. I was in the first group.
How Was The Drive?
A full review of the manual 400Z Nismo is provided elsewhere. Instead, here, I will focus on the experience of the drive itself.
In a word, I got my butt kicked and my ego humbled. Auto journalists have a reputation for not being the best drivers. I, on the other hand, have some triple-digit number of track days attended (I’ve long since lost count) and some of the quicker lap times ever set by a Lotus Elise at my local Southern California tracks. Surely a mere press drive should be no problem. Or so I thought.
The drive format was an instructor leading two journalists, who would swap positions after a couple laps. The first time out, I was the second car in the train and very quickly started to lose touch with the car in front of me. Unbeknownst to me, the journalist in the first car was in charge of vehicle dynamics testing at his outlet and knew how to drive. Also, I was completely petrified of crashing Nissan’s car, was not used to the lead-follow format, not used to driving a rather floppy 400Z Performance instead of a buttoned up Lotus, not used to having so much power, and not used to Sonoma Raceway itself. In one 4-lap session, my ego was crushed into smithereens. It was humbling. Leaving my try-hard full face helmet in my luggage turned out to be a good decision, indeed.
I drove a further few sessions and things got better and better, but the feeling of stepping out of the car after that initial humbling will stay with me. I’m now considering pairing my Lotus with something a little less communicative and with far more power, just so I can sharpen my skills on a different instrument.
Did The Event Live Up To Your Expectations?
It was a wonderful experience, but in ways I did not initially expect. Being at Sonoma Raceway with a performance car, I thought the thing I would enjoy most would be the driving. In reality, the most enjoyable aspect was having the opportunity to talk with the staff and engineers behind the project and get to know their perspective and line of thought.
Most vehicles are produced by a team of passionate people. Being able to discuss the motivation and the reasoning behind their choices in their decisions for the product was illuminating and eye opening. And ultimately, that is what will stay with me, rather than the accommodations or the drive. I thought I was going for the driving, but ended up valuing the conversations.
Three Things to Know About The Event
- There is a significant personality difference between the print journalists and the influencers / YouTubers. It is apparent from the very beginning.
- Staff of the third party contractor putting on the event fly in from all over the country.
- The National V6 Day cake was very delicious.
Will You Do It Again?
That is a decision that is above my pay grade, but it was a great experience for me. I will say, having to do a bunch of these events one after another would be exhausting.
I found myself feeling a little guilty being away from my family for even the short time of this event. So I was fairly glad to arrive at my home airport, my helmet still in the carry-on luggage after needing to gate check the luggage. I removed the helmet for inspection and was pleased that it was undamaged. Then I got into the elevator and promptly banged the helmet against the elevator wall by accident. Classic.
Shouldn’t have brought that dang helmet to begin with. D’oh!
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