Jeff Caldwell was working in sales for Tweeks LTD in 1995. This was a Datsun/Nissan and Porsche parts retailer with a location on the Westside of Indianapolis. On a daily basis he was in contact with Z enthusiasts and Z car clubs across the nation. Z clubs were planning for the Z Nationals and the 25th Anniversary of the Z car. A special promotion had been devised to have a baton relay crossing the nation in the form of a Z, ending in Atlanta, Georgia for the convention. A segment of the relay ran through Indianapolis with Cincinnati handing off to Chicago. The gathering was a parking lot in Carmel. There was two beautifully prepared Stillen Special Edition Z32’s taking part. A young race driver that had had some success driving the Z32 for Nissan was there to sign autographs. He didn’t attract much attention and it would be a few years before Tony Stewart would become a racing superstar.
Jeff was disappointed that the Indianapolis area did not have a Z car club to host this special event. He was a Corvair owner and the president of the Circle City Corvair Club at the time and wondered if the locals would be interested in starting a Z car club. Jeff posted a sign up page at Tweeks service counter and waited patiently to see if anyone signed up. After a while he noticed that about 10 names were on the list. In January of 1996, Jeff got together with Dave Rich and Mary Etta Ruley for the first organizational meeting and decided to proceed with the formation of a club. They used the Corvair Club as a blueprint for organization and decided on the first meeting involving all of those interested would be held in February at Collins Nissan on Lafayette Road. A personal tragedy in Jeff and Becky’s family caused that meeting to be postponed until March, 1996. Mary Etta Ruley, an attorney with Toastmaster’s Club experience was asked to serve as the club’s first Prezident. She was the proud owner of a 280Z named Zelda. The founding members, attending that March 1996 meeting, were James Burry, Jeff & Becky Caldwell, Greg Dixon. Clint Helmold, Jim Malley, Dave Rich, Karl Schmitz, Scott Rhoades, John Williams and Mary Etta Ruley.
At the first meeting the members decided on a club name, elected officers and worked on a logo design. The club quickly grew to 24 members by November of 1996. Ads were placed in Trader Magazine to promote membership. The club had a banner year in 1998 when Jeff received a call from Nissan Corporate inviting the club to participate in the 25th Anniversary celebration of the R & D Department in Novi, Michigan. The club made the road trip to Novi with 20 cars of varying years and generations. There the club members met with the Nissan president and were treated to plenty of food and drink. The Indy Z Car Club was the only Z car club in attendance so garnered plenty of attention. They got a tour of the facility and at the conclusion of the event were handed generous VIP gift bags. It’s always feels good to be King for a Day.
The club developed over the years and hosted the first Midwest Z Heritage Car Show on June 24, 2000 at Hubler Nissan. Prior to that the club had shared shows with the Ohio Z Club, before it split into three groups. The club did some cruises to Turkey Run and Oliver Winery, which became established as club favorites over the years. The club participated in the World of Wheels events in 2000 and 2001 to promote the club. Trophies were won each year. There were two events hosted at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which premiered the 2003 350Z coupe and the 2004 350Z Roadster. More recently in 2007, 2009 and 2013 the club hosted three very successful Midwest Z Heritage shows in Brown County, Nashville, Indiana. The club has also been very active in the ZCCA National Convention events as members have successfully shown their cars in Cleveland, San Antonio, Nashville TN, Savannah, Phoenix and Nashua NH.