Just a few weeks before the DTM, Noud, one of the founders of Wangan Warriors, asked me if I wanted to come along to the SXCE Nürmeet. As a big fan of the DTM, but also Japanese cars this wasn’t an easy choice. The DTM is one of the highlights on my calendar, but I also knew the Nürmeet would be a great way to spend the weekend. After a week of being in a dilemma, I decided on the Nürmeet. I just knew I’d regret not coming along, and looking back on my decision, I’m sure I made the right choice.
A little background information: The SXCE Nürmeet is a weekend long meeting for owners of Nissan S chassis cars. This year would be the 11th time, and would for the first time be organized by Nils. After 10 years of organizing this meet, Alex decided it was time to pass the torch to someone else. Luckily Nils was there to take over, as he felt it would be a shame if this tradition came to an end.
Our Nürmeet weekend began on Thursday night, as I drove over to Noud’s house. This way we would still have time to run some errands on Friday morning. After we got back, it was time to see what we could fit in the S13. It didn’t take long to discover there was no way to fit all of our stuff in there. Luckily we wouldn’t be the only ones heading towards the Eiffel. Paul, another Wangan Warrior, would also be traveling along in his SX, so we were hoping he had some room left.
Once Paul arrived, we came to the pleasing conclusion he indeed had loads of room left, so we were able to fit the rest of our luggage in Paul’s car. After an oil check and a quick wash, it was time to hit the road!
It was the first time for me riding along in an S13, and I can’t really think of a more awesome one that Noud’s car. Powered by an RB25DET, it certainly doesn’t lack power. It also has a fairly loud BOV, which for some reason kept putting a big smile on my face.
Getting closer to our destination of Niederheckenbach, the landscape changed from almost flat to beautiful hills and twisty roads. It’s one of the things that make the Eiffel so appealing.
Once we arrived, we found a nice spot to park, where we were greeted by Nils. After a quick chat, we unpacked and started putting up the tents.
I brought along a small tent I borrowed from my girlfriend, but it looked like I wouldn’t need it. Noud and his cousin Tom brought their tents and decided to combine the two to create something that looked more like a small house than a tent. After we were done building our small village, we decided to head into the town of Adenau to grab a small bite to eat, as no one else was there yet.
When we got back, we found more people had arrived and were busy setting up their tents. Most of the other guests were already chilling out at the barbecue, where some delicious pieces of meat and various other dishes were waiting for us.
After everyone had finished eating, it was time for a personal introduction round. There were plenty of people that had attended the Nürmeet several times before, with our without their SX.
There were also people that chose to use a more comfortable mode of transportation, like Johannes, his beard and his girlfriend, who instead of an SX, arrived in a big campervan.
When the introductions were over, it was time for some drinks at the fire and enjoy the rest of the evening.
The next morning, after we had breakfast, we were greeted by two other members of the blog team, Rens and Allard. They were spending a day at the Nürburgring, so they decided to pay us a visit and check out some of the cars.
In the meantime even more cars had showed up, so the parking lot was filling up nicely. There was a nice drive planned in the afternoon, so until then, there was plenty of time for other things.
For most of us that meant swapping out more car-related stories or discussing some of the modifications on the cars.
It was not uncommon to see people standing around the front of a car, checking out the engine. But then I noticed a group of people at the back of this Sileighty.
Daniel, the owner of the Sileighty, had brought along one of his hobby projects and had created this awesome display of the Nürmeet campsite! Some of the cars were scale models you can get from the Furuta Choco Eggs. The others he made himself by creating a mould from the scale models he already had. A project like this shows that the Nürmeet isn’t just your ordinary meeting.
Before it was time for the planned afternoon drive, we headed off to a location nearby for a photoshoot with a very clean S15, which in our opinion deserved a Spotlight, so expect to see this car again on our blog. While I was doing my thing with my camera, the rest of the group was relaxing and having a chat.
When we got back, Noud and I were tasked with driving ahead to a planned location to take photos of the cars coming by. It was a pleasure seeing all these lovely Nissans driving on such a beautiful road. Some of them made me wonder how they could drive around without scraping constantly.
After everyone got back from the drive, there was more relaxing to be done. Once again everybody got well taken care of during dinner, with some more delicious meat from the barbecue.
Niels and Yvonne had prepared the night’s entertainment, in the form of a quiz about all things SX. The group was divided into two teams and the prize was one full year of glory and honour, until the next Nürmeet takes place.
That night I also got to experiment with something I had never tried before: light painting. I had brought along a small LED-panel, which I sometimes use for video work, and had some fun with it. It took a few tries to find the right exposure and light strength though. Even though this isn’t really my style, it was fun to give it a go and learn new things.
The next day it was time to visit the famous Nürburgring to check out some of the cars on the track during the ‘touristenfahrten’. There’s a great variety in vehicles during these sessions, from old-timer motorcycles to cars built for the Ring.
Aside from some cool cars on the track, we also noticed this Skyline 350GT. It’s not a car you see often, and we all agreed it deserved one of our ‘Like’ cards.
We also gave another SX some extra attention. This time it was Niels’ S13, perhaps the cleanest one at the Nürmeet and one of my personal favourites of the weekend. Make sure to check the blog once this Spotlight goes online!
After the shoot, it was time for us to get a bite to eat. Back at the campsite, we once again managed to stuff all of our things back into the cars. Before we could leave though, Noud had to show off his RB25 for one last time this weekend.
Time to head home, while trying to enjoy every last bit of scenery that this beautiful place has to offer.
Everything was going quite smooth, until we had a sudden loss of power. Pulling over on the side of the Autobahn isn’t one of the most fun things to do, but luckily Paul was quick to find the problem. The intercooler had decided to partially detach itself from the rest of the system. It took Noud only a few minutes to fasten the intercooler and reattach the piping, so we could continue our journey.
Those last minutes of light can be absolutely amazing, and even though we were on a highway, we could still enjoy this pretty sight.
There we were, back at Noud’s place, with the S13 safely back in the garage, after an absolutely fantastic weekend. Great people, cool cars and a beautiful location, the Nürmeet had it all and there’s no doubt that next year will be just as good.
Special thanks go to Noud for letting me ride shotgun in his awesome S13 the entire weekend, Nils for organizing the event and Alex for being the one to start the Nürmeet tradition. See you next year!
-Maurice Bergers
Twitter: @MauriceBergers
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