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There have been other lists and websites dedicated to the "3S" line, which is a testimony to the high-tech mindset of so many of the owners of these very special automobiles. The internet is the ideal place for us to share our experiences..., both in maintaining our cars, and to squeezing out even more performance from an already feature-rich design. From the time the first-generation 1991 models were first offered for sale (late 1990), to the last Stealth (1996) and the last 3000GT (1999), owners have used "the net" to spread the word about our cars.
Mike Suter started the first "email list" with some other owners who had, up to that point, only exchanged emails. It was called the Dragnet list, named after the server it was on. Within a short time, he broke away from the problematic setup there to form the Starnet list, also named after it's server address. Click here for a more detailed history, most of which is in Mike's own words... Both the Dragnet and Starnet lists are still in existence. The first 3S website was the
Dodge Stealth / Mitsubishi 3000GT Information Site, which is still maintained by its originator, Santo Nucifora. It remains an excellent resource for 3S information. It also contains archives from early posts to the Starnet list.
The originators of the Team3S list are alumni of those earlier list efforts. We are also among the "founding fathers" of an organization that was formed while we were members of Starnet, called "3000GT/Stealth International" (3Si). The reason for this group was to have a member database, and, complete with logo and letterhead, our intention was to create a recognizable "force" with which to deal with vendors and manufacturers. But around that same time, many of us business folks on the Starnet list were becoming frustrated with its open and unmoderated "free-for-all" atmosphere and the chat and flames that became the norm rather than the exception. With many of us involved in professional pursuits, we didn't have time to waste on the "fluff" on the Starnet list that had nothing to do with our cars.
We left Starnet to form our own list, called "Team3S", with that name being chosen for it's helpful, joint-effort connotation. Our choice was to maintain similar standards set by Starnet, but without having to read 100+ mostly 'chat' posts and the other detrimental aspects-- Flames, ill-mannered behavior, and off-topic banter would not be allowed on our list, which would be made up of only "ladies" and "gentlemen" owners of the Stealth and 3000GT. Our Team3S list is made up of people with a sense of "netiquette" and propriety, with respect for one another and the few simple rules that we all have agreed to. The obnoxious and the rude needn't apply...
Around the same time as Team3S was formed, one of the other 3Si founders, Eric Lotter (also a Team3S member), formed the website, www.3Si.org, both as a central location from which to sign up new 3Si members, and to provide an information website in a "Club" atmosphere, complete with chat rooms and a posting board. We encourage all Stealth and 3000GT owners to join 3Si, and to visit his website. To the "newbies" to these sites, it may appear that we are the same organization, but we are only related by history, as above. The Team3S logo and the 3Si logos were all designed by one of the Team3S Admins, Bob Forrest, who made them similar in order to keep a certain cohesiveness among the various 3S owner communities. But the Team3S and 3Si websites are completely separate entities, with only similar logo design and a long-term friendship connecting us. The "S3" logo design (used in the 3Si numbered decals) was done independently by Team3S member Eric Bowden, another of the founders of 3Si, and one of the earliest contributors to the 3S community.
The Team3S website is designed, like our list, for the busy professionals among us. We have families and jobs, businesses to run, etc. We don't have enough free time for chat rooms and the like... We want our information fast and detailed, but without waiting for all the latest "bells and whistles" that are the usual fare on web pages, and the seemingly interminable download times associated with them. To keep our page-loading times short, we will only allow a few small banners and inserts, and even those will only be by list members; no external commercial banners (or cookies!) will be allowed on our website.
Many of us on the list have technical backgrounds, so we have included a great deal of highly specific content on our website as well - not just in the "How-To" sections, but even in the more experimental and theoretical areas. Our intent is to provide the maximum amount of information in the shortest possible time. With all the serious hobbyists, tech-heads, engineers, automotive professionals and member-vendors on our list, we are proud that we are apparently accomplishing our goal.
Enjoy the website, and feel free to submit your own information for inclusion on it. And we hope to 'see you' on the Team3S list!
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