We missed the 2013 Motorsport Auto Z-car Nationals back in April since we were at the Solvang Datsun Roadster Show. Turnout was great and fellow Z-car owner Joe K has a detailed report on his trek from the Bay Area to Socal with his pristine red ’95 Z32TT. Joe is the original owner of the Z and we first met at the All-Datsun Meet in Mt.Shasta almost a decade ago. Thanks Joe and congrats on your 1st place win! Read on to see pictures from the show and check out the gallery after the jump!

In my opinion, there are car owners and then there are car enthusiasts. What separates one from another is that the former own a car and rely on them to drive from point A to point B. The latter not only depends on driving from point A to point B but also enjoys the whole experience of ownership from being able to lovingly care for the car, complement a beautiful day by driving the car, and being able to share that experience of ownership with others. To me, when it comes to my 1995 300ZX Twin Turbo, it is this pride of ownership that allows me to take pause from my busy everyday life and live life instead of just be a part of it.

I have been fortunate to experience the Motorsport Auto Z-Car West Coast Nationals since 2001. Living in the Bay Area, it was always nice to take a couple of days off from work and take a nice drive to Southern California for this event. 2013 was no different for me. As a proud original owner of my Z with 194,000+ miles on the original motor, transmission, and turbos, I finally took my car in for a mild refresh. Every other Motorsport show that I entered, she did so with her stock powerplant in place with mild performance upgrades. This refresh involved upgraded turbos, breather modifications, and a multitude of other performance and aesthetic upgrades that I won’t bore you with the details. After the upgrades, my Z still breathed fire and would pull just like she did when I picked her up from the lot with 6 miles. She just pulls a little harder, a little faster, and looks sexy doing so. My friends and I registered for the show and headed down to Orange, CA for the show.

Driving down the 5 to Socal for the umpteenth time, it was nice to be surrounded by other Z32s and reminisce about the early times. As other cars passed us or as we passed other cars, I noted that some drivers and passengers still give us the thumbs up. It is amazing that pulling into a gas station or restaurant, I still get approached by people who have not seen a Z32 before and think it’s a new model for Nissan. Others who are familiar with Z32s often complement us on how beautiful our cars are.

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