On Saturday, March 19 we attended the Tokyo Calling event hosted by Breakfast Club Rally. Z Car Garage participated with a group of client cars and enjoyed a wonderful day of driving through the foothills of Sonoma, Ca. The event also featured 200 Japanese classics and 90’s-era wonders to appreciate during the morning social gathering and rest stops. Enjoy our report with mega-photo gallery and video!

 

Breakfast Club Rally

 

The Breakfast Club Rally (BCR) started almost 2 years ago, now running its 27th rally event. What started out as a small group enjoying weekend drives blossomed into a full-on Cars and Coffee (still unofficial) meet just before rally participants head out according to run group (rally map available to pre-registrants only). The monthly BCR is always free/open to all makes and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to enjoy the beautiful Northern California roads and scenery. You can see my previous BCR reports HERE!

 

The BCR: Tokyo Calling event was a little different: this was an all-Japanese, mostly-vintage rally and we did not want to miss it. I assembled a group of Z Car Garage clients to participate and we left the shop at 5:45am to make the 7am starting point in Sonoma. Our cars:

 

Rob and Nick drove Mrs. Butters, our Series 1 shop 240z. This Series 1 S30 features a 3.2L with triple-Mikuni induction, Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, ZCG Heat Shield, 6-speed transmission and full KW suspension (releasing soon).

 

Dirk’s 1973 Datsun 240z is back on the road with a fresh engine,  Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles and Silvia 6-speed transmission. Full report coming to zcarblog.com

 

Linda’s 1972 Official OMS Pace Car Duplicate. Fifty were originally produced by Nissan Motors to commemorate the DATSUN 240Z being selected by the Ontario Motor Speedway to Pace the 1972 “U.S.A.C. California 500 Championship”. ZCG made it a runner, full report soon!

 

Felix’s 1996 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo representing Z32s!

 

We had 4 Nissan R32 Skyline GT-Rs! Above, from L to R with more photos in the gallery below: Mike’s R32 (TE37 wheels), Lee’s R32 (BBS wheels), Pall’s AH3 R32 and Miles’ R32 on Ray’s wheels. Andreas’ R30 Skyline was also present!

 

The Bring a Trailer Datsun 240Z was driven by Robert of BaT!

 

Our guest Jonathan Buhler (Sr. Specialist Corporate Communications at Nissan) piloted “Mr. C”, our stock, one-owner Series 1 Z.

Leading the caravan to Sonoma was yours truly in this 1965 Nissan Silvia. Huge thanks to our client Rick K for giving us the opportunity to enjoy this gorgeous (and rare) specimen. Full update on this Datsun Roadster-based gem soon!

Tokyo is Calling before the Rally!

 

Our crew arrived at the rally start in Sonoma and it was already filled with fabulous J-Tin. BCR hosted a “social gathering” from 7-9am (usually 1 hr) so we could take in all the glorious cars. The vibe was tremendous, despite a 5-minute drizzle and cloudy sky.

I am always on the lookout for Nissans and Datsuns:

 

First up, this 1967 Datsun 2000, owned by Ian S. One of the most sought after Datsuns, these “half-year” models were introduced mid-1967 offering a 5-speed transmission and 150hp twin-Mikuni carb’d 2L engine…hot stuff for the era. This is SRL #601 (out of ~1000 cars) and it was fully restored years ago by Les Cannaday in San Diego. Ian is meticulous about maintaining this car, but it is no garage queen. The (655) Off-white paint with red interior is one of my favorites. Yes, it even sports a factory Nissan hardtop with all the stainless trim!

 

I counted 6 roadsters. Pat S. owns this 1970 Datsun 2000. He had it dyno tuned at Z Car Garage, full report soon!

  

Alex’s Datsun 510 Wagon (LS-powered!), 520 and 620 trucks:

  

So many cool cars please check the gallery for more photos! Next, let’s check out some non-Nissan/Datsun action…

Honda

Honda was well-represented from Kei cars to late model DC2 Integras and S2000s. A few NSXs, CRXs and EF hatches rounded out the display:

  

Will’s clean EF hatch:

Toyota

 

Supra (A60 and A80) and even first gen MR2s, a lone Celica and AE86s!

Trucks and Vans

 

Mitsubishi and Toyota 4×4 vans galore! Let’s not forget everyone’s favorite little red firetruck: Todd Lapin’s Daihatsu Hijet

 

This was the wildest truck….2JZ-powered and S550 IRS:

Rally On!

The rally started at 9am and I was tasked with leading our group. There was no cell phone reception but I was armed with a turn-by-turn rallye printout. I managed to hustle the little Silvia through the vineyards and foothills to our half way point of Calistoga…RHD and rarity aside this thing was a blast to drive.

  

One of the perks of BCR events is their team of professional photographers at various stages capturing epic rolling and detail shots so people can focus on enjoying the drive. I encourage you to visit each of these photographer’s photo albums to see shots of your rides :Alex Nibyt, Gregory Veizades, Blaine Olguin, and Vijay Sankar.

 

Arriving at Calistoga was another opportunity to see cars I missed at the starting point. The sky cleared and it was sunny. Folks took a snack/coffee break here in the quaint town. I was just admiring each vintage ride cruise by…like this FD RX-7 with Greddy AeroHatch!

 

Caught up with our friend and fellow racer Glenn Chiou who chose to drive his FD RX-7 with co-pilot Ricky Silverio of Japanese Nostalgic Car magazine. Spotted our client Mark  in his Z32TT as well:

 

It was JDM overload at this halfway resting point…Ricky helped me spot a Lancer EVO 2!

 

After chatting with folks we resumed the rallye. This final stage was mostly forested ending with a cruise through vineyards. Jonathan managed to drive a “D” hubcap off the Mr. C 240z…he heroically recovered it mountain side…a picture captured the proud moment!

 

The rally concluded at renown Sonoma Raceway. Total mileage for our San Jose crew thus far was 220miles. BCR arranged parking for participants in the paddock right next to the cafe for lunch, as their clever motto is #DoneByNoon. Even better: we were treated to live drifting and road-course action. It was a superb venue to enjoy cool cars and great company.

 

I could not resist to get a Z Car Garage client group photo:

 

Here is a video we captured from the day, enjoy!

 

Thanks BCR!

 

Many thanks to the organizers, we had a blast and I urge you to register for their next event, especially if you are in the South Bay area like me and want to see what driving bliss lies North.  Here are a few thoughts from Rob re-capping the Tokyo Calling event:

“With the shop so busy it good to be out to enjoy Bay Area car events like DrivingWhileAwesome (DWA) Cars & Coffee and now BCR. I had a blast. Great organization of the event and some of friendliest people. Exceeded my expectations. Jonathan Buhler from Nissan came out to enjoy the rallye with us. We put him behind the wheel of Mr. C, our one-owner Series 1 Z.  It was fun to have both Safari Gold cars together. I loved the vibe at all of the rally stops and seeing the non-Nissans….super cool. MR2s, Subarus, CRXs, just so much good stuff, Happy I went and will make it out to another BCR event.”

The Drive Home

Our adventure was not over as we had to travel another 90 miles South to the shop. We caravanned back, traveling through the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and through San Francisco. I’m sure traffic had a field day with our group of Datsuns/Nissans:

 

 

At the shop, Jonathan took Mrs. Butters for a test drive and he had a great time before catching his flight back to Nashville. Below (right) is the GO Green RB25DET-powered 240Z that inspired Jonathan to build one of his own…we had to grab a shot with the model I made 🙂

    

Rick’s Silvia is safe and sound after completing the 300+ mile road trip. Thank you to all of the Z Car Garage clients that made the journey with us. Huge thanks to BCR for extending their hospitality to our crew, everyone was thrilled. Here’s to the next rally and always, always #DoitInADatsun!

  

More pics in the gallery!

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Peter Brock will be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame tonight at 7:45pm Eastern time. You can watch the live event on the MSHF YouTube Channel or on their Facebook page. Highlights from yesterday’s preview were the unveiling of the Peter Brock display case, which will be on display for one year and the Peter Brock bronze portrait which will be permanently displayed in the MSHF. Our client and friend Randy Jaffe is attending the event and displayed the BRE Datsun 510 and 240Z race cars at the museum:

 

The cars were unveiled for Pete Brock to see:

 

We will have more coverage from the event soon. Please join us in congratulating Pete for this achievement!

 

Pete is best known for designing the 1965 World Champion Cobra Daytona Coupes and for his multi-time national champion Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) Datsun 240Zs and 510s. At GM in the 1950s, Brock helped conceive the shape of the groundbreaking 1959 Corvette Stingray race car and 1963 production model. As Shelby American’s first employee, he ran the Carroll Shelby driving school, penned the Daytona and worked on the Mustang GT-350 street and race cars. After the Datsun years, Brock became a photojournalist and wrote award-winning books on his Daytonas and the Corvette Sting Ray.

 

 

We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles on their vintage Nissans and Datsuns. Julio added this 1972 Skyline to his collection and had the team at KaiserKars replace the old CVs with our ZCG CV Axles. You may have seen the Hakosuka at at events in the SoCal area and we are proud to be part of it!

 

We met Julio last year at the Japanese Classic Car Show where his Skyline was on display in the Hagerty booth. He pleasantly informed us that he was running ZCG CV Axles and we are happy to report that the team at KaiserKars installed them with ease at their facility in Los Alamitos, Ca:

“Our in-house technician said the installation process was very straightforward and simple, basically just a bolt on/bolt off slid right in and bolted each axle to the differential and it was finished. It went as smooth as it could go.”

 

The team at KaiserKars sent us a few installation pictures of the ZCG CV Axles replacing the old CVs. They shared their experience:

“We were recommended the upgraded CV Axles by a friend of ours that pointed us to Rob. The Skyline came with some rear differential knocking/popping issues, the upgrade fixed the problem. We eventually got in contact with Rob himself and he asked us a few things in regards to what was currently on the car. We think they were a kit by the previous owner but they were completely shot and beyond rebuilding.”

  

Skyline Dreams

 

The Hakosuka Skyline is undeniably a JDM icon. We asked Julio about his history with Japanese classics:

“I have been a car geek all my life, but as all guys my age, Fast and Furious, Gone in 60 Seconds, Motorweek and the Saturday/Sunday cable shows were the culprits for my love of all cars. But once I watched Hot Version/Option, and Initial D anime I was smitten by JDM cars and culture, I longed to ride in a GTR, drift an AE86 and own all the unicorn cars I grew to idolize. So far the hunt is on and I seem to be collecting them like others collect Hotwheels. The Hakosuka has been a love affair for me as I regret selling my last one in a bad deal but this one makes up for that bad memory and I could not be happier with its stance, power and aura.”

The Hako features some of our favorite parts like the Rebello 3.2L with Jenvey ITB induction:

 

In addition to the upgraded ZCG CV Axles the Hako also has an R200 LSD diff, 5-speed transmission, 16″ Watanabe R-Type wheels (8.5/9.5), Rubber Soul stainless exhaust system and T3 suspension. Outside, the body is VW Limestone Grey Metallic with carbon fiber flares, GT-Kai badging and re-finished bumpers in eggshell black. More pictures in the gallery below!

 

Thank you for your support Julio, it was great meeting you at JCCS! Also, thank you to KaiserKars we look forward to working with you! Please read below for more information on our ZCG CV Axles:

ZCG CV Axles

Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. These are 100% bolt-in replacing your half-shafts and does not use aluminum adapters commonly found in aftermarket units. We have over 150+ CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

   

For years we have used aftermarket CV axles that utilize an aluminum adapter prone to loosening up over time. Despite efforts to keep things tight (Loctite, hardware changes) we had to keep an eye on them. We developed a better solution that eliminates the need for aluminum adapters and remains 100% bolt-in like a factory half-shaft.

  

Designed and manufactured locally with KAD Models, the ZCG CV axle kit works in both R180 and R200 configurations.

  

These are the beefiest CV axles on the market. They have been tested on the track by our vintage racing customers and also in high hp* street cars (powershifting, clutch dumps, etc.). Each axle has a serial # for peace of mind:

 

The CV axle kit is available now from ZCG for 1595.00 + freight and they come with everything you need to install on your car. Contact us at 408-452-0350 or send Rob an e-mail rob@zcargarage.com to purchase. Installation is just like doing a half-shaft: there is even a marking that shows you where to line up bolts and special hardware:

 

The ZCG CV Axles in action

The video below demonstrates the “looseness” associated with aftermarket CV axles that use adapters compared to the ZCG axles without adapters. Several customer race/street cars running our CV axles are also shown. Enjoy!

 

Enjoy this video made by our client Hazel. She installed our ZCG CV Axles on her Hazel’s 1970 Datsun 240Z

 

Over 150 sets of our ZCG CV Axles are installed in client’s cars all over the world:

Supermachine in Tokyo, Japan is running our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles in their Series Datsun 240Z:

 

Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou is running our ZCG CV Axles in this IMSA GTU 260z race car!

  

Racer Brad H is running ZCG CV Axles in his IMSA GTU race car:

  

Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft is running ZCG axles in several of his cars:

Set #246 – installed May 2018 on the “Harry Stewart #52” Datsun 510:

  

Set #247 – installed April 2018 on the 260z

  

Set #248 – installed on Adam Carolla’s “Greg Sorrentino #90” Datsun 510.

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On Saturday, March 19 the Breakfast Club Rally is hosting another fantastic vintage car rallye in Sonoma, Ca. This time it is only for Japanese cars!

To register and see more details, please visit their website HERE

  

I have run with this group and it is a total blast, you can see my previous event reports HERE

Z you there!

 

Happy New Year! Today we kicked off 2022 the right way with a New Year’s drive on a beautiful California day. Our friend Geoff assembled a group of cars and we were pleasantly surprised to see several Z Car Garage clients and friends in attendance! Thank you to everyone that braved the chilly morning temperatures and truly showed that Datsuns Are Driven! Enjoy photos and video from the cruise below.

 

I drove my 1967.5 Datsun Roadster and it was a cool 36F at 8:30am as I hit the freeway for the meeting point in San Jose. It was so good to see familiar faces and cool cars. Geoff briefed the group and we rolled out 16 cars strong heading up HWY 17 to Bear Creek Rd. Let’s take a look at the group:

Jim’s 1971 Datsun 240Z

 

Jim’s 1971 Datsun 240z is now sporting a Rebello 3.2L with triple-Mikuni carbs on a Harada intake, Recaro Specialist seats, CD009a 6-speed transmission, our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles!

 

Dirk’s 1973 Datsun 240Z

 

Dirk’s 1973 Datsun 240z is back on the road with a fresh engine,  Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles and Silvia 6-speed transmission. Full report coming to zcarblog.com

Glenn’s 1972 Nissan Fairlady 240z-L

 

Glenn Chiou drove his RHD Fairlady Z sporting our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels). He is an avid vintage race car driver/restorer and found our brake kit offers incredible brake feel and performance all fitting behind his favorite 15×8 zero offset Watanabe wheel:

 

Vince’s 1973 Datsun 240Z

 

Vince’s 1973 Datsun 240z is Enjoying The Ride with our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles.  He scored this Z from our friends at Bring a Trailer!

Mrs. Butters

 

Rob and Meghan Fuller drove Mrs. Butters, our Series 1 shop 240z. This Series 1 S30 features a 3.2L with triple-Mikuni induction, Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, ZCG Heat Shield, 6-speed transmission and full KW suspension (releasing soon).

 

Jose’s Z

 

Jose M was happy to join us in his Z. After 8 years, Rob and Jose re-connected at our  2023 Nissan Z Viewing.

 

Felix’ 1996 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo

 

Felix joined is in his 1996 Z32TT. This 300 will also get an updated feature on zcarblog.com.

 

Pall’s Nissan Skyline GT-R

 

Pall’s R32 recently visited ZCG for Haltech ECU and dyno tuning.

Datsun 510s

 

We had three Datsun 510s in Wagon, 2-door and 4-door models!

Mark’s 1972 Datsun 510

 

We upgraded Mark’s 510 with our Z Car Garage CV Axles. These CV axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to standard half shafts, while eliminating the need for aluminum adapters.  Mark got ZCG VV Axle set #320 and he loves them:

Nick’s Datsun 510 Wagon

 

Z Car Garage’s very own Nick F drove his L-Series powered 510 wagon with SSR mesh wheels.

Dustin’s Datsun 510 4-door

 

We’ve known Dustin and Courtney for many years. Dustin’s 510 4-door runs a KA24DE and sweet Longchamp XR-4 wheels.  Hagerty produced a video featuring the local Bay Area Datsun couple you can see it HERE. Dustin also installed our Z Car Garage CV Axles himself on his 510!

 

Kurt drove his Subaru GC8 with full STi drivetrain. We’ve got more updates on his R32 Skyline GT-R soon! Eric drove his Infiniti FX35 and Henry brought his Stillen Supercharged 370Z. Ben also attended in his 1974 Datsun 260Z.

 

Our fearless leader Geoff in his Lotus 7 and my Datsun Roadster. Also joing us was William in his (964) 911:

 

Enjoying The Ride

 

Bear Creek Rd. up to HWY 9 to the look out was surprisingly traffic-free. At the lookout we could see clear across the Santa Cruz mountains to the coast. A few late-model Porsche’s stopped by.

 

Enjoy this video of the drive and all cars particiapting:

 

 

From the lookout we drove up Skyline (35) and down Alpine Rd. Recent rains have made lush forests:

 

After a short re-group we took 84 up to Alice’s Restaurant and chatted for a bit. It is always busy here and the eye-candy endless. My J-Tin radar was treated to Mark 3 and 4 Supras, S14 240SX, R35 GT-R, MR2 and DC2 Integra:

 

This Model A had a hot-rodded 4-cylinder Flathead. It’s a small world and through Geoff we were introduced to the owner, John B. John races a Jaguar Special with CSRG!

 

Thanks to everyone that came out. We hope you get to the Enjoy The Ride this year, let’s make 2021 amazing. DO IT IN A DATSUN!

More pictures in the gallery below!