We had a great time at the 2019 Norcal Skyline Matsuri held on Saturday in San Francisco. Over 25 Nissan Skylines gathered for a fun drive through Lombard St., Japantown and capped it off with scenic Fort Baker. I am not a Skyline owner but I was lucky to attend this meet behind the wheel of Z Car Garage customer Alex McDowell’s 1992 R32 GT-R. If this Skyline looks (and sounds) familiar, it was the same car driven by Jason Cammisa in the this episode of Motor Trend’s “Ignition” TV series. Alex has continued to enjoy this Skyline at many track days.
On Saturday morning I joined our friend Glenn in his Nismo R32 GT-R to meet with the other Norcal Skylines near the first photo op: Lombard St.
GT-Rs after GT-Rs from R32 to R34 came pouring in to the crowded neighborhood. Amazingly, the SFPD was on site to help guide traffic so we could all drive down Lombard together.
The goal was to have all of the Skylines driving down the famous curvy street. For such a chaotic task it was accomplished so well. Thanks to drone photographer Eddie this epic moment was captured beautifully. Stay tuned for video and high-res pics!
From Lombard we met in Japantown for lunch. The underground parking garage turned into a Skyline car show:
I was happy to see and meet several R32 owners that have visited Z Car Garage!
We had plenty of time to admire each others cars and chat. After lunch we drove to our final photo spot, Fort Baker. It was a gorgeous day with the SF Skyline clearly visible and the Golden Gate making the perfect backdrop. Each car got it’s own photo professionally taken!
Congratulations to Todd Lappin and the organizers from Norcal Skylines on a successful Matsuri. Enjoy this video from the day and many more pictures in the gallery below.
The 2019 Coastal Range Rally was held March 15-17 and we had an absolutely blissful driving experience. Hosted by Driving While Awesome, this 3-day event brings together interesting cars and their drivers sharing a common passion for enjoying the best driving roads in California. This year the rally began in Southern California heading back to the Bay Area and we participated with the Z Car Garage 1970 Datsun 240z. Here is our report from the weekend filled with open roads, seemingly endless stretches of curvy mountain passes and good company.
The ZCG Datsun 240z
Rob and I planned to run this event together but he had to race in Spec Miata at Thunderhill. He handed me the keys to “Ms. Butters”, a 1970 Series 240z that has become the shop demo car and I happily obliged. While this S30 deserves its own feature, here are a few details on the build:
Engine: Stroked L-series with triple Mikuni 44 carbs and special cam profile (full spec/dyno soon)
Suspension: Full KW coil-over suspension (ZCG-spec)
Brakes: Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels)
Drivetrain: ZX close ratio 5-speed, Z Car Garage CV Axles, OS Giken 4.11 LSD
Wheels: 16×7 Panasport with 225/50/16 Bridgestone RE71R
Interior: Recaro LXF seats
The Z performed admirably without a single problem over the 1200-mile event. This is a testament to thorough rally-prep (thanks ZCG crew) and the wonderful upgraded suspension/chassis. These modifications offered a great balance of ride compliance and stiffness for the canyons with a seamless transition between rough to smooth surfaces. The ZCG Big-brakes also delivered great feel and zero fade…truly confidence-inspiring. Enjoy this video of Ms. Butters with extended Fujitsubo exhaust footage and hear that L-series sing!
Day 1: Palmdale to Ventura
This year the rally was dubbed CRR “Rewind” as the starting point was in Southern California heading north through the Central Coast. I joined fellow enthusiasts Glenn (R32 Skyline) Naveed (Porsche 911) and Gen (E30 M3) Friday evening to blast down to the starting point in Palmadale, CA. Instead of taking the highway we took an exciting route through HWY 25:
The next morning all rally participants met just outside of Palmdale to grab their swag bags and rally maps. The DWA organizers encouraged us that CRR isn’t a race, and to enjoy the roads at our own pace. I can’t emphasize enough how great this group of folks is. A good portion are 3rd-time CRR rally drivers and the positivity was contagious.
I hopped in the Z and joined Naveed and Gen on this stage towards Agua Dulce. Gen led us on a slight detour through Angeles Crest and it was exhilarating. We stopped at a lookout, realizing our cars represented the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s icons!
Lunch in Agua Dulce and back on the road to Ventura. Mandatory Datsun content: I was happy to see 2 other Z cars (grey is Lloyd’s) and a special ’69 Datsun Roadster (Kevin and Heather). Sporting engine/suspension upgrades this little roadster surprised many with its performance:
Lake Castaic overlook heading westward:
The Ventura hotel parking lot was a car show representing a great feature of CRR: diversity. So many cool cars from all era’s and marques! This was a fun time chatting with fellow rally’ers followed by a DWA hosted dinner:
Day 2: Ventura to Paso Robles
The second day (3/16) was my favorite stage of the rally. Our destination was Paso Robles, with a stop in Taft. I had no idea how breathtaking the scenery would be on this stage as it was filled with Alpine scents, pastures, desolation, oil fields and small sleepy towns. Truly a feast for the senses, and EPIC driving. The kind of driving that makes your arms fatigued!
Through Ojai via HWY 33, in the sky through Frazier Mtn. Park:
Lockwood Rd. had several streams we had to drive through. Ali Javidan took some really cool shots of cars fording through!
After lunch in Taft, Naveed spotted an oil field. Carb’d inline 6, EFI flat 6, and a 2.5L 4-cylinder:
Our next stage was HWY 58 heading to Soda Lake. This stretch of freshly paved road was so much fun that many of us turned around to do it over again! My absolute favorite part of CRR. The Z was such a joy to drive through here:
At the junction of 58/7-mile Rd. was a super bloom. We definitely stopped to take it all in after the brisk drive. Erich in his modified EVO:
Glenn let me drive his R32 to Soda Lake and he took the Z, thanks for the picture Matt!
View from the overlook revealing Soda Lake. It was also reached via an optional dirt Road if you dared!
Don’t let the perspective fool you 🙂
A breather just before reaching our hotel in Paso Robles
It is difficult to describe the driving experience through photos, so please enjoy this video I made of Day 1 and 2 of CRR!
Day 3: Paso Robles to Laguna Seca
I decided to join Glenn and conclude our CRR with a visit to Laguna Seca to see our friends vintage racing. Dave Stone was in his B-Sedan 510 and the entire Racecraft crew was also participating:
It was a beautiful day check out the gallery below for more pictures! Here is a video from ‘Seca:
Thank you DWA!
The Coastal Range Rally was a surreal experience. I am still day dreaming about those incredible roads that we travelled all in one weekend. I’m not alone, as many participants are also suffering through “CRR withdrawals”. See what I mean by all of the #CRRRewind posts on Instagram. The event was that good. Big thanks to the crew at Driving While Awesome and old/new friends met during the rally. We are definitely signing up for the next CRR! Enjoy the picture gallery below and LONG LIVE THE Z!
Filed under: Events
by Alvin G @ 5:48 pm on March 25, 2019
We are super excited to see Alex McDowell’s Hakosuka Skyline featured on the cover of the upcoming May issue of Classic Motorsports Magazine. The article discusses the changing face of vintage racing (Japanese cars joining) and where the sport is headed:
This C10 Skyline was built by our friend Jim Froula of Racecraft, and Alex acquired it several years ago. Z Car Garage has prepared and supported Alex’s race efforts with the Hako and it has been an awesome experience. Two very memorable racing events were the The Mitty and Historics at Laguna Seca last year. Check out our reports below:
At Z Car Garage we love working with the later model Z33 and Z34 cars, from full forced-induction builds to bolt-ons. Brian S brought his 2015 Nismo 370z in for a full Fast Intentions exhaust system installation:
We enjoy working with Fast Intentions and their products are high quality/proven. Brian purchased his exhaust from FI and we installed it.
OEM vs FI:
We think the latest Nismo Z34s are the best looking and performing editions of the model. For a no-frills sportscar that only a Z can deliver these are great value and the price of entry is coming down significantly.
Brian will be coming back for a dyno tune and intakes to let that VQ37 sing!
