On September 22, Nissan invited Z Car Garage to drive the new Z from San Francisco to Los Angeles along the famed Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). The event, dubbed #NissanAdventuresPCH, was an an all-expenses-paid trip with overnight stays in SF and San Luis Obispo.

 

Geared towards social media content creators, Nissan hosted a cocktail hour with tips and tricks from a professional photographer/videographer and even provided personalized drone footage during the drive. It was, as promised, an unforgettable roadtrip experience with amazing company. Enjoy our report with photos and video…

My Z Car Story

 

Dear Zcarblog readers, while most of you know me as a die-hard Datsun Roadster owner/enthusiast, I also have a strong connection to the Z car. Most, if not all of my Z-car experiences have been possible through Rob and Z Car Garage. When I was dating my girlfriend back in 2005, Rob lent me his 1991 Nissan 30ZX Twin Turbo to enjoy. In 2007 I purchased my very own Nissan 350Z 6MT Enthusiast (above) with Stoptech big-brakes, VOLK CE28N wheels and a Nismo exhaust. My wife and I did everything in this Z from epic roadtrips to track days. In 2011 we were expecting our first child and we roadtripped down to the Solvang Datsun Roadster Show in the ZCG Nissan 370Z…

 

…And of course I’ve been lucky to drive the first generation 1970 Datsun 240Z on many rallies and weekend fun runs. This bring us back to the current generation Nissan Z (RZ34), and all of my Z-car memories started to come full circle in 2021 when Nissan invited us to their headquarters in Tennessee to view the pre-production “Z-Proto”:

 

A few months later we were guests at the 2023 Nissan Z Global Reveal event in New York:

  

In October 2021 we hosted a 2023 Nissan Z Viewing Event at Z Car Garage for the public to enjoy:

 

Our journey with the current Nissan Z has been tremendous. When Nissan sent us the invitation for the PCH drive I was beyond excited for the opportunity to enjoy another roadtrip with my wife, in a Z. Like old times. So, from seeing that Ikazuchi Yellow Pearl prototype Z at Nissan HQ in 2021 to having one delivered to our driveway in 2023, Z-car karma really did come full circle:

 

The Drive

Day 1: San Jose to San Francisco

Nissan flew all attendees up from LA to SF to begin the drive, ending back in LA with the Z in each person’s driveway. Since I am based in San Jose, Nissan had a 6MT yellow Z delivered to our home, from LA! The adventure began with my wife and I driving up to SF to meet at our first venue, the 1 Hotel. On a rather serendipitous note, this is the same hotel we stayed in back in 2011, just prior to our first child when it was called Hotel Vitale:

 

After check-in we enjoyed a nice stroll by the Ferry Building and returned to the hotel for cocktails with the event group. Led by Nissan’s PR-rep Stephen O’Neil, the unifying theme for the PCH event was accessibility: The Nissan Z is an attainable sports car and social media can also be accessible. To drive this point home they enlisted the help of director/cinematographer Steven Moreno to offer tips and tricks on smartphone photography.

 

He even showed us his professional gimbal for shooting smooth video and each attendee was gifted a DJI OSMO 6 for smartphones. Dinner followed and this would be the start of some fascinating discussions with a wonderful group of people from all walks of life.

Day 2: SF to San Luis Obispo

Saturday’s drive would take us to San Luis Obispo via HWY 1/PCH with photo stops along the way – about 240miles. The morning started off with drivers getting a tour of the Nissan Z. The sight of 6 Z cars outside the hotel garnered attention from passerbys. As I was taking photos I noticed the yellow 6MT Z we drove up was no longer present…

 

…we were pleasantly surprised to find it was replaced with a Boulder Gray 9AT Performance. You may recall that we took delivery of our very own 2023 Nissan Z earlier this year. Despite having driven our 6MT Performance model extensively, I could not pass up the opportunity to drive a 9-speed automatic trim (more on this below) down the PCH. Like the 9AT, the Blue interior really grew on me with the Gray exterior:

 

Each Z came with the route print out and pre-programmed GPS, but all drivers were free to explore en route to the first stop ~45 miles south along PCH. We jumped in our Z and headed straight to Fort Baker for a few beauty shots with the iconic Golden Gate Bridge:

 

The Z drew plenty of attention in the parking lot. A gentleman named Tony chatted with us and took photos while expressing his memory and admiration of the Z car. Check out his walk-around video with narration below…it was like he was a professional content creator!

 

After navigating out of SF city we finally hit HWY 1 to enjoy some beautiful coastline driving. Arriving at our first photo stop/drone opportunity was one of our favorite destinations, Pescadero Beach. We’ve done many group drives out to this spot with fellow Nissan/Datsun enthusiasts:

 

Each driver got their own drone/video session with cinematographer Steven Moreno. For “chase” video he mounted his Gimbal to the back of a Nissan Armada (support vehicle) and our task was to follow it as close as possible. This was really fun and we had 2-way walkies to communicate with Steve while driving. The results from the drone footage were super impressive, you can see the footage in the video below. Huge thanks to Steve for sharing his passion with us!

 

People love the new Z and the beach lot was no different. A family visiting from NY had to check it out and we happily obliged. After a good 45min of video/photos we hopped back on to the PCH. Yeah, this Boulder Gray paint on the new Z has really got me…I took many photos 🙂

 

Enjoy this video we put together of the PCH drive:

 

The weather was fantastic along HWY1 so we stopped by Monterey to visit my favorite race track, Laguna Seca! Yes, this was just before the Rennsport Reunion and we will have a full race report on zcarblog.com soon!

 

While the PCH does continue past Monterey down to SLO we took a more direct route to avoid road work on HWY1. Driving the long stretch on 101S really made me appreciate the Z’s 9-speed automatic…the gearing allows for ultra-low engine revs for relaxed cruising…2000rpm at 85mph is nice. Thumbs up and lots of love from this G35 owner on HW 101:

 

We arrived at our 2nd overnight hotel, the Apple Farm Inn in San Luis Obispo just before 7pm. Another fantastic evening of drinks, food and conversation ensued.

 

Day 3: SLO to Los Angeles

After a casual breakfast we left SLO and headed south towards our final destination of Los Angeles. Taking 101S allowed us to stop in the small town of Solvang, the sight of our favorite Annual Solvang Datsun Roadster Show. Lots of memories with our family here. A welcome excursion from 101 was Painted Cave Vista Point. This twisty road took us high above for great views and looped back to 154-E.

 

Driving Impressions

This was the most time I’ve spent driving the 9-speed automatic Z. Having driven the ZCG manual transmission Z previously up my favorite winding roads…the 6-speed manual is the perfect-and only transmission of choice for me..but the 9AT has its merits. Cruising along the freeway at a paltry 2000rpm while offering blistering acceleration in full automatic mode is a nice compromise. It’s enough to simply haze the rear tires…even from a roll!

 

If I could find one criticism it’s the paddle shifters. They do not seem to offer quick upshifts or downshifts any faster then being in full automatic mode…I see them as ‘fun-to-have’ feature. Have no fear as it sounds like Nissan improved the shifting performance in the 2024 Nismo Z-kudos to the team! Also, as we mentioned before the sound alone of the 9AT -equipped Z is better than the 6MT…a by-product of current sound restrictions. Either gearbox will serve you well behind the new Z.

 

We made one final stop at The Getty Museum in Los Angeles before dropping off the Z near LAX. What a cool car. Nissan flew us back to San Jose Sunday Night so we could get back to work on Monday. A quick shoutout to Page One Automotive…Benjie and Austin provided excellent service during the trip. Each car was detailed and filled up with gas for the drivers and we really appreciated it. Also, thanks to Nissan for the $500 gift card to cover roadtrip odds and ends!

The People

 

Mr. K said, “Love cars. Love people. Love life.” The NissanAdventuresPCH connected us with an amaZing group of people. Content creators, all talented at their craft. Artists, maybe not in the literal sense, but each one continuously strives to perfect the craft in their respective fields. It was humbling and fascinating to learn from them. I also appreciated their candid feedback on the new Z. Please, give each one a moment of your time by checking out their social media channels below:

Chris Dunlop

https://www.artofchrisdunlop.com/

Chris is an automotive artist. Catch his latest work featuring the new Z on his Instagram, and prepare to be blown away!

Naza Zamanzade, Lifestyle Blogger and Family Travel Writer, Instagram

Aimee Shackelford, car enthusiast and content creator,  Instagram

Angel Laketa Moore, Actress Comedian & Host, Instagram

 

Thank You!

 

Huge thanks to Nissan for the invitation and gathering an immensely engaging group of people to enjoy the drive with. We love that you are still keeping the spirit alive for our beloved sports car. Long Live The Z! More photos in the gallery below.

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Dear Zcarblog readers, it’s been a busy year and we are catching up on blog posts. Please enjoy our belated race reports from October and November.

WE LOVE RACING! Z Car Garage attended two events with Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG): the Charity Challenge at Sonoma Raceway 10/2 and the CSRG Finale at Thunderhill Raceway 11/4. We raced and supported several client’s Datsun 510s running in the B-Sedan Group (John Morton Cup). Everyone had a blast, enjoy our race report with in-car video and photos below.

  

CSRG Charity Challenge

Z Car Garage Supports Six Datsun 510s!

 

The 19th Annual CSRG Charity Challenge was held on October 1-2 and we had one of our largest ZCG client groups with 6 B-Sedan 510 race cars. It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Z Car Garage trackside services include full race support and car-preparation to make client’s race days seamless and worry-free so they can focus on driving. Before a race weekend we confirm that your car is running well and make necessary adjustments while on the chassis dyno:

 

#88 Todd Rueppel

Todd had his first Z Car Garage trackside support experience with us at the Laps For Laguna event!

 

#7 Kelvin Tse

Kelvin and his brother Kenny are regular ZCG trackside support clients…

  

#71 Ed M

Ed M is also a regular ZCG trackside support client, we also prepare his Porsche 911 for vintage events!

  

Gabe’s B-Sedan. Full report on our race preparation of this 510 soon!

  

Kelvin’s Ex-Ted Gruner TransAm 510, driven by his brother Kenny:

 

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car

     

Enjoy this video of the B-Sedan Datsuns in action at the Charity Challenge with photos and race recap from Rob below:

 

Rob recaps the Charity Challenge B-Sedan races:

“Everyone had a great time at the Charity Challenge. Gabe unfortunately had an engine failure, but before that he was putting down some good times. The Tse brothers Kelvin and Kenny did really well and Ed was rocking and rolling. In the B-Sedan class I had really good racing with Parker McKean in his Alfa Romeo. The group wasn’t as large as it usually is, but still fun!”

 

“Another mechanical was in the afternoon race where Parker got a really good start but I noticed my 510 was down on power. Coming out of Turn 10 I noticed my temperature gauge was higher than I’d ever seen it. Pulled in and unfortunately I had a failed head gasket. So, double mechanicals (IMSA Z, below) for me. Very rare but still had a great time racing with the group.”

Photo by Kevin Gray

The 2023 Nissan Z as Pace Car!

 

Z Car Garage has been fortunate to spend some time with the 2023 Nissan Z prior to its public reveal. We asked Nissan if they would lend us the New Z for a good cause at the Charity Challenge and they happily obliged with a Performance model in Two-Tone Ikazuchi Yellow TriCoat / Super Black:

Photo by Josel Cobangbang

Rob was happy to wheel the New Z around the track:

“One of the coolest things about this years’s Charity Challenge was that Nissan lent us the new Z for a pace car and charity rides. We loved seeing Nissan’s new sports car before its release leading the field of vintage cars in every run group. Even the pace car driver was super stoked. In its 19th year the Charity Challenge has raised millions for children’s charities and they allowed me to be a driver on Sat/Sun to give 4-5 rides which included a warm-up lap, race lap and cool-down lap.”

Photo by Bryan Delohery

 

“I really enjoyed driving the new Nissan Z at speed, granted it certainly wasn’t at 10/10ths but I was to able entertain riders that donated for charity. It did really well and it is powerful, and I gotta tell you all weekend long there was crowd around that new Z car. I really appreciate Nissan believing in us..bringing both the new and old sports cars together and thank them for their support. Can’t wait to have our own 2023 Z at Z Car Garage.”

 

Enjoy this video with in-car action from the New Z with Rob Fuller giving charity rides around Sonoma Raceway:

 

The #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU 240Z

 

Rob also raced the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z for the first time at Sonoma Raceway:

“My IMSA car has pretty good history at Sears Point (now Sonoma Raceway); it came from the Bondurant School and actually held a record there. This was my first time behind the wheel of the Z at this track and unfortunately we had transmission issues. On Sunday’s race I was 3rd in Group 8 against an IMSA Z and 911. Both drivers were fast. We had made some changes to our Z between Sat/Sunday so I was excited for the big feature race. On lap 3 I had sheared the roll pin in 3rd gear so it would no longer go in to 3rd. Exited at the carousel, to avoid contact with other racers. We look forward to developing the IMSA car further.”

 

The Charity Challenge was fun with the usual group of folks, Tank, Meghan, lots of snacks and good times. We are excited for next year’s event!

 

The CSRG Finale

On November 4-6, Classic Sport Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the finale of The John Morton Cup. The 3-race series, named after legendary Datsun racer John Morton features the Historic B&C Sedan class battling at Thunderhill Raceway.

 

Every year CSRG ends with the finale event at Thunderhill and it’s frequently missed due weather/rain conditions. We always try to make it out for the club. It’s a fun-filled weekend that is super laid-back with a great dinner party at the end.

The Return of #72 Tom Dockery

 

We have helped Tom build and prepare his Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510 for several years. Unfortunately the car was wrecked at Sonoma Raceway back in March from oil on the track. Z Car Garage rebuilt the 510, making a triumphant return to last year’s Velocity Invitational event with Rob Fuller as driver. For the CSRG Finale however, it would be Tom’s first time back at the helm of his very own B-Sedan 510:

   

“I came into the race weekend with a lot of apprehension. Rob had shown the Vintage world what the car can do in the right hands and now it was my turn to put up or shut up, at least that was part of what was playing in my head. Also playing the background was my fear of damaging the car. So many people had given so much time, priority and resources, I had a lot of angst around preserving its current condition.”

 

“But what really played out once behind the wheel was the loss of Race mentally/conditioning. Physically I was all there and even though there was some proper racing line adjustment needed, the biggest issue was getting comfortable with the car’s REAL limits. It was a head game for sure. I spent Friday and Saturday working with Rob to better understand this and by Sunday, I could start to see a difference. On Sunday I was able to trim 4-5 seconds off my lap times from the previous days. I am still a little off and like getting fit again on my bike, I have to continue to get fit behind the wheel. It took me almost 3 three years to get to the front half of the racing pack, now I have to accelerate that level of conditioning in 2023.”

  

“As always, the ZCG team support at the event went well beyond just the car. Had a blast throughout the 3-day event.”

Thanks Tom, we were proud to see you back on the track! Enjoy this video with in-car action from Tom’s Ex-Balzer/Koobation Datsun 510:

Gabe’s Datsun 510

Gabe R. has been an avid track day weekend warrior for five years and we will highlight our preparation of his B-Sedan 510 soon. Let’s hear his race report from the CSRG Finale:

“I was beyond excited to get some legitimate wheel to wheel action after acquiring a Datsun 510 last September. Unfortunately, mine is a chapter in the long and storied history of the “race ready” race car. In my first event at last year’s Charity Challenge I found the car to be extremely driver friendly, and was even able to put down a few pretty quick laps. That pretty much sums up the good parts. On the not so good side, in my second session of the weekend, the gearshift lever broke off in my hand going into turn seven. In my third session, a spark plug wire popped off the distributor and ended my session prematurely. And immediately before my last session of the weekend my starter motor died, causing me to miss it entirely.”

 

“Fortunately for me, the vintage racing community is a wonderful group of friendly, helpful people. Over the course of the weekend, I was lent a hand by the likes of Larry Oka, Jim Froula, and the Z-Car Garage crew. My second weekend out was at this year’s David Love Memorial, and my fortunes did not improve. Not realizing how quickly Hoosiers wear out, combined with my car’s unfortunately welded diff, I spent the majority of my time on track over the weekend just trying to prevent the car from snap oversteering into a wall. Even worse, I blew a head gasket in the first session on Saturday, At that point, I sent the car down to Z Car Garage to have Rob’s team transform it into a proper competitive car. Engine rebuild, limited-slip differential, suspension overhaul, new clutch, new transmission, as well as a slew of other upgrades and improvements have transformed the car into a beast.”

 

“Finally equipped with a seaworthy vessel, I spent the last two CSRG events — the Charity Challenge, and the season Finale, being supported by the Z Car Garage guys, culminating in a fantastic weekend at the season finale. With the support of Rob and his crew I ran the 4th fastest time of the weekend – behind only Troy Ermish, Rob Fuller, and Jim Froula, and finished 3rd in the Sunday feature race despite starting in 7th due to a spin in the Saturday feature race. Most of all, I had an absolute blast hanging with Rob and his entourage. Rob’s infectious positive attitude makes it impossible to have anything but a good time.”

Enjoy this video of Gabe putting in work at Thunderhill and achieving a personal record!

 

“From their impeccable car preparation standards, to their attention to every detail, to helping their drivers get prepared to head out on track, as well as Rob‘s exceptionally helpful driving tips Z-Car Garage consistently exceeds my expectations in every way. I absolutely cannot wait to get back out on track with Z-Car Garage in 2023!”

Privateer Spirit

 

Special shoutout to our friend and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou raced his Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510. It’s worth noting that not unlike privateers of the period, Glenn builds his race cars, maintains and manages racing efforts himself. Not an easy task so we applaud his work ethic. Glenn builds some beautiful Datsuns and we will highlight this 510 soon as it features our  Z Car Garage CV Axles and dyno tuning.

 

Rob in the BADD 510

For the CSRG finale the ZCG crew included Rob, Tom Dockery and Gabe R:

“Both Gabe and I had mechanical failures in last event’s Chartiy Challenge. My engine lasted two seasons at full-tilt boogie and it had a compromised head gasket so my friends at Rebello Racing were able to refresh it in between events so the BADD car was ready to rock. Gabe’s engine had a pretty horrific failure and Rebello was also able ot get him back on the track too. Special thanks to the team at Rebello Racing including Dave, Mark and Brian for giving us the best hp/tq that we could ask for and keeping us on the track. I was driving the Miata in vintage Spec- Miata group and BADD car in Group 9 John Morton group B-sedan.”

 

“Tom and Gabe were doing great. Gabe is really picking up the pace. We did some downloads and he is getting fast, finishing on podium in the feature race. Tom was just getting reacquainted with the car and he was really stoked to be able to do well at the end of the season. Unfortunately Josh and Troy Ermish were not in the run group so there were not many people to run with. I started in the back it was a challenge and also fun to go through traffic. Another highlight was being in group 8 with my Miata amongst the big-boy v8 cars it was an awesome vintage race in the rain.” 

Enjoy this in-car video of Rob in the BADD 510 at Thunderhill:

A different perspective: Steve Walker also posted this cool in-car video of Rob and the from his BMW 2002:

 

CSRG hosted a Saturday night night banquet and it did not disappoint. They had folks dress up in costumes since it was close to halloween. Ross Lindell dressed up as Rob Fuller and it was quite funny. Side note: Rob actually did SCCA drivers school in the Randy Pobst Miata that Ross brought to race. The evening included  awards, and great conversations recalling the highs and lows of another year of vintage racing gone by. Can’t wait for next year!

 

Join us for the 2023 Vintage Racing Season!

Z Car Garage is amped for more racing this year. Here is list of events we will be attending in 2023, including CSRG and SVRA . Please join us!

March

March  3^rd to the 5^th    SVRA  Thunderhill

March 24 to 26^th          CRSG   Sonoma

April

April 27^th to 30^th           SVRA   Sonoma

May

May 4^th   to 7^th               SVRA   Laguna Seca

June

June  23rd to 25^th           CSRG   Laguna Seca

August

August 12-13                    Monterey Pre-Reunion
August 16-19                    Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

September

Sept 8^th  to 10^th              CSRG   Sonoma

Novemeber

Nov  3^rd to 5^th                 CSRG   Thunder hill

Nov 10^th to 12^th              Velocity Invitational

 

More photos in the gallery below and special thanks to contributing photographers Meghan Fuller, Josel Cobangbang, Bryan Delohery, Blaine Olguin, Ann Devor, and Linda Williams. We can’t forget to thank the ZCG crew for keeping us safe for both events: Joshua Corwin, Meghan Fuller, Nick Filip, The Corwins we couldn’t have done it without you!

 

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WE LOVE RACING!  Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) is hosting the 19th Charity Challenge at Sonoma Raceway, September 30 to October 2. Z Car Garage is participating and supporting several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group (John Morton Cup). This vintage racing event is totally FREE to spectators so please join us! Bring the family, enjoy cool cars and even charity rides around the track.

 

See the 2023 Nissan Z as Pace Car!

 

Z Car Garage is happy to announce the 2023 Nissan Z will be on Pace Car duty at the Charity Challenge. Big thanks to Nissan for giving us the opportunity to share the new Z with enthusiasts for a good cause. Again, admission is FREE for this event and you will have access to all spectator areas on track. Parking is in Lot 2 overlooking the paddock.

Z Car Garage Supports Six Datsun 510s!

 

It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Our services do include full race support and car-preparation to help make client’s race days seamless and worry-free so they can focus on driving. One of our specialties is dyno tuning. Before a race weekend we confirm that your car is running well and make necessary adjustments while on the chassis dyno:

 

#88 Todd Rueppel

Todd had his first Z Car Garage trackside support experience with us at the SVRA event, full report soon!

#7 Kelvin Tse

  

#72 Tom Dockery

Tom Dockery in his  Ex-Norm Balzer 510.

  

#71 Ed M

  

 

Gabe’s B-Sedan:

  

Kelvin’s Ex-Ted Gruner TransAm 510

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car

 

     

Rob will also be racing the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z for the first time at Sonoma Raceway.

 

We look forward to seeing you at the races. Stay tuned for the race schedule and a full report coming to zcarblog.com. Do It In A Datsun!

 

 

 

 

We had a great time enjoying the 2023 Nissan Z during Monterey Car Week. Thanks to Nissan, we got to enjoy driving the Z to several special events and dyno test it at our shop. Let’s get straight to the numbers!

 

This is the Performance model in Two-Tone Ikazuchi Yellow TriCoat / Super Black and 9-speed automatic. In stock form and 91 octane it put down 345hp/362tq to the wheels. The dyno plot below shows dyno results from the Yellow automatic Z and the Passion Red 6-speed manual Z we dyno tested in June. Super excited to tune the new Z and unlock more power!

  

Enjoy this video of the dyno runs, road testing and exhaust sounds.Volume up!

Note, this automatic model has a different exhaust system than the manual model.

 

Huge thanks to Nissan for lending us the Z to enjoy during Monterey Car Week. Here is our coverage if you missed it

Motorlux Kick-off Party

Motorlux Kick-off Party.

 

Rolex Motorsports Reunion and Pebble Beach Concours

Rolex Motorsports Reunion and Pebble Beach Concurs.

 

Our time spent with the 2023 Nissan Z in June

 

Stay tuned for more exciting news about the new Nissan Z and Z Car Garage. LONG LIVE THE Z!