On Saturday, August 26 we attended the Tokyo Calling 3 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 Northern California. 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 3 years ago as a small group enjoying weekend drives. It blossomed into a monthly event with one hour of hanging out drinking coffee, followed by two hours of driving on the second Saturday of the month. Registration is free and always open to all makes. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to enjoy the beautiful Northern California roads and scenery. You can see our previous BCR reports HERE!

 

The initial BCR Tokyo Calling event and Tokyo Calling 2 follow-up were a huge success. We did not want to miss their third all-Japanese, mostly-vintage rally so I assembled a group of Z Car Garage clients and friends to participate in TC3. We left the shop at 6:15am heading to Sonoma, here is a preview of our cars:

 

Beau’s 1976 Datsun 280Z

 

Beau’s Datsun 280Z is fresh from  Z Car Garage full cosmetic and mechanical restoration featuring Recaro Specialist seats, our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles!

 

Ken’s 1970 Datsun 240Z

 

Rob drove our client Ken’s 1970 Datsun 240z. This is VIN#1762 Series 1 features our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels), Z Car Garage CV Axles, L28 with Jenvey ITB EFI and KA24 5-speed transmission.

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 and regularly drives it on rally events.

Mrs. Butters

 

Cooper was in 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).

Armon’s 1973 Datsun 240Z

 

Armon’s Z has a great story we will share in its own feature. He got this car running on his own and even performed rust repairs. He’s running our  ZCG Heat Shield on his triple-Weber carb’d L28:

Rob’s 1971 Datsun 510 Wagon

I drove Rob’s Datsun 510 Wagon. It features a 2.4-liter KA24DE engine with five-speed manual transmission sourced from a Nissan 240SX. The car is a wonderful driver and it is FOR SALE.

Linda’s 2023 Nissan Z

 

Linda Williams drove her 2023 Nissan Z. This is the special,”Proto Spec” edition limited to just 240 units. We love her “1OF240Z” tribute license plate. Linda joined us on the last two Tokyo Calling events in her 1972 Datsun 240Z OMS Pace Car Duplicate. She loves driving it everywhere.

Nick’s 1972 Datsun 510

 

Nick drove his 510 Wagon with recently added L18/twin mikuni ph44s and dyno tuning. In true rally-style, Nick and co-pilot Ben wore their headsets to communicate. This Dime has so much character!

Bluebird

 

Our client drove this Bluebird Coupe. It is a RHD example that was not sold here. Built by our friends at RacecraftNW it features an S15 SR20DET with 6-speed transmission, TSR Brembo brakes and VOLK wheels. Full feature coming to zcarblog.com soon!

The Z Car Garage Nissan Z

 

Josh drove our shop 2023 Nissan Z with Fast Intention TDX cat-back exhaust system. Full report with audio coming to zcarblog.com. Our morning caravan of 11 cars enjoyed cruising up I-280 through the Golden Gate Bridge. Nothing beats driving with fellow Z car owners!

 

Tokyo is Calling before the Rally!

 

Our crew arrived at the rally start in Sonoma and it was already filled with fabulous J-Tin nestled between the vineyards of Gundlach Bundschu winery. BCR hosted a “social gathering” from 7:30-9am so we could take in all the glorious cars. The vibe was tremendous, and as usual it went by too quickly. Let’s go through some of the highlights, with more photos in the gallery below!

  

Over 25 S30 Z cars were present!

 

I am always on the lookout for Nissans and Datsuns, and roadsters get my attention. There were at least 7 in attendance including a genuine 1967 2000. 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.

 

Ian’s SRL is #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, attending monthly rally events. 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!

   

This familiar Honda S2000-powered ’69 2000 is now local with current owner Mark, nice meeting you!

 

A right-hand drive ’69 2000:

 

High and low-windshield roadsters models were present:

  

There were 15 Datsun 510s in wagon and sedan form. Our client Jay installed a set of our Z Car Garage CV Axles on his Green 510. Jay is a hardcore rally driver  and also brought his mint wagon with family!

  

Back to Z cars, Pratibha and Andre recently acquired this ’73 240Z, welcome to Z family!

 

Our client Cameron’s Z32 Twin Turbo visited Z Car Garage for maintenance work, downpipes, inlet piping, larger intercoolers all from Specialty Z. Cameron has been bringing his 300 to us for many years and we we are really glad to see him driving again. More Z32s were on the rally!

 

Leo’s Nissan Pulsar GTi-R

 

We were pleasantly surprised to see Leo and his Nissan Pulsar GTi-R at Tokyo Calling 2 and he returned again for TC3! This RHD, JDM hot-hatch is known as “Baby Godzilla”, sporting all-wheel drive and an SR20DET drivetrain. What’s wild is that this Pulsar used to be owned by our very own Gary at Z Car Garage! Leo purchased it back in 2017 and drove it all the way from Reno, NV.

 

There were a handful of S14 and S13 240SX:

   

Nissan Skyline

 

Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou has been a friend and client of Z Car Garage for many years. He drove his R32 Skyline GT-R with BBS LeMans wheels and period exhaust/aero. It was great to see our R32 Skyline clients Miles (Rays wheels) and Kurt W. (in his GC8 Subaru). All will be getting zcarblog updates:

  

The lone S130, with T-tops off for proper Napa motoring!

 

Enjoy this walk-around and driving video from Tokyo Calling 3:

 

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

Kei Classics

 Suzuki Cappuchino and Autozam AZ-1 and mesmerizing the crowd with their size and neat features.

Honda

  
There were no less than 25 Honda S2000 sports cars on the rally!

 
Honda was well-represented including late model DC2 Integras, a few NSXs, CRXs and EF/EG hatches rounded out the display:

 

Toyota

 

Some of our favorite Toyota’s including Supra (A60, A70, A80), first gen MR2s, and AE86s! The Lexus IS300 SportCross with A80 Supra wheels was sweet!

      

Trucks and Vans

Let’s not forget the Japanese classic trucks and vans! Pajero Evolution, HiACE, REPU and Nissan:

   

The wildest car I found was this 4th gen Toyota Corona Coupe:

 

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 rally printout. I enjoyed hustling the green 510 Wagon through the backroads:

 

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 SIX photographer’s photo albums to see shots of your rides:Blaine Olguin, Ben Kim, Alex Nibyt, Vijay Sankar, Everett Lederer, and Zack Hubbell.

  

Arriving at Sam’s General Store in Calistoga was another opportunity to see cars I missed at the starting point. Folks took a snack/coffee break here in the quaint town. I was just admiring each vintage ride cruise by…like this Isuzu Vehicross!

  

The rally concluded back at the Gundlach winery where BCR arranged for lunch from Kinoko Japanese Home Cooking. Folks enjoyed Donburi surrounded J-Tin everywhere. It was a superb venue to enjoy cool cars and great company.

 

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 3 event:

“We headed out from Z Car Garage with our clients and friends and made the 100-mile drive up to Sonoma wine country. Saw familiar faces and new ones it was really cool to see the Non-Datsuns. There was a REPU rotary-powerd truck which I really love. I grabbed some coffee, chatted and had fun admiring the variety of cars with friends.  We got on the road and the routes BCR selects are really fun with great scenery and people along the way. “

  

“We met up in Calistoga, had lunch with friends. Loved seeing our clients on the drive… and one car had an exhaust weld failure. I took one of my shoelaces to secure it and this temporary exhaust bracket got us back on the road. I love Datsun adventures and we do anything to keep driving! Highly recommend the Tokyo Calling events, actually all the BCR events are loads of fun. They are a great group and we will Z you at the next rally!”

 

The Drive Home

Our adventure was not over as we had to travel another 100 miles South to the shop. We caravanned back, traveling through the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and through San Francisco.

 

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 photos in the gallery below…

 

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The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) is one of the oldest Z car clubs in the nation. In its prime they had over 600 members with close ties to Yutaka Katayama (“Mr. K”) and Nissan USA. We had a wonderful time attending their Meet and Greet event at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, Ca on June 11, 2023.

 

We left Z Car Garage in our 2023 Nissan Z, 1971 Datsun 510 Wagon and  Randy’s 1972 Datsun 240Z (For Sale). Joining the caravan were Alex in his 1968 Datsun 510 Wagon and our friend Geoff in his BMW 2002. Despite some morning fog the turnout was impressive for a relaxed gathering. No judged car show or awards, just Z-Car fans catching up with old friends and meeting new enthusiasts.

Highlights from the show

Still to this day, 240Zs are the most represented model in the club. Expansion over time currently includes all recent Z models and the GT-R, but also reaches back in time to include the Datsun Roadsters and 510s. Both upper and lower parking areas were packed with cars and people having a great time.

  

The New Nissan Z!

 

Linda Williams’  proudly displayed her 1 of 240Z special edition Nissan Z “Proto Spec” in the upper Museum area. Our RZ34 was in the lower lot and we will have a full report on the recently installed Fast Intentions exhaust system!

 

Z’s, 510s, Roadsters and More!

 

Here are a few of my favorite S30 Z cars from the gathering, starting with this flared beauty on custom 17″ early S30 hubcap-inspired wheels. This is the creation of Hoover Chan from Turbohoses R&D and it sports an L28ET. Rob and Hoover go way back many years!

  

We were pleasantly surprised to see many Z Car Garage clients so let’s take a look at what they drove. Garrett drove his 1972 Datsun 240Z featuring our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles combined with a suspension rebuild improved the chassis. Power comes from a Rebello 3L with our Z Car Garage Heat Shield  and in-house dyno tuning to make it sing. His latest addition are new Recaro leather seats!

 

Ken’s 1970 Datsun 240Z also has our Z Car Garage CV Axles:

  

Stoked to see Hazel’s 1970 Datsun 240Z featuring our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles. Looks like Hazel just added a mint set of Watanabe R-Type wheels to her Z!

 

 

It was great to see Steve and Kevin’s Nismo Z33s. Full reports on both coming to zcarblog.com!

 

Here is a video from the event, enjoy!

 

Blow-thru Fantasy

 

We met Francisco and his S30 had a really neat HKS blow-through turbo system. Rob was impressed with his enthusiasm and love for the Z!

Twice the Beauty

  

Joey Bautista drove two of his immaculate Z cars.  The engine bay on this blue car looks factory right? A closer inspection reveals a bespoke factory-style triple carb  air cleaner, complete with OEM-style emissions stickers! The B-speed “LY” vintage valve cover was a nice touch as well. Really love d the aesthetic.

 

 

The silver S30 also sported triple carbs with a vintage SK air box and “triple” emissions stickers:

 

Z32

 The Z32 300ZX was out in full force with both NA and TT examples. We enjoyed seeing familiar faces like Kevin Neely’s TT with fresh TE37 wheels and Joe’s show-winning red Z32:

 

Z33 and Z34

Strong showing of Z34s including V1 and V2 Nismo models:

     

510s

 We love to see Datsun 510s and there were many examples of both stock and modified. Andy’s SR20DET-powered 510 was my favorite with Gotti wheels and rear-mounted A/C system. This was another creation from Hoover at Turbohoses!

 

SSS Bluebird was the only RHD 510 model at the show:

 

 

Jay’s 510 Wagon on Longchamp XR-4 wheels. Jay also has a 510 2-door featuring our Z Car Garage CV Axles.

  

Matt’s 510 with turbocharged KA24DE:

   

Alex’s 1968 Datsun 510 Wagon is a total sleeper with an LS3 V8 drivetrain!

 

Roadsters

The lone Datsun Roadster was John Baker’s ’69 2000. This is a Concours-level restoration with lots of rare, NOS Nissan Competition parts like passenger foot rest and oil cooler.

 
Rare Everwing fog lights and day/night mirror:

R32 Row

 

R32 Skyline GT-Rs in a variety of colors! Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou displayed his recently acquired Crystal White R32 on BBS LeMans wheels:

 

A familiar R34 GT-R also showed up!

 

 

R35

A handful of R35 GT-Rs

 

People

It’s why we keep coming back to ZONC events. Thank you to everyone that took the time to say hello!

 

Thank You ZONC!

We had a great time spending the day at the ZONC Meet and Greet. It reminded us to (in the words of the late Mr.K), ” Love cars. Love people. Love Life.”  This is a club that keep the Z community together year-round and we are excited for their next events. Don’t forget to check out our picture gallery below!

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***HAPPY HOLIDAYS From Z Car Garage***

 

One of the real joys this holiday season is the opportunity to say thank you and wish you the very best for the new year. From all of us at Z Car Garage we thank our friends, family and customers again for another exciting and productive year! Enjoy our 2022 recap and upcoming projects. Please note our holiday closure below:

ZCG will be closed from 12/26 through 12/30 for our Annual Holiday Break and we will re-open for business on 1/3/23

 

Client Updates for 2023

We had a busy year and though the shop will be closed, we won’t leave you hanging for the holidays. Many zcarblog features have yet to be published like our belated race report from the CSRG Charity Challenge and Finale in addition to client stories. Before we take a look back at highlights from 2022, here are several exciting projects coming along at the shop:

 

CJ’s 1971 Datsun 240Z features our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, and ZCG Heat Shield! We also installed triple-Mikuni induction and dyno tuned the Rebello 3L engine backed by a 240SX 5-speed transmission.

 

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!

   

Jeff and Ryan B’s LS3-powered Z came to us for mechanical sorting. It’s now sporting our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles. Ryan successfully ran the Targa California Rallye in blistering summer heat. He recently got a new set of VOLK TE37V wheels full report soon!

 

At Z Car Garage we enjoy both modifying Z cars and restoring them back to factory spec. Mike’s 1970 Datsun 240Z came to us from North Carolina and we delivered it in July. This ’69 production VIN#193 is a beautiful driving example of how wonderful these cars were from the factory.

 

James’s Turbocharged L-series powered S30 will be back after some cosmetic upgrades. We enjoyed making some great power and music:

 

Rick’s BRE-inspired Datsun 240Z track car is getting a CD009 6-speed transmission, Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, coil-over suspension and track preparation.

 

Ken’s Series 1 Datsun 240Z (#1762) is getting our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, ZCG CV Axles, KA24 5-speed transmission and Fujitsubo exhaust. The L28 is now receiving Jenvey ITB EFI managed by a Haltech 750:

 

Beau’s Datsun 280Z coming together. Fresh from paint featuring Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, T3 suspension and more.

 

Taking care of clients!

 

Z Car Garage takes pride in our ability to handle client’s needs, with same-day service possible. Our parts room with over 1,000 parts on hand allows us to get you in and back on the road. Client Vince S had a clutch hydraulic failure and limped his way in to the shop. We sorted his hydraulics and he was off in 4hrs:

 

Garret and Ken’s Series 1 Datsun 240Z cars both received our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles!

 

Stan K (VIN #511) and Tony H’s Series Datsun 240Z cars came in for mechanical sorting, interior work and Z Car Garage CV Axles

 

Datsunworks

 

Z Car Garage is excited to collaborate with Datsunworks and develop their brilliant KN20 dual-overhead cam (DOHC) cylinder head designed for the Nissan inline-6 L-Series engine. You can read all about it HERE. We continue to extract more power and run longevity testing with owner Gary’s Datsun 240Z, who has the pleasure of living daily with this beast affectionately named the “Behemoth”.

  

Khang’s 1973 Datsun 240Z was completed in October and he returned with 1,000 miles on the 3.2L L-Series. We adjusted the valves and double-checked power levels.

  

Happy to see both builds healthy and confirm power output. Enjoy the music from the both L-Series engines, sporting Jenvey ITB EFI managed by Haltech 750 Elite ECUs backed by the CD009a Six-Speed transmission.

 

Dyno Tuning your 350z/370z/Q/G

We have been dyno tuning your late model Nissan/Infiniti sports car daily. Bolt-ons, UPREV tuning. Our customers leave happy with more performance. Call us to schedule an appointment! Here are just a few cars:

Eric’s Q50:

   

R35 and R32 GT-R

R35s in for service and upgrades. Mike and Kurt’s R32 GT-Rs got power and chassis upgrades deserving their own blog features:

  

Z32

Mike’s 1991 Stillen GTZ. This rare, twin-turbo Z32 300ZX is #6 of 6 cars created by Steve Millen. It featured special 17” billet wheels, Brembo brakes, aero and performance upgrades. Excited to share its story and other client Z32 projects!

 

Race Cars

Several race cars to report on including the Transcendental Racing Datsun 240Z, Glenn Chiou’s Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510 (sporting ZCG CV Axles), the Corky Bell Trans-Am 510 and more!

 

Highlights from 2022

 

Even though 2022 was crazy year for all of us we still managed to have fun on and off the track. The shop made some really great progress as well. Enjoy these highlights from the year and Z you in 2023!

Click on each link or photo to see the full features!

The New Nissan Z

Huge thanks to Nissan for giving us the opportunity to experience the 2023 Nissan Z. We really can’t wait to get our new Z!

 

EVENTS: The 2023 Nissan Z Kicks Off Monterey Car Week at Motorlux!

Dyno Testing the 2023 Nissan Z (9-speed Auto)!

The 2023 Nissan Z on the Z Car Garage Dyno!

Return of the 1970 BRE Datsun 240Z

 

Vincent’s 1973 Datsun 240Z

 

Khang’s 1973 Datsun 240Z

 

Richard’s 1970 Datsun 240Z

 

David’s 1972 Datsun 240Z

 

Glenn’s 1972 Fairlady 240Z-L

 

David’s 1972 Datsun 240Z

 

Supermachine’s Datsun 240Z

 

Dirk’s 1972 Datsun 240z

 

Matt’s 1972 Datsun 240Z

 

Linda’s OMS Pace Car

 

Vince M’s 1972 Datsun 240Z

 

Jay’s 1972 Datsun 240Z

 

Mike’s 1970 Datsun 240Z

 

Mark’s 1970 Datsun 240Z

 

Vince S’ 1973 Datsun 240Z

 

Griot’s Garage 1972 Datsun 240Z

 

280Z

 

Where Are They Now: Greg’s 1977 Datsun 280Z

Skyline

Ray’s 1971 Skyline 2000GT-X

 

Julio’s 1971 Skyline

  

Z31

300zx

 

 510 and Fairlady Roadster

 

350Z

 

370z

 

Q60

R32

Updates on Mike and Kurt’s R32 Skylines!

R35

Racing

  

RACE REPORT: David Love Memorial with CSRG 4/1

RACE REPORT: Back to Back vintage racing events with SVRA

RACE REPORT: Laps For Laguna

RACE REPORT: Datsuns and Racing Legends at the 2022 Velocity Invitational

Z Car Garage Trackside Support Services: Todd’s Datsun 510 B-Sedan

 

Rallyes/Events

 

EVENTS: Tokyo Calling with Breakfast Club Rally

EVENTS: DWA Morning Motors Cars & Coffee 7/31

Happy Anniversary: Z Car Garage Celebrates 18 Years!

IN MEMORY: James Glenn Babb 2001-2022

IN MEMORY: RIP Jack Atkinson 1954-2022

The Sung Kang FUGUZ Steering Wheel

EVENTS: ZONC’s 50th Birthday Celebration!

EVENTS: The 2022 Japanese Classic Car Show

EVENTS: Z Car Garage at the Rolex Monterey Reunion and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

EVENT REPORT: Tokyo Calling 2

EVENTS: New Year’s Day Drive 2022

Media

Gary’s Datsunworks-powered Datsun 240Z featured on Marqued!

 

LONG LIVE THE Z! Check out our Instagram story for more updates!

 

 

Love for the Z is strong in Northern California

The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) is one of the oldest Z car clubs in the nation. In its prime they had over 600 members with close ties to Yutaka Katayama (“Mr. K”) and Nissan USA. We had a wonderful time attending their 50th Birthday Celebration at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, Ca on June 5, 2022.

 

Despite some morning rain the turnout was impressive for a relaxed gathering. No judged car show or awards, just Z-Car fans catching up with old friends and meeting new enthusiasts. (above) Aerial photos by Bryan Delohery.

Highlights from the show

Still to this day, 240Zs are the most represented model in the club. Expansion over time currently includes all recent Z models and the GT-R, but also reaches back in time to include the Datsun Roadsters and 510s.  For their 50th Birthday Celebration, ZONC assembled a “generations” display in front of the museum with samples of S30, S130, Z31, Z32, Z33 and Z34. Sitting front and center was the 2023 Nissan Z!

 

Racing History

 

A selection of Datsun race cars also joined the “generations” display. Datsun 510 guru and racer Troy Ermish displayed his 1971 B-Sedan 510 “Penny”:

 

Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou displayed his FAR Performance 240Z. This Z has a very rich racing history, driven in the 70’s by Loren St. Lawrence in VIPS Restaurant livery.

 

Glenn has vintage raced this Z at several high-profile events. He turned a track-mishap into an opportunity to perform a total-restoration (again) and bring this Z back in “Bay Area Datsun Dealers” livery as raced by FAR Performance privateer Walt Maas.

 

Rob Fuller of Z Car Garage displayed his #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z. An interesting note, both Glenn and Rob’s race cars have ties to ZONC gatherings decades ago.

 

Linda Williams’ 1972 Datsun 240Z OMS Pace Car Duplicate was staged next to the #49 IMSA GTU race car (the original OMS Pace car). Z Car Garage revived this historically-significant Z from its slumber to make it a nice driver for Linda while retaining its survivor status. She loves driving it everywhere.

 

The New Nissan Z!

 

ZONC teamed up with Nissan to display the new 2023 Z as part of the “generations” display in front of the Blackhawk Museum. This is the Performance model sporting a 6-speed manual and Passion Red paint. And Z Car Garage got to drive it back to our shop at the end of the event!

 

Z’s, 510s, Roadsters and More!

 

Here are a few of my favorite S30 Z cars from the gathering, starting with this flared beauty on Watanabe wheels:

 

Flared Series 1 Z with G-nose and Works-style wheels:

 

We were pleasantly surprised to see many Z Car Garage clients so let’s take a look at what they drove. Ed B is the original owner of this 1971 Datsun 240Z ZCG has maintained for almost two decades:

 

Bob Russell is the original owner of this S30 we will have a full report on zcarblog soon!

 

Representing the G35s were our clients Larry and long-time client Jason:

 

Eugene and long-time client Craig showed their 350Zs:

 

 

Richard M’s ZCG-modified 370z was representing Z34s

 

Here is a video from the 50th Birthday Celebration with load-in of the #49 IMSA Datsun 240Z, walk-around of the displays and the new Z leaving, enjoy! More highlights below…

 

260z and 280z

 

S130

Who could forget the S130 280zx! We spotted 4:

 

Z31

Three Z31s, including David’s sweet 25th Anniversary edition. This was his first ZONC event, welcome and thanks for bringing your Z out David!

 

The Works Rally Z

 

In the middle of freshly painted/detailed Datsuns and Nissans was this rather dilapidated S30. Upon closer inspection viewers were treated to the tremendous revival of this real-deal Nissan WORKS rally car. Recently I had just posted a blog report on Randy’s East-African Rally Tribute, so seeing an actual, surviving rally car in person blew me away. We all geeked out pretty hard on the details, and they were impressive:

 

This is chassis #2 of 4 that were built by Nissan for the 1971 Monte Carlo Rally.  It is the project of Tom K and noted Datsun expert Steve Pettersen and their restoration website is a must-visit for history and feature documentation (as shown above). The Z remains largely intact with original parts like the Nissan competition exhaust manifold and roll bar. Period-correct parts like the Ikeda Bussan rally seat and reclining navigator seat were sourced. Check out the heater-port to defrost the headlight covers, Nissan-branded acrylic windows and more:

 

 

Authentic Magnesium rally wheels and Kanto Seiki 8krpm tach! Thanks Tom and Steve for bringing it out to the ZONC event!

 

 

This Z deserves its own spotlight, but enjoy this walk-around video until we can visit Tom and take some proper coverage:

 

Z32

 

Z33 and Z34

Our client Steve’s Nismo Z33 and a brace of 350Zs in the generations display. Good to see a build from way back, Tom’s supercharged 370Z.

 

510s

n

Jay’s 510 features our Z Car Garage CV Axles. We will have a full report soon as he just completed a DWA rallye in the Sierras!

 

Matt’s 510 with turbocharged KA24DE:

 

Andrew’s 4-door Hakosuka Skyline and Josh’s 620 truck

Roadsters

The lone Datsun Roadster was Hotep’s ’69 2000 with L-series drivetrain and factory, OEM hardtop!

  

This rad little B13 Sentra b13 packed a full SR20VET engine from a Nissan X-Trail and 6-speed transmission!

 

 

S12, and S14 Nissans:

 

 

R35 Row

A very large showing of R35 GT-Rs parked together

Plenty of cool, modified cars but this one caught our eye, it is a GT-R “T-Spec”.

 

Only offered in two colors, Millemium Jade and this Midnight Purple finish made iconic by special-edition R34 Skylines. Inside, a Mori green interior and alcantara touches really set it apart from other models. Best part? The owner drives it everywhere despite being an ultra-rare and pricey variant.

   

Driving the New Z to Z Car Garage!

 

I had the opportunity to drive the 2023 Nissan Z from the ZONC show back to our shop in San Jose with a group of die-hard Nissan fans. Huge thanks to Nissan! We had the Z for a few days to enjoy so stay tuned for a full report!

Happy Birthday ZONC!

Spending the day at the ZONC 50th Birthday Celebration reminded us to (in the words of the late Mr.K), ” Love cars. Love people. Love Life.”  This is a club that keep the Z community together year-round and we are excited for their next events. Don’t forget to check out our picture gallery below! Big thanks to the ZONC organizers and Nissan for bringing the new Z out. Stay tuned for a full report our time with the 2023 Z!

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Dear Z-car enthusiasts we are excited to announce the new 2023 Nissan Z will be at Z Car Garage on Saturday, October 23 from 10am to 4pm. This will be the first public showing of the new Z in Northern California since its 9/17 Global Reveal in New York. Join fellow Z car fans at our shop and see the new Z in person! Bring your friends, family and please spread the word. 

 

ZCG will also have several vintage Z cars on display to celebrate the lineage. A representative from Nissan will be present to answer your questions and this is a perfect opportunity for photography of the new Z. Big thanks to Larry Chen for sharing these photos with us.

 

We know this is a busy time of the year so mark your calendars for 10/23 to spend some time with the new Z! More details to follow (like parking suggestions) with updates on our social media outlets including Instagram, Facebook and here on zcarblog.com.

 

Huge thanks to  Nissan for making Z Car Garage the premier venue for sharing the new Z. It really gives us some 2008 vibes when our shop was chosen to host the first stop on the “Follow The Z” Tour of the then-new 2009 Nissan 370Z:

 

Long Live The Z!