Filed under: 240z,r32,R35,Racing,z32
by Alvin G @ 5:10 pm on November 9, 2021
Z Car Garage Shop Update for 11/9/21
We are doing final track preparation for this week’s (November 11-14) race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca hosted by the Velocity Invitational. Z Car Garage will be participating and providing support for several client cars. We are excited to be racing in Group 7A (1966-1977 IMSA GT):
We will be supporting our client Randy Jaffe who recently acquired the Transcendental Racing Datsun 240Z. This famous 1976 IMSA-GTU Championship-winning 240z will be driven by ex-driver Brad Frisselle’s son, Brian Frisselle:
Love for the Z is strong in Northern California as hundreds of enthusiasts visit Z Car Garage to see the 2023 Nissan Z.
Z Car Garage opened our shop to the public to see the new Nissan Z sports car on 10/23. This was the first public showing of the new Z in Northern California since its 9/17 Global Reveal in New York.
ZCG had several vintage Z cars on display to celebrate the lineage. A representative from Nissan was present to answer questions and it was the perfect opportunity for photography of the new Z. Enjoy our report from the event with plenty of photos and video below.
Two DayZ With The New Z
Although the event was officially on 10/23, we were given the opportunity to spend time with the Z beginning on Friday 10/22. The itinerary:
Friday 1-4pm: Nissan held a media slot with high-profile automotive journalists including Jason Cammisa:
Friday 4-6pm: ZCG shop team got to spend some alone-time with the new Z
Friday 6-9pm: Private viewing of new Z…
An Intimate Setting With the New Z
Photo: Lane Skelton
On Friday evening from 6pm to 9pm we hosted a private viewing of the new Z. Close friends, family and clients of Z Car Garage were able to sit inside the Z and enjoy it without security ropes. We had light refreshments, our famous popcorn machine running and plenty of time to hangout.
This was our way of showing gratitude to our clients—while alleviating foot traffic and crowding for the following day’s public viewing. We wanted everyone to have chance to see the Z without wading through a sea of people. Mission accomplished.
A Display For Enthusiasts to Enjoy
The New Z was the center of attention but make no mistake we wanted give everyone a chance to explore our shop and see some really cool Nissans and Datsuns. More than “just a viewing”…inside the shop we staged our client cars to show a range of old to new. Surrounding the 2023 Z were historically significant Datsun racing 240Z’s, Z32 300ZX’s (tail light inspiration for the new Z), R32 and R35 GT-Rs, S30 VIN# 193 and James’ turbocharged L-Series 240z:
IMSA GTU Corner!
These two Datsun 240Z race cars are historically significant. The #49 IMSA GTU Z was built and raced by our friend, the late Joel Anderson and the #47 Transcendental Racing IMSA GTU Z was raced by Brad Frisselle (currently owned by Randy Jaffe). Both cars will be racing at the Velocity Invitational Nov. 11-14 at Laguna Seca. Rob Fuller is eager to be in the driver seat again behind the wheel of the #49 IMSA GTU Z. (Below) The BRE Datsun 240Z, also owned by Randy Jaffe:
Saturday’s 10am to 4pm public showing of the Z was a huge success. We had a steady flow of people throughout the day with 400+ attendees enjoying the company of fellow enthusiasts inside and outside the shop.
Huge thanks to Nissan for making Z Car Garage the premier venue for sharing the new Z. It really gave 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:
It is hard to capture the energy and vibe of the two-day event so I made this video showing a few highlights: from loading the new Z into the shop, private event, preparing for the public event, parking lots gems and more. Enjoy!
Parking Lot Gems
While the spotlight was on the new Z inside the shop there was a constant rotation of cool Nissans and Datsuns outside. We had VIP parking for our clients and anyone with a Nissan or Datsun. A few notables:
With the shop lot full it made us happy to see attendees finding nearby street parking. Check out this Datsun Violet 710!
If parking was difficult to find we had an overflow lot provided by Bay 101 Casino just a short walk away. The lot turned out to be quite useful, though it was only at 30% capacity. We even spotted some Z’s and a B210 in the parking lot!
More pictures in the gallery!
New and Old Friends
It’s been so long since we could gather in public and mingle with fellow enthusiasts. We treasure our relationships built over the years through Z Car Garage. Many long-time clients visited us and we also met new Z-car fans, all with stories we love to hear.
Speaking of friends, fellow racer and client Glenn Chiou and I could not resist taking some photos of our Datsuns next to the new Z 🙂
Long Live The Passion
The 6hr long event came and went too soon! Just before 6pm we were loading up the shop and sending the new Z off when the most amazing thing happened to Rob. You may have seen the motto on our ZCG license plate frames “Performance with Passion”… It’s the passion of enthusiasts that drives us. Jose Magana had just got off work when he heard about our event. He knew he as going to miss it but he took a chance and stopped by the shop anyway. He was lucky as the new Z was still outside, staging to leave:
Jose greeted Rob and began telling us all how he got his Datsun 240Z…
“You may not remember me but YOU are the reason why I have this Z! In 2013 I visited your shop with my Dad. I didn’t even have a Z at the time but I remember you were so humble and kind to us. You even let me sit in your race car.”
Rob, listening to Jose tell him this story said let’s go inside, and showed him the very same race car that Jose sat it in, the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Z. It was a special moment for Rob, myself, Meghan and Jose. We had to take a picture with Jose. He continued:
“It because of you I saved up enough money to buy my own Datsun Z, and I had to tell you this and how you inspired me, even if I couldn’t make the event on time, so thank you!”
We were so overwhelmed with joy. Thank you Jose for your passion and giving us some wonderful inspiration on top of an already incredible weekend.
Thank you!
Thank you to everyone that made the trip down to Z Car Garage to spend some time with the 2023 Nissan Z. The outpouring of love on social media about our event and your thoughts on the new Z mean so much to us. We appreciate it deeply.
Thanks to Nissan for letting ZCG host the new Z and hanging with us for event. Lastly, none of this would be possible without the help of our small, but invaluable ZCG team including Joshua Corwin, Nick Filip, Rob and Meghan Fuller. The event was an overwhelming success, thoughtfully planned and executed.
Please continue to share your thoughts and love for the new Z…it’s a homerun from Nissan and we are excited to see them in the hands of current and next generation Z-car enthusiasts. Don’t forget the photo gallery below and LONG LIVE THE Z!
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:
We had a blast at the 34th Annual Z Car Convention (ZCON) hosted by ZCCA in Colorado Springs. This is the largest Z-car event in the US and we were stoked to be a sponsor. Coming from the 8/17 New 2023 Z Reveal in New York, Rob and Meghan attended the the 8/21 People’s Choice Show at ZCON. Enjoy photos these from the event!
Congratulations to our client Bob Russell on his 1st place award for Stock 240Z! We will have a full report on Bill’s S30 on zcarblog.com soon
Both of our clients Jack and Linda made it to ZCON with their recently finished Z’s and had a great time:
Jack won 3rd place for Ultra-Modified Z32 with his LS3-swapped, Primadonna Z:
The largest Z show!
ZCON was a Z car lover’s fantasy… with every generation represented. There were even non-Z cars welcomed!
S30
S130
Mike Rogers 12-mile 1980 ZX. Here is a great video and walk through on this time capsule!
Z31
Z32
350z
370z
Nissan/Datsun Gems
ZCON welcomed all members of the family and there were some great cars on display:
Roadster, 620 and S13
Best of the 90’s!
Midnight Purple R33, Z32 and R32 all at gas station just outside of ZCON!
People
The legendary Pete Brock, Hiroshi Tamura and Larry Chen were just a few of the big names at ZCON:
Christopher Karl and Mark Lambert both received Lifetime Achievement Awards, congrats gentlemen!
Thank You!
ZCON was a success. Big thanks to Christopher Karl of ZCCA for an incredible week of friends and Z cars. Z you next year!
Filed under: Events,Z Proto
by Alvin G @ 6:54 pm on August 10, 2021
The next-generation Nissan Z sports car will be unveiled Tuesday, August 17 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT. Nissan is making this a global reveal so Z car fans worldwide can watch via livestream. You can sign up for reminders at Nissan’s American website.
Z Car Garage was fortunate to check out the Z Proto at Nissan Headquarters back in May. We were impressed and can’t wait to see how close the production Z will be…with great styling, twin-turbos and a Six-speed manual transmission sign us up!
The global press event for unveiling the new Nissan Z will be at a private event in New York City. ZCG will be attending the event so stay tuned for live updates!
