WE LOVE RACING! On October 4-6 we attended the Velocity Invitational at Sonoma Raceway. Z Car Garage had a blast racing and supporting clients in Group 7 (1968 – 1978 IMSA GT Cars), Group 8 (ALMS) and Group 5 (B-Sedan). This vintage racing event was just as fun for spectators with a friendly, immersive vibe. Enjoy our report from the weekend with photos and in-car video of the action.

The Corky Bell Trans Am 510 (Group 5)

 

Famed engineer and race car driver Corky Bell ran this Datsun 510 in the early 70’s Trans Am series. Z Car Garage restored it back to its former glory with Trans Am livery and Corky drove it for the first time in 52 years at Velocity. It was a mad thrash to get the 510 prepared for the event and we will dedicate a separate blog post to the restoration and Corky’s story. Here are a few photos of the car during the revival:

 
It was surreal watching Corky drive his race car decades after he campaigned it in the Trans Am series. With a few sessions he qualified and completed the feature race with fellow B-Sedans in Group 5. Corky improved his lap times from 2:30s to a 2:07s and at 83 years of age he really inspired us all. Enjoy these on-track photos of Corky behind the wheel of his U2.5L Trans Am Datsun 510:

 

 

Enjoy this video of Corky Bell racing in Group 5 at the Velocity Invitational with in-car, paddock action and some great commentary from Rob at the end…

 

It was an emotional weekend filled with joy for the ZCG crew and Corky’s family. His daughter Stephanie:

Such a privilege to see my Dad race his last Datsun 510 yesterday and today. He stopped racing when I was 4. Seeing him race and enjoy something he loved so much made me cry. More than once. HUGE shout out and even bigger Thank you to Rob & Meghan Fuller at Z Car Garage in San Jose for making this a reality. They rescued the car from a field and fully restored it. Such a big full circle moment for Dad. Can you imagine getting back in a race car after 5 decades? So proud and amazed by him.

 

Icing on the cake…Corky’s Datsun 510 joined the ranks of greatness in Velocity Invitational’s 2025 promotional photo shoot! More photos in the gallery below.

 

Racing With Group 7 IMSA

Photo by Chris Constantine

Group 7’s IMSA cars were dominated by big-power Porsche 911 RSRs. Rob Fuller ran the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z and battled for P1/2 against Martin Lauber (red 911 #64) and Chet Taylor (blue 911 #55).

  

Rob fought hard, mixing it up with the two Porsche 911s but the feature race sadly ended with a collision. The Joel Anderson IMSA GTU will be rebuilt and it will return, faster than ever.

  We have in-car video from Rob in the Joel Anderson IMSA GTU 240Z and Group 7 with livestream footage and paddock action. Volume up and enjoy!

 

You can also see the full-length, in-car footage on Saturday and Sunday. Catch the Sunday livestream HERE and watch more of Rob’s racing adventures on his YouTube Channel.

Datsun + Porsche History

Photo by Josh Corwin

In 1981, Joel Anderson, Casey Mollett (280ZX) and Cary Eisenlohr’s Porsche were all pitted together at Sears Point. We had a unique opportunity to re-enact this historical moment at the Velocity Invitational, 44 years later!

 

Historic B & C Sedan

 

Photo by Alex Trang

Historic B&C Sedan partnered with Velocity Invitational to gather a collection of 30+ real historic B and C sedan cars for the Velocity Invitational! Thirteen cars among them have real Trans Am Under 2L and Two-Five Challenge history. This was the largest gathering of real historic sedans since the 2010 Monterey Historics. Amongst the real Trans Am cars were the Alfas of Horst Kweck, Gaston Andrey, Jon Norman, Charlie Thieriot, Dave Burns; BMW 2002s of Carl Fredericks, Jeff Kline; Porsche 911 of Walt Maas; Datsun 510s of Corky Bell and Bob Finn.

Z Car Garage Trackside Race Support Services

ROB: ZCG provided trackside support for 4 cars in the B-Sedan field and it was exciting to watch. Noah kicked ass in his Bluebird finishing 3rd and 5th in the second race. It was intense, glorious and fun. Kelvin drove the Dragonetti car until Sunday pm when brother Kenny took wheel, making it to 8th from the back. Corky went from 2:34s to 2:07 and Tom returned in fighting form with his freshly restored Balzer 510.

#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. Z Car Garage rebuilt the 510, making a triumphant return to this year’s Velocity event with a cool period-correct livery change.

 
TOM: The Velocity weekend was truly magical in so many ways. The car came together perfectly in the end with the support of the ZCG team. I also want to give a special thanks to William, of William’s Autobody and John at Landmark Grafix. I’m thrilled with the new mid-70s-inspired livery and graphics. The race weekend was incredibly memorable. Not only was it the debut of the rebuilt Balzer 510, but my whole family—Matt, Sarah, Nick, Lucy, and my brother Jon—was there to experience it. I felt great, and the time spent with Corky Bell made it even more special. We shared many stories, and I got the chance to share my insights about Sonoma Raceway with him.

 

We have in-car video from Tom Dockery in the Ex-Norm Balzer B-Sedan Datsun 510, volume up and enjoy!

#9 Noah’s Bluebird Coupe

 

Noah’s Bluebird Coupe in action:

 

Enjo this in-car video from Noah’s Bluebird with livestream and paddock action:

#64 Kelvin Tse

Kelvin is a steady ZCG trackside support client, running the Ex-Ted Gruner 510.

 

Kelvin and Kenny shared the Dragonetti car over the weekend

KENNY: The 911 that I was driving didn’t run on Friday or Saturday. Kelvin was driving the Dragonetti on those days. Saturday was the qualifying race. Kelvin was stuck in a lot of traffic but he was trying to make his way through it to get a clean lap. However, he hit a patch of oil exiting the carousel which caused him to spin. After the spin, the car wouldn’t start and all of the cars that he had cleared earlier passed him back. He finally got the car restarted, but by that time the session was almost over and never got a clean lap. He ended up qualifying 20th.

Sunday morning, we thought the 911 might be able to run the race- so we gridded and started the race. We had a good start, but the car started to have issues in turn 2 so I shut it down and brought it in. After that I was pretty bummed that I had only able to drive two turns during the event! At that point, Kelvin, being the awesome brother that is he, offered to let me drive the feature race- which I jumped at the chance to do! The feature race was fun. I started 20th and was able to get to 8th place by the middle of the first lap. The Dragonetti was working great and eventually made it up to 5th place behind my friend Cary Einsenlohr in a 911. I was super stoked to get to 5th after starting from 20th.  The car ran great and it salvaged an otherwise frustrating weekend in the 911.

 

Catch Kenny racing in Group 5 via livestream: HERE and watch the feature race HERE

Porsche 997 GT3 Cup (Group 8)

This very special Porsche is the 2006 FIA European GT3 Championship winning car that was driven by Sean Edwards. It is a 997 GT3 Cup S Prototype and our client Kenny Tse raced it in the Legends of Endurance group at the Rolex.

 

As Kenny mentioned above, the 911 fought us with oiling issues, but we will resolve them for the next season.

 

Exotic cars

 

There was no shortage of rare and exotic cars from well-known and upcoming supercar marques. More photos in the gallery below!

 

Privateer Spirit

The Historic B and C Sedan race was one of the most exciting run groups and Race car driver/Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou raced his Ex-Bob Finn U2.5L Trans-Am Datsun 510:

 

This car features our Z Car Garage CV Axles

 

We also provided dyno tuning services for the fresh Rebello L18 with Solex/Mikuni 44phh induction and BRE intake:

 

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 thank him for organizing the Historic B&C Sean group to keep the spirit of Trans Am racing alive.

 

A Fan-Friendly Race Event

 

Formerly known as the Sonoma Speed Festival (2019), the Velocity Invitational re-imagined the vintage race experience with a Goodwood-inspired vibe that we enjoyed at the 2022 Velocity Invitational. One of the best experiences for spectators is the paddock and organizers made access to drivers and their machines seamless. Fans could get up close and personal with race cars without the typical ropes or 45-foot RVs in the way:

 

ROB: “First time running at Sonoma for us with VI, since we missed the inaugural event in 2019. Jeff O’Neill ‘s event is first class and reminds us of what the Rolex RMMR. So much excitement in the air…when you drive in people would be everywhere. Thanks to Jeff, Ryan Turri and Ardelle Lind for accommodating our needs.”

 

If you want to see action from the event in its entirety, check out Goodwood’s live streaming coverage of Day one and Day Two. Huge thanks to Meghan Fuller for capturing photos/videos for ZCG. More photos in the gallery below from from Alex Trang, Chris Constantine and Nick Dockery

ZCG Race Crew

  

Huge shoutout to the Z Car Garage race crew including Josh, Meghan, Nick and Cooper. We are grateful for your support, keeping us safe and on the track!

 

Racing into 2025!

 

Thank you Velocity Invitational for an incredible event. We look forward to running with you again. Join us for the 2025 race season and stay tuned for our CSRG Finale report from Thunderhill. LONG LIVE THE Z!

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The third annual Laps for Laguna vintage racing event was held on May 31-June 2. This event is created by the Laguna Seca Raceway Foundation and Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) to raise money for charity. Z Car Garage had a blast racing and supporting Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 3. It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our report!

 

Z Car Garage Racers

We raced and provided trackside support for 9 cars including B-Sedan Datsun 510s and Kenny’s 997 GT3 Cup car:

#7 Kelvin Tse

 

#64 Kenny Tse

 

Kenny’s Ex-Ted Gruner B-Sedan Datsun 510 featuring our Z Car Garage CV Axles :

  

#25 Jeff Rothman

Gabe’s father Jeff is racing his B-Sedan Datsun 510:

 

#98 Kelly M

 

#68 and #30 Noah’s 510 and BMW 2002

 

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car (driven by Tom Dockery, see below)

 

Tom shares his experience racing in Rob’s Datsun 510:

“Rob’s generous offer to run his Bay Area Datsun 510 at Laps for Laguna was incredible. It gave me a chance to get back on track after over a year of downtime, with people I know and trust. It also allowed me to experience racing a highly developed B-Sedan. From the first lap in Rob’s car, I fell in love with how it handled the course. With each session, I reduced my lap times until I was consistently running laps in race traffic that were better than my previous personal record. Despite some missed shifts with the Dog Box, I managed to qualify and finish in the top half of the field. I’m looking forward to this fall and the Velocity Invitational, where I’ll be back in the Balzer 510, hopefully set up as well as Rob’s Bay Area Datsun 510.”

Enjoy this in-car video of Tom in Group 3 with paddock footage as well:

The Z Car Garage Nissan Z as Pace Car

Z Car Garage was happy to have our 2023 Nissan Z as Official Pace Car at Laps For Laguna. You might notice the new Z’s livery, it’s a nod to our #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z, and we will dedicate a separate blog post to it:

 

Glenn’s FAR Performance Datsun 240Z

Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou raced 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. It was fun to watch him race this beautifully-restored 240Z, going as fast as he’s ever been too, earning a class win!

 

Enjoy this in-car video of Glenn in the BADD Z:

Paddock Highlights

Big thanks to Meghan and Ning for taking photos and video around the paddock. Enjoy this VIDEO highlighting paddock and race action

 

A weekend of great racing and good times

 

There was such a great vibe in our pit and it was an absolute pleasure seeing our clients all from different walks of life enjoying the company. Amazing weekend. Special shoutout to ZCG crew for keeping all of the cars running so we can race! More photos in the gallery below.

 

Join us for the 2024 Vintage Racing Season!

 

Z Car Garage is amped for more racing this year. Please check the CSRG website and zcarblog.com for upcoming race events. Do not miss the next event: CSRG’s Charity Challenge at Sonoma September 13-15. We had a blast at last year’s Laps for Laguna, see our race report HERE.

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Last Saturday Z Car Garage gathered a group of vintage cars to attend Cars and Coffee at SIM Racers Group in San Jose. We had a great time and thank everyone for hanging out with us. Thanks to Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) for hosting! Enjoy the photos below.

 

We caravanned from Z Car Garage around 8:15am with close to 25 cars!

   

Arriving at Sim Racers Group with 40 cars and good times. We enjoyed chatting with everyone and testing our skills on the simulators.

 

Here are a few Z Car Garage clients in attendance:

Larry Chen’s SR20DET-powered 1970 Datsun 240Z is back at Z Car Garage. He dropped it off from SoCal for a few more wishlist items. Stay tuned for updates on this Series 1 S30 featuring Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (Stoptech), ZCG CV Axles, KW suspension and dyno-tuned SR20DET.

 

Matt’s KA24DE-T Datsun 510

Lora B’s R35 GT-R

 

Kurt’s iconic VG30ET-powered 510, “The Strutless Wonder”

 

Lou’s Series 1 1970 Datsun 240Z

 

Kurt’s 1973 Kenmeri Skyline

 

Linda’s 2023 Proto-Spec Z

 

Armon’s 1973 Datsun 240Z

Craig’s 2004 Nissan 350Z

 

Alex’s Sunny Truck

 

Geoff’s 1966 Cortina and Eric’s 1964 Mercury Comet

 

Nick’s Samurai and Josh’s VW Bug:

 

Join us on Saturday, February 24 for Cars and Coffee at SIM Racers Group in San Jose. Z Car Garage would like to gather a group of vintage cars to attend. Bring out your Datsun, BMW, Alfa or any old-school marque. Stay tuned for caravan details on zcarblog.com Thanks to Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) for hosting!

 

 

 

 

Z Car Garage specializes in dyno tuning of vintage cars and this includes non-Nissan/Datsun classics. From establishing a baseline on street cars to preparing race cars for high-profile events we love helping each client achieve the best performance possible. Geoff W’s 1972 BMW 2002 came to Z Car Garage for a dyno tuning session with fantastic results.

 

Geoff is a friend of the shop with a great story behind his love for all things engineering and automotive. Let’s hear how he got into cars and acquired the BMW 2002…

Generations of Car Enthusiasts

 

“My father owned Formula Fords growing up and has owned a Lotus Elan since 1977; we spent a lot of time in the garage together in my formative years. I was exposed at a young age to AutoX and vintage racing I distinctly remember falling in love with Lotus Sevens and B-sedan cars. When I was of driving age, I purchased a 1985 Mk1 Toyota Mr2 (Chassis code AW11) and began to do a lot of track days and AutoX. This eventually led to another 4age powered car: The Toyota Corolla GTS (Chassis code AE86). I was going to college in southern California at the time and was involved with Club4ag.com which started holding drift day events. This was before professional organizations such as Formula D came about.”

 

“As a poor college kid, I started working drift events and track days in exchange for track time. I eventually became an instructor and won one of the earliest US drifting competitions in my largely-stock, daily-driver Corolla. After school, I bought a Caterham 7 Super Sprint, and while it was fun, it was never quite the original Lotus Seven I pined for. I eventually sold all of my “fun cars” to fund a house purchase in San Jose. After a few years, I finally acquired my Lotus Seven in 2013 as a tired vintage race car from Texas. I built a road-going motor and installed a synchromesh transmission for the car and finally got it running a year later.”

 

“I’ve been enjoying driving and developing it in the years since. Alvin from Z Car Garage and I met a few years after this car was finished and we became fast friends. Some of my best memories with this car have been spent driving in the mountains surrounding San Jose with Alvin. I’ve done a few vintage car rallies and been on track with it, but I eventually would like to do some vintage racing.” (See Geoff’s Lotus 7 in this excellent Petrolicious feature HERE)

 

The Inka Orange 1972 BMW 2002

“In 2018, I sought out a B-sedan road car to take on vintage car rallies and have something fun to drive in inclement weather. Alfa GTV’s, Datsun 510’s were out of my price range and I couldn’t find any Mk1 Ford Escorts/Cortinas for sale. I began looking at BMW 2002’s; I especially liked them in bright/interesting colors popular in the early 70’s.”

“When I bought this car, the previous owner didn’t know much about the engine. It had a pair of Weber 40dcoe’s, ran well, and seemed to feel like other stock bmw 2002s I had driven. I haven’t made many changes to the car, but did locate and install a set of rare and period correct Campagnolo wheels. Earlier this year, I found and purchased a Mk1 Cortina and I was going to sell the BMW 2002 because it wasn’t as exciting to drive.”

 

Dyno Tuning

 

The 2002 baselined at 99hp/114tq and after tuning put down 129hp/127tq at the wheels! Let’s hear from Rob…

ROB: “Being around so many B-Sedan race cars I wanted to see what all the hype was surrounding the BMW 2002. I started talking with Geoff about trading one of my S30 Z cars for his BMW. He kindly lent it to me, and I drove it to the Monterey Historics to root on our friend Jim Huff in his Neu Klasse BMW. First impressions were that it was anemic and the dyno confirmed this. Full-throttle was compromised so it needed throttle-linkage adjustment plus timing and jetting. It really came alive making great power…“

 

Enjoy the video below to see Geoff’s BMW on the dyno, test driving with Rob and enjoying a few road rallies:

Hold on to that 2002!

 

Rob and Geoff recall how they felt about the 2002 post dyno tuning and test driving:

ROB: “With +30hp/13tq this BMW was born again, and man did I like the German 510. Love the visibility, greenhouse, seats, thud of the door closing. Despite being a die-hard Datsun 510 guy I really dug the 2002. Enjoyed it so much that I thought maybe this was going to be my first German car. I drove it, Meghan drove it, and just as I was getting excited, (un)fortunately Geoff finally drove it…our improvements to the car convinced him to keep the 2002.”

 

GEOFF: “I hadn’t even considered having it tuned, but Rob suggested giving it a try. When I drove the car after Z Car Garage worked their magic, I was absolutely floored. It is a completely different car now, gaining 30 horsepower and this was not the “stock” 2002 I had assumed it to be. I’m absolutely kicking myself I didn’t have it tuned by Rob earlier. Needless to say, I am no longer interested in selling it. I feel like I’m experiencing a whole new car I cannot thank Z Car Garage enough!”

On Datsuns:

 

We introduced Geoff to the magic of the Datsun S30 Z car after joining him on local mountain drives and rallies. He gets it…

GEOFF: “Being around the shop, I have an even stronger strong appreciation for both 510’s and Z cars. I was recently given the opportunity to drive Mrs. Butters and was completely blown away by the Z Car Garage Big Brakes. I have never felt brakes like that on a vintage car; they’re more impressive than most modern cars! The sound of that L-series on triple Mikuni’s is absolutely intoxicating. While I’ve always preferred smaller/lighter 4 cylinder cars, a S30 tuned like Mrs. Butters is definitely on my short-list of next cars to own. It also helps to have a reputable shop so familiar with these cars in the area!”

 

Friendship

ALVIN: “It really is a small word. Geoff and I both work at the same company and didn’t meet until we saw our beloved vintage cars featured in Petrolicious. Since then we’ve enjoyed Bay Area backroads and beyond. Good times from running rallies with Driving While Awesome, to attending race events and weekend blasts. Geoff is truly someone I’d wish I had known earlier in life. Here’s to more memories and drives.”

 

Just a few events we have enjoyed with Geoff over the years, with more photos in the gallery below:

EVENTS: Cars and Coffee with Driving While Awesome!

EVENTS: Super Drive Sunday

EVENTS: DWA Rally From Home South

 

ROB: “Happy to help Geoff sort out his BMW. He’s such a great car enthusiast and friend to the shop, myself and Alvin. Wonderful 2002. B-Sedans are not just Datsun 510s, they are in the form of BMWs, Alfas and other marques!”

Dyno tuning for your vintage car

 

Z Car Garage specializes in dyno tuning vintage/classic street and race cars. Here is just a sample of the variety: (above) Team TRUST Porsche 962 from Canepa, Toyota Celica GTO, DeKon Monza, Shelby Mustang and more. Contact Rob at the shop to schedule your dyno session!

 

 

 

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