On Sunday 6/13 we attended the Morning Motors Cars & Coffee event hosted by DrivingWhileAwesome (DWA) in Santa Cruz, CA. The event impressed us again with a fun vibe and superb variety of cars. One of the many perks of DWA Morning Motors is its location surrounded by the best driving roads. This morning however, I ran solo in my Datsun Roadster straight to the venue in front of the Old Wrigley Building.
It’s smart to arrive before 8:30am to grab a shaded parking spot and coffee/donuts (thanks DWA!) before they run out. The event is so close to downtown Santa Cruz and HWY 1 I invited my family to enjoy the cars and visit our favorite beach afterwards.
Mandatory Nissan/Datsun
I was happy to see so many Nissans and Datsuns at Morning Motors.
There were a three Datsun 510 wagons and one 510 2-door! This is Mark G’s 510, a client we’ve been lucky to work with, you can see more details about his Dime HERE
Our very own Nick F. in his 1972 510 wagon on SSR wheels:
Ray’s Hakosuka Skyline, now sporting our Z Car Garage CV Axles! We look forward to seeing Ray for more upgrades on this already stunning Skyline that gets driven everywhere:
Pall’s R32 Skyline in (AH3) Pearl Red. Pall K acquired this Pearl Red (AH3) R32 from our friend Sean and his team at Toprank International Vehicle Importers. We love the gorgeous paint color and Volk TE37SLs. He is also a ZCG client!
Another ZCG client, Eric’s Infiniti FX35 sporting upgraded suspension and R35 GT-R wheels.
350Z and G37 sedan on Z34 wheels:
I counted five (!) Nissan 240SX in both S13 and S14 trim. This S13 was my favorite:
S14 with “Silvia” badging:
Lone Z32 (NA), Q45 and a bagged Q60:
In Search of J-Tin
Morning Motors did not disappoint if you are Japanese Classic fans. Honda S800:
NA Miatas!
EG Civic, EM1 Civic Si and S2000 CR:
90’s icons…Supra and NSX and FD RX-7 (on FIKSE wheels)!
So much variety! Enjoy this short video:
Euro Classics
Yearning for Porsche’s? Or something a bit less “mainstream”? DWA CnC did not disappoint. Rosso Dino 246:
308, 4C and Chris’ “Rat Alfa” GTV:
Spotted my first, local Porsche 911 by Singer. It was impressive with so many details to enjoy:
Sweet 993 C2S with sexy multi-piece Turbo Twists:
Naveed’s new 964 911 GT3 RS (991)
A trio of cool BMW 2002s, one powered by an M20 6-cylinder!:
American Muscle
From 60’s to 80’s. Mike Garret’s familiar purple Mopar with late-model drivetrain and really wild Plymouth Fury race car tribute:
Eclectic
DWA CnC is definitely my kind of cars and coffee. It’s a great venue with amazing driving roads nearby and the cars were so diverse. We highly recommend checking it out! Thanks to the DWA crew for hosting. If you haven’t already, listen to their podcast and make sure you give them a follow on Instagram.
More pictures in the gallery below!
On Saturday, June 12 I attended the Breakfast Club Rally. This was my second time at the monthly event and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to enjoy the beautiful Northern California roads and scenery. I took my Datsun Roadster and left San Jose Saturday morning, driving 80 miles North to the starting point in Mill Valley. I spotted this MGA buzzing along the freeway, and many more vintage cars were on their way. Enjoy this report from the event.
Cars & Coffee? Yes Please!
The Breakfast Club Rally (BCR) started almost 1 year ago, now running its 15th rally event. What started out as a small group enjoying weekend drives blossomed into a full-on Cars and Coffee (still unofficial) meet just before rally participants head out according to run group (rally map available to pre-registrants only).
I arrived at 8:30am to an already packed parking lot. BCR is mostly vintage, “brand agnostic & 100% anti-snob”…and the scene was just as advertised. Cool cars everywhere. Of course, yours truly is always on the lookout for Nissans and Datsuns:
First up, this 1967 Datsun 2000, owned by Ian S. 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. This is SRL #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. The (655) Off-white paint with red interior is one of my favorites.
Met a fresh Datsun Roadster owner! This is Michael’s ’70 2000. He purchased and drove it from SoCal to San Francisco.
Two vintage Datsun Z cars. (top) is BCR founder Graham’s personal 280Z:
Two Datsun 510 wagons and Nissan 720 truck!
This was a total surprise…our client Mike’s R32 Skyline GT-R! Fresh from our shop with turbo, fueling and exhaust upgrades he is out Enjoying the Boost! Watch the video below for the sounds this beast makes…full report soon.
So many cool cars please check the gallery for more photos!
Rally On!
The rally started at 9am and somehow all of the cars gracefully exited the lot, heading towards the coast to Point Reyes Station. Weather and terrain changes abound and even a few route changes kept things interesting. Crazy machinery was always fun to see!
Arriving at Point Reyes Station was another opportunity to see cars I missed at the starting point. Folks took a snack/coffee break here in the quaint town. I sat down near the sidewalk, just admiring each vintage ride cruise by…like this Ferrari 250GT!
This is a grand, picaresque part of Northern California with rolling hills, pastures and Eucalyptus-lined blacktop. Coastal fog could be seen creeping into valleys and gentle rivers meandering through hillsides had me fighting to keep my eyes on the road!
One of BCR’s clever mottos is #DoneByNoon, and we eventually found our way to downtown Petaluma for lunch. I joined fellow roadster owner Ian (with his son) and Graham at Brewster’s Beer Garden in the historic district. Good food on the patio with great company.
Another perk of the BCR is the many talented photographers they have enlisted to capture rally goers in action. Your ride may have been immortalized so check out their work HERE! As we parted our ways, I snapped some rolling shots of Ian’s ’67 Datsun 2000 on the freeway. It’s hard not to take many photos of this roadster, it’s that pretty.
I headed back home to San Jose to complete the almost 270-mile trip. Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge and through San Francisco is always a treat.
A short video capturing the day:
Thanks BCR!
Many thanks to the organizers, I had a blast with Breakfast Club Rally. 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. #DoItInADatsun
On May 1-2, Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) hosted the Trans Am Speedfest at Laguna Seca. Z Car Garage was fortunate to participate and support several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 8. It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our report with photos and exclusive in-car footage!
Z Car Garage Supports Three 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. Below is a video of two Datsun 510 B-Sedans (Rob and Tom) and Kelvin in the second video on the dyno prior to the Speedfest weekend. Enjoy the sweet L-series music!
510s Galore!
With ten Datsun 510s in Group 8 it was a Dime-lover’s dream to be in the paddock and watch the races. Although the event did not allow spectators, we’ve got you covered!
Let’s take a look at the Datsun 510s that we supported, beginning with our clients. All of our cars ran flawlessly:
#7 Kelvin Tse
Here is Kelvin’s re-telling of his race weekend with us:
“Driving Laguna Seca during the spring time is a wonderful experience in itself. Racing Laguna with other B Sedans in a well prepped 510 is a racers high on another level. Track conditions were perfect with sunshine and daytime highs in the mid 70’s. The weekend was uneventful as far as mechanical problems were concerned a fact that has not always been the case for me. 5 years and far too many let downs. I have really never had a 510 that I felt like I could just drive at the limit with a fair degree of control. Z car garage has given me a proper race car. MOTOR, TRANSMISSION AND SUSPENSION have been sorted out and now the car could be driven at the limit. I finally was able to trust the car to steer correctly after full compression of the shocks and springs. The car was very predictable . I have also been working on getting use to the new dogleg transmission installed recently and finally have learned how to properly downshift thru the gears.
Saturday Race I started in position 8 and had a battle for every corner with David Murray in his BMW 2002. We pretty much changed positions for every lap. I was excited to have a car that I felt comfortable enough to go door to door racing with. David said that this is the best race he has had in years and I have to agree with him as we were duking it out. On the last lap, he left the door slightly open entering the Wayne Rainey curve and I took it. After passing him I knew that he would try to set me up for turn 11. Well, he did put his nose in there, and we both got thru 11 with me having a slight advantage. Drag racing down the straight bumper to bumper … Yep , the 510 came out ahead. Position #7
Sunday morning … a mix up with SVRA tech paperwork DQed me and put me at the back of the grid. I was listed as a 2L and need more weight to qualified as a 2L.Problem… My car has a 1800cc. In fact I could still loose a 100lbs. hey Rob and Josh next project….
Starting at the back of the grid was not where I wanted to be. So my start was going to have to be something else. Years of racing cars and karts have helped me on my starts. Well , I did get a good jump when the starter started to move his hands up. I dived all the way to the right of the track in turn one kicked up a little dirt and put the car exactly where I wanted on the outside of turn two (SEE VIDEO BELOW). Full power on the inside of turn 3 made me go from the last position to position #6 behind Tom Dockery. Whew…that was fun…We only got in 2 laps before the race was red flagged because of an Alfa who’s driver got out of his vehicle in turn 5. A big no no… Position #6
Overall, Rob was the winner, Tom finished #5 and little old me got a #6. I am still developing and learning how to drive this wonderful car. But what strikes me as a successful weekend is when everything just seems to go your way, the sun is shining and you are out with some great friends having FUN!!! This was accomplished only with the help and support of everyone at Z Car garage. The racing gods were smiling at me this weekend.”
#72 Tom Dockery
Tom Dockery drove his Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510. This car made its debut in May 2019 and we are excited to share its full story and profile Tom’s journey into racing.
Tom had a blast here are his thoughts on the race weekend:
“The SVRA TA Speedfest was so much better than I expected. Coming in I set myself up for disappointment, mostly because my last experience on Toyo 888Rs was so disappointing, almost scary. But my first practice flushed those fears away. In the first practice I beat my previous PR, breaking the 1:50 mark which I did earlier in the year on fresh R7s. Over the course of the weekend, I continued to set new PR’s finishing up on Sunday with a mid 1:48. I think the trick was me continuing to get comfortable with the new engine and the idea of sliding though a corner. There might have been some additional benefit of the small diameter Toyo tire giving me a final drive the fit really well with my speeds at Seca.
The run group was large with a strong mix of 510’s and 2002s. GTV accounted for just 2 of the 35 cars. Strangely the field set up with all the 510’s qualifying ahead of the 2002s for the most part. My experience with Steve Walker and John Murray suggests this was probably just drivers and not cars. Although I was able to keep reasonably attached to the top five cars (though Troy and Rob were pulling away at a steady rate) I really enjoyed watching my rear view in car video as Kelvin and I pulled away at a pretty good rate from the rest of the field ….. that was fun.
My car was perfect, no issues and ran in top form all weekend long thanks to Josh and Rob.”
In-car video is the Sunday afternoon session from Tom’s 510, enjoy: The rear facing is cool because of Kelvin’s go-kart talents and near Troy-like start behavior. The front video I thought was encouraging has I was able to keep a line of sight and partial contact with people who historically have been much faster than me.-Tom
#7 Rob Fuller
With the assistance of ZCG crew Josh and Keith we also supported ZCG owner Rob Fuller in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car:
Rob performed admirably with a fastest time of 1:44.068, here is his experience:
“SVRA is mostly an East coast association, coming out West a few times a year so we were happy to be a part of their events. This year they did back-to-back events with a weekend at Sonoma (unable to attend ) and Laguna Seca April 30-May 2. We supported three cars with Josh as crew and myself as driver/crew. All had a great weekend with each car running really well. SVRA rules require us to run a Toyo R888 tire, not as sticky as Hoosier R7s we typically use. Dockery and Kelvin finished in the top 10 with personal best lap times, I am really proud of them. On Saturday I finished right behind Troy Ermish.
Race 2 on Sunday was dramatic. Wherever you finished Race 1 is where you start in Race 2. Troy and Rob were just .002s apart in qualifying!
“To be close to Troy was fun, because he can drive like hell. In Sunday’s race both of us were out in front, a good 3 seconds ahead of the 3rd place car when suddenly an Alfa oiled down the track outside of Turn 4. I saw Troy’s car move around, and then my car got loose. As he moved into turn 3 I a saw strip of shiny oil across the whole tack and as I changed my line to avoid oil I watched Troy go off outside of Turn 4. Most drivers would have tried to correct this and probably hurt their car…not Troy! He drove right through it, foot to the floor dirt-track style. For the next laps I didn’t look in my mirror, just drove the defensive line and hoped I could stay in front…as we approached Turn 11 I could see Troy throw his car into the turn but overcook it…we finished under yellow flag.”
Rob got the checkered flag finishing in front of Troy and took First place on the podium, though not under ideal circumstances…
“I don’t take it as a real win, even though I placed ahead of him. Troy is an amazing driver and I love the challenge he brings. I hope to enjoy many more races with him, under green flag conditions.”
You can see in-car footage of Rob below:
Rear view, same race from Rob. Catch more of Rob’s sessions on his Youtube Channel
Here’s is Troy’s in-car video from Sunday’s Race 2:
The Race 2 Results:
Thank you!
We hope you have enjoyed our report from the 2021 Trans Am Speedfest! SVRA did an amazing job with the event running like clockwork considering the sheer number of race groups. Kudos to them for excellent safety and organization. We hope October’s event with CSRG will be open to spectators!
*See you in October for the CSRG Charity Challenge in Sonoma!*
Full race preparation (dyno tuning/alignment+more) and trackside support are services we offer our clients. Let’s take a look at the Datsun 510s that we prepared.
#7 Kelvin
Kelvin had a really successful race weekend at the CSRG David Love Vintqge Races in Sonoma back in July. Unfortunately at ‘Seca his engine failed after a short time on track. We installed a fresh Rebello engine with dyno tuning so Kelvin is ready to rock this weekend. Stay tuned for a full report!
#72 Tom Dockery
Tom Dockery is running the Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510. This car made its debut in May 2019 and Tom continues to improve his craft with each event. His 510 is running a refreshed Rebello L18 with dyno tuning:
Rob Fuller will be in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car with a fresh Rebello L18 and dyno tuning:
Enjoy the sweet dual-Mikuni music on the dyno:
Z Car Garage is really excited to be racing this season and share the experience not only with clients but our audience as well. This weekend’s HMSA event is closed to spectators but you can count on ZCG to bring you sights and sounds through our social media outlets. We look forward to seeing you in the paddock when the restrictions are lifted. #DoItInADatsun
On Sunday I joined a group of vintage sedans for the Super Drive event in Pacifica, CA. Now in its 16th year, SuperDrive Sunday is a single day road rally open to any and all vintage vehicles. Our friend Geoff assembled a group of classic cars I couldn’t help resist calling the “B-sedan Squad”. These models were competing in the heated vintage race groups of the late 60’s/70’s: I drove Rob Fuller’s 1971 Datsun 510, Geoff in his Inka BMW 2002, Cameron in a BMW Neue Klasse 1800, Ramon and Chris in their Alfa Romeo Berlina 1750/2000, and Diego in the E30. We left San Jose headed to Sea Bowl via 280N:
Rob’s Datsun 510 with S13 SR20DET sporting Go-Green paint and 14″ Panasports:
Euro Vibes
The scene at the pre-rally gathering was filled with cool cars, mostly Euro/Italian. I’m always on the hunt for Japanese metal and spotted an S30, ITR and Mitsubishi 3000GT. I was the lone Datsun 510.
There were at least 9 Alfa Romeo Berlina/Giulia sedans of all years. These are very pretty, capable vintage saloons. Many Alfa GTVs and Giulia Spiders:
More cool cars, some I’ve never seen before. like this Fiat Abarth 750 “Double-Bubble”:
A few familiar favorites:
Rad wheels abound too!
More pictures in the gallery, enjoy this short video:
Let’s Drive!
The group left Sea Bowl and headed south on scenic HWY1 with great weather and good company. Geoff and I split off from HWY 1 for a blast up Tunitas up to 35/Skyline. This was a fun stretch and I had to focus and keep the 510’s boost in check through the twisty bits!
From 35 we made a quick stop at Alice’s Restaurant. It was pleasant to see everyone enjoying their cars. We even ran into our friends like Naveed and met Alex, organizer of the Berkeley Cars and Coffee.
Alex (in his Berlina) joined myself, Chris and Geoff for a stretch down HWy 9 to Boulder Creek.
From Boulder Creek we ended the trip with a drive to 17 via Bear Creek Rd. This is a very technical section, again mostly free of traffic so we could have fun! All had a great time and I highly recommend getting out next Super Bowl Sunday to Super Drive! #DOITINADATSUN
