Z Car Garage is sad to hear the passing of Johnnie (Ueda) Gable. A prominent figure in Nissan/Datsun heritage, Johnnie touched the hearts of many with her enthusiasm and dedication to preserving our favorite sports car.
Rob Fuller remembers Johnnie:
“Since coming to CA in the 90’s I had seen and spoken to Johnnie many times. She always had amazing stories including ones celebrating the magical times she had with Mr. K. I would say in the Datsun Legend category, she was definitely The First Lady. She was so full of energy you would never know she’d been around for so many years, like the cars we celebrate she was timeless. I really enjoyed spending time with her. As life goes on we are going to lose the people that inspired us and shared our passions. Thank you Johnnie Gable for your passion, inspiration and for being Mr. K’s right-hand lady. I hope you two are somewhere Enjoying The Ride.”
Johnnie’s energy was contagious, and we were lucky to enjoy her conversations. Here she is being interviewed at the Japanese Classic Car show in 2019:
Johnnie’s career with Nissan began in the 60’s at their headquarters in Gardena, CA. There she was offered a position as secretary to Yutaka Katayama, affectionately known as “Mr. K” and father of the Z car. Among her many achievements Johnnie helped bring the Datsun label to the US and launch the Datsun Heritage Museum. We will always admire her support for Nissan/Datsun events like ZCCA (ZCON) convention and local events. At the 2012 ZCON event, Johnnie was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award:
Photo: Joseph Keawkalaya
We remember the 2002 Z’s By The Bay Show held in Fremont, CA. Mr. K was to be in attendance and before the show started, Johnnie and a group of enthusiasts all enjoyed driving from San Diego up to Northern California along the coast. Johnnie piloted a 350z, shown with Mr. Yuykawa. (Right) Johnnie can be seen (as always) besides Mr. K’s at the show:
Our hearts go out to her son Kenny, his family and all Nissan/Datsun enthusiasts lucky to have been blessed by Johnnie’s presence. Mr. K said it best, “Love cars. Love people. Love life.”
We are excited to sponsor and be a part of the 2019 Japanese Classic Car Show Saturday 9/21 in Long Beach. This is the most important show for Japanese cars, and the Z Car Garage crew keeps coming back every year to soak up the sun, see old friends and drool over some spectacular vintage builds.
See Mr. K’s Datsun 240z in the Z Car Garage Booth!
Our latest project car is Mr. K’s 1972 Datsun 240z and it will be displayed in our booth! Yutaka Katayama (affectionately known as “Mr. K”) put Datsun on the map while serving as President of Nissan Motors USA.
This Z was Mr. K’s personal car, with touches like the “G-Nose”, custom mix Yellow Pearl Paint, wire wheels and automatic transmission. It was most prominently featured in Nissan’s multi-million dollar Datsun Heritage advertising campaign in the late 90’s. Check it out in this Super Bowl Ad – “The Dream Garage” lead a series of T.V. commercials featuring Mr. K (played by an actor):
In 1977 Mr. K retired and before returning to Japan he gave the Z to his long time Administrative Assistant, Johnnie Gable and her son Kenny Ueda, both will be attending JCCS.
We were honored to have this national treasure at the shop and get it back on the road. Full report soon. If you listen closely, you can almost hear it whisper the words of Mr. K’s simple philosophy, “Love cars. Love people. Love life.”
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles on Display!
Please visit our booth to see and feel our Big-Brake kit for small wheels, and CV Axles. We will be available to answer any questions and if you are interested in purchasing a set of CVs please contact Rob at the shop. Keen eyes will notice that our latest Big-Brake offering will be displayed fitted behind a 14″ Panasport wheel! As usual we will have free ZCG swag and merchandise on hand.
ZCG Customers
We are also very proud of ZCG customer James S’ 1972 240z. He will be driving his Turbocharged L-series S30 down to JCCS and displaying it with fellow owners.
JCCS is an amazing show that gets better with each year. We are thankful to organizers for having us again in 2019. The show takes place from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm in Marina Green Park. Catch a glimpse of what JCCS is all about in our report Last year’s show. Z you there!
We are very excited to have Mr. K’s 1972 Datsun 240z at the shop! Yutaka Katayama (affectionately known as “Mr. K”) put Datsun on the map while serving as President of Nissan Motors USA.
This Z was Mr. K’s personal car, with touches like the “G-Nose”, custom mix Yellow Pearl Paint, wire wheels and automatic transmission. It was most prominently featured in Nissan’s multi-million dollar Datsun Heritage advertising campaign in the late 90’s. Check it out in this Super Bowl Ad – “The Dream Garage” lead a series of T.V. commercials featuring Mr. K (played by an actor):
In 1977 Mr. K retired and before returning to Japan he gave the Z to his long time Administrative Assistant, Johnnie Gable and her son Kenny Ueda. The family still owns it to this day, driving to many events and Enjoying The Ride. Johnnie contacted Z Car Garage to bring the Z in for some TLC. We are honored to have this national treasure at the shop and look forward to getting it back on the road!
If you listen closely, you can almost hear it whisper the words of Mr. K’s simple philosophy, “Love cars. Love people. Love life.”
Thank you Johnnie and Kenny for making the trip from Southern California, Long Live The Z!
