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

 

More pics in the gallery!

…[read more]

 

The 2019 Coastal Range Rally was held March 15-17 and we had an absolutely blissful driving experience. Hosted by Driving While Awesome, this 3-day event brings together interesting cars and their drivers sharing a common passion for enjoying the best driving roads in California. This year the rally began in Southern California heading back to the Bay Area and we participated with the Z Car Garage 1970 Datsun 240z. Here is our report from the weekend filled with open roads, seemingly endless stretches of curvy mountain passes and good company.

 

The ZCG Datsun 240z

 

Rob and I planned to run this event together but he had to race in Spec Miata at Thunderhill. He handed me the keys to “Ms. Butters”,  a 1970 Series 240z that has become the shop demo car and I happily obliged. While this S30 deserves its own feature, here are a few details on the build:

Engine: Stroked L-series with triple Mikuni 44 carbs and special cam profile (full spec/dyno soon)
Suspension: Full KW coil-over suspension (ZCG-spec)
Brakes: Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels)
Drivetrain: ZX close ratio 5-speed, Z Car Garage CV Axles, OS Giken 4.11 LSD
Wheels: 16×7 Panasport with 225/50/16 Bridgestone RE71R
Interior: Recaro LXF seats

   

The Z performed admirably without a single problem over the 1200-mile event. This is a testament to thorough rally-prep (thanks ZCG crew) and the wonderful upgraded suspension/chassis. These modifications offered a great balance of ride compliance and stiffness for the canyons with a seamless transition between rough to smooth surfaces. The ZCG Big-brakes also delivered great feel and zero fade…truly confidence-inspiring. Enjoy this video of Ms. Butters with extended Fujitsubo exhaust footage and hear that L-series sing!

 

 

Day 1: Palmdale to Ventura

This year the rally was dubbed CRR “Rewind” as the starting point was in Southern California heading north through the Central Coast. I joined fellow enthusiasts Glenn (R32 Skyline) Naveed (Porsche 911) and Gen (E30 M3) Friday evening to blast down to the starting point in Palmadale, CA. Instead of taking the highway we took an exciting route through HWY 25:

 

The next morning all rally participants met just outside of Palmdale to grab their swag bags and rally maps. The DWA organizers encouraged us that CRR isn’t a race, and to enjoy the roads at our own pace. I can’t emphasize enough how great this group of folks is. A good portion are 3rd-time CRR rally drivers and the positivity was contagious.

  

I hopped in the Z and joined Naveed and Gen on this stage towards Agua Dulce. Gen led us on a slight detour through Angeles Crest and it was exhilarating. We stopped at a lookout, realizing our cars represented the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s icons!

  Lunch in Agua Dulce and back on the road to Ventura. Mandatory Datsun content: I was happy to see 2 other Z cars (grey is Lloyd’s) and a special ’69 Datsun Roadster (Kevin and Heather). Sporting engine/suspension upgrades this little roadster surprised many with its performance:

 

Lake Castaic overlook heading westward:

  

The Ventura hotel parking lot was a car show representing a great feature of CRR: diversity. So many cool cars from all era’s and marques! This was a fun time chatting with fellow rally’ers followed by a DWA hosted dinner:

 

Day 2: Ventura to Paso Robles

The second day (3/16) was my favorite stage of the rally. Our destination was Paso Robles, with a stop in Taft. I had no idea how breathtaking the scenery would be on this stage as it was filled with Alpine scents, pastures, desolation, oil fields and small sleepy towns. Truly a feast for the senses, and EPIC driving. The kind of driving that makes your arms fatigued!

Through Ojai via HWY 33, in the sky through Frazier Mtn. Park:

  

Lockwood Rd. had several streams we had to drive through. Ali Javidan took some really cool shots of cars fording through!

 

After lunch in Taft, Naveed spotted an oil field. Carb’d inline 6, EFI flat 6, and a 2.5L 4-cylinder:

 

Our next stage was HWY 58 heading to Soda Lake. This stretch of freshly paved road was so much fun that many of us turned around to do it over again! My absolute favorite part of CRR. The Z was such a joy to drive through here:

 

At the junction of 58/7-mile Rd. was a super bloom. We definitely stopped to take it all in after the brisk drive. Erich in his modified EVO:

  

Glenn let me drive his R32 to Soda Lake and he took the Z, thanks for the picture Matt!

 

View from the overlook revealing Soda Lake. It was also reached via an optional dirt Road if you dared!

 

Don’t let the perspective fool you 🙂

  

A breather just before reaching our hotel in Paso Robles

  

It is difficult to describe the driving experience through photos, so please enjoy this video I made of Day 1 and 2 of CRR!

 

Day 3: Paso Robles to Laguna Seca

I decided to join Glenn and conclude our CRR with a visit to Laguna Seca to see our friends vintage racing. Dave Stone was in his B-Sedan 510 and the entire Racecraft crew was also participating:

   

It was a beautiful day check out the gallery below for more pictures! Here is a video from ‘Seca:

 

Thank you DWA!

The Coastal Range Rally was a surreal experience. I am still day dreaming about those incredible roads that we travelled all in one weekend. I’m not alone, as many participants are also suffering through “CRR withdrawals”.  See what I mean by all of the #CRRRewind posts on Instagram. The event was that good. Big thanks to the crew at Driving While Awesome and old/new friends met during the rally. We are definitely signing up for the next CRR! Enjoy the picture gallery below and LONG LIVE THE Z!

 

…[read more]