On Sunday we attended Cars & Coffee at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, CA. Hosted every first Sunday of the month since the New Year, turnout continues to be phenomenal with impressive cars. Our dear friend Ken P. has been a regular at this gathering with his supercharged Datsun Roadster but Sunday’s event would be his last one before moving out of state. As one last hurrah to Ken we assembled a bunch of Datsuns to park together.
We left the shop at 6am with a brisk pace headed to Danville. Enjoying the Ride in our eight-car caravan was Rob’s ’67 2000, Kurt’s ’70 Datsun SPL, my ‘67.5 SPL, Matt’s Datsun 510 wagon, Andy’s 1971 240z, Tom’s APS G35, Kurt I’s C5 Z06, and Lou’s R32 Skyline GT-R:
Arriving in Blackhawk just before 7am was indeed mandatory to secure parking as cars were already lining up at the entrance. Thankfully Ken and Dave P taped off a section just for Datsuns, and the showing was great with more roadsters, Z’s and 510s!
Francis ’67 SPL, Ken’s supercharged SRL, my ’67 SPL and Dave P’ ’67 2000:
Matt D’s 510 wagon and Matt G’s KA-T 510 two-door:
S30’s were in strong attendance, both in our corral and scattered through the lot. From mild to wild flavors it was great to see everything from Z32 TT’s to S130’s.
I spotted even more Z-cars lurking in adjacent lots, but this one really stood out with a freshly restored vibe and pretty white/red color combo:
Even more JDM gems hiding in the lots like this FD RX-7, first and third generation Toyota Celica’s:
Ultra-clean 2JZ powered Toyota SC300 and modded Genesis:
We were blown away at the variety of awesome machinery at Cars & Coffee. From exotics to muscle cars and literally everything in between we had a wonderful time perusing each aisle. Here were a few highlights for me, and don’t forget to cruise our extensive picture gallery below!
A Fiat 850 and 1200 Cabriolet, the latter shares some styling elements with a Datsun Roadster!
Craziest engine swap: A 1936 Ford Pickup with an insane supercharged 5.4 modular drivetrain:
The Aston Martin club was the featured marque with stunning examples:
We love muscle cars! Simply mouth-watering cars from GM, Ford and Mopar:
Movie cars like this “Bandit” Trans AM and two(!) Deloreans:
Oh, and lots of modern/supercars too, if you’re into that kind of stuff 🙂
Big thanks to CNC Blackhawk and Dave P for arranging parking for our Datsuns. We want to thank all of our friends who made the trip too, the ride back home was a blast!
Ken, we wish you luck and great Roadster weather in Seattle, “DATSTER” will be missed!
Dan J is the owner of this gorgeous 2015 GT-R. The numbers are impressive: Zero to 60 mph in under three seconds; a top speed of 196 mph; 545 horsepower courtesy of a hand-built 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 assembled in a clean room so high-tech that those fleeing scientists on the silver screen would kill to have one. This beast has also been finished in premium Regal Red paint embedded with 24-karat gold flakes! We think it is mesmerizing under varying light conditions:
Combined with an Ivory interior this R35 exudes a level of refinement and luxury not typically seen on earlier models:
Sidenote: I met Dan in December ’14 while helping his neighbor with a Datsun Roadster. Dan kindly let me park the 510 next his GT-R and I might have mentioned how we love them at ZCG 🙂
So what does one do with such a beautiful sportscar? Add more power, of course! Dan came to us for a full AMS Alpha 7 package installation.
The package includes:
ALPHA front mount intercooler
COBB big SF intake pipe
Alpha 90mm Mid-pipe
Alpha 90mm Downpipes
HKS Legamax Exhaust System
Injector Dynamics 1000CC Injectors
Cobb AccessPORT V3
Let’s start with the exhaust and a closer look at the new mid-pipes and down pipes:
OEM vs Alpha downpipes:
Mid-pipe:
Completing the system is the HKS Legamax exhaust. Fresh from the box, compared to the OEM system:
Great, OEM-like fit with factory underbody Aero:
Looks fantastic here and sounds even better!
Underhood, better breathing is achieved through larger intakes and K&N air filters. Stealth black tubing is nice touch:
Rounding out intake mods is a larger Alpha front mount intercooler. It boasts 75% more internal flow area over stock and direct bolt-in/no cutting fitment! It doesn’t hurt to have the “Alpha” logo peeking through the front bumper too:
Fueling demands are met by larger 1000cc injectors:
How do all these mods add up to increase power? To find out we strapped the red beauty to the dyno:
Utilizing the CobbAccessPORT V3 for tuning we saw peak gains of 80hp/86tq for a total of 577hp/562tq to the wheels. The dyno plot reveals tremendous gains from 2500rpm to redline. For example at 4000rpm the GT-R is now making 560tq vs 460tq stock!
Dan’s GT-R was already blindingly quick from the factory and now it has even more power to enjoy while maintaining its Regal composure. Thank you for bringing your R35 to Z Car Garage! More pictures to enjoy in the gallery below.
For folks that live in the US, it’s hard to imagine a bigger piece of forbidden automotive fruit than the Nissan Skyline. The Skyline has never been sold in the United States, yet it’s still managed to develop a fanbase and aura that can easily rival the best foreign or domestic metal. Most of us are familiar with classic Skylines and modern GT-Rs, but the DR30 you see above is still relatively unknown among non-JDM lovers. Reid B. scored this lovely red Skyline 2000 RS-Turbo almost four years ago.
The pillarless windows, angular body shape and killer graphics package create an unmistakable 80’s vibe. We love it!
Soon after Reid purchased the DR he started making it his own while preserving the classic OEM goodness. He brought the car to us initially for a dyno and tune after noting that the Skyline had a flat spot in mid-range power delivery. When we inspected the car we found the front suspension was severely rubbing on the tires and this was addressed first. We installed Techno Toy Tuning (T3) coil-overs with custom springs, RCA’s, Energy Suspension T/C rod bushings and AGX shocks:
Although Reid was hoping to fit a 215-width tire up front the DR now sports 225/50/16 Yokohama S-Drive tires at all four corners with great clearance. Watanabe wheels look so right on these!
This being a 1983 model, it sports Nissan’s legendary FJ20ET powerplant underhood. Reid was concerned about potential fuel delivery problems and our A/F monitoring revealed lean conditions under load. We discovered a failed fuel-pressure regulator and our solution was to replace and modify a 280zx fuel pump and FPR to fit. A new oxygen sensor was also installed.
Further inspection revealed over-boosting so we lowered the base boost rate with a lower pressure spring in the external wastegate. Dyno results were great and we’re happy to report the DR makes more power at less boost now! Baseline numbers were 160hp/177tq and after 201hp/197tq to the wheels:
We liked working with Reid as he is the type of owner that wants to bring the car back to life the best he can. Z Car Garage lives for reviving Japanese classics and hearing our customers satisfied with their cars keeps us going. Listen to Reid’s impressions after picking the DR30 up:
Rob,
So the drive home was awesome. I still cant believe it. I didn’t get to drive it to work today but tomorrow for sure. I could drive 80 and then roll on the gas and it would just go and not want to stop. The new front suspension makes the car drive so much better, it doesn’t feel like it rides on cut springs. I drove the car from Newark to Roseville and it was awesome going from 75-95. I could roll on the gas it would start boost and just keep going. I feel like when I am driving now that I am holding the car back cause it just wants to go and go. I am still in awe.
Reid
Enjoy The Ride, Reid and thank you for giving us the pleasure of working on your Skyline!
Filed under: Events
by Alvin G @ 5:15 pm on May 17, 2015
On Sunday we attended a private screening of the new movie “Winning” about actor/driver Paul Newman. The venue for this event was held at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, CA. Our crew of eight cars met at the shop but before we departed a friend offered us a ride in a new Tesla Model S “P85D”. This is the one with two electric motors, 690hp and the fabled “insane mode”.
The Tesla lived up to its hype. With 4 adults on board Rob launched the car and our heads abruptly hit their headrests. We couldn’t resist weighing this marvel and it tipped the scales at 4,920lbs. With that experience checked off the bucket list, we proceeded to Apple:
When we arrived the parking lot scene was surprisingly like a Cars & Coffee meet with high-dollar/exotic machinery everywhere, like this $1.6 million Mclaren P1:
An entire section was taped off just for our Nissans/Datsuns! It was great to see enthusiasts appreciating the mix of cars, both vintage and modern. Here a few Datsuns that caught my eye, starting with Dave Stone’s 610 on Watanabe wheels:
This Datsun 240z (S30) also sported Watanabe wheels and a striking red interior. Loved the fender mirrors too!
Before watching the movie we admired some amazing cars from all marques. There was a large turnout of Ferrari’s, more new than classic like the 458, FF and F12:
This Dino and familiar Lusso of course will always be the pinnacle of Ferrari’s design:
I really dig the interior on the new Mercedes Benz AMG GT S:
Cool muscle cars too like these Mopars and Shelby GT350:
We enjoyed the movie and it gave us Datsun geeks a chance to shine as Paul Newman piloted everything from 510s to 900hp Nissans on famous road racing tracks throughout his career. “Winning” is a must see documentary for every automotive enthusiast. You can catch it in theaters May 22 and on demand through iTunes. Cheers to Adam Carolla! Please check the picture gallery for even more wonderful cars from the Apple parking lot.
Filed under: Events
by Alvin G @ 11:37 pm on May 2, 2015
The Solvang Datsun Roadster show took place last weekend. Now in its 28th year, this gathering continues a tradition of uniting owners from all parts of the world in a little town just outside of Santa Barbara. I drove my roadster down from San Jose and arrived Saturday morning to a very wet downtown Solvang. Despite the showers we had 77 Datsuns in attendance and eventual sunshine.
For the last 3 years The Solvang Roadster Show has been organized by the great folks of SoCal Roadster Owners Club. They have carried the torch well, providing a fun time for all and keeping things interesting like creating show categories with sponsors. This year the new “race” class was sponsored by the popular historic driving group SVRA, and the display was pretty epic!
This 1962 Fairlady SPL212 was given a full transformation into a road-racing beast. The man behind this one-off roadster is Jeff Silvey, a long-time Solvang show attendee and talented fabricator. He’s known for his bright red, L-series powered hot-rod SPL212 and sweet turbo-diesel powered NL320 truck. The latter was actually the tow rig for the racecar, how cool is that?!
Back to the racecar…from the outside there are a few subtle mods like the front air dam, “gills” and speedster cover that catch the eye. Add the 16″ vintage Volk GT-U wheels and you know this isn’t the stock, 48hp Fairlady from the factory. With red/white paint somehow it all works very well. Then you peek underneath that tiny hood and see an S15 SR20DET sitting almost a foot back and a myriad of custom fabrication takes over. From the full Silvia rear suspension to custom a-arm setup up front Jeff went bezerk with this build. We dig it, see more detailed shots in the gallery:
Other notable race cars included our friend Ron Carter with his 1967 2000 race car and Gary Wasserman’s factory lightweight SRL. Ron recently got accepted to run at the Monterey Historic Races coming in August!
The show brings roadsters lovers from all over the world including British Columbia and Mexico. For those hardcore Datsun enthusiasts that insist on Enjoying The Ride this means towing a small trailer!
I have a soft spot for Datsun 1500s (I have a 1500 grille on mine), especially these ’63-64 3-seat models. This year we had four beautiful examples, including an original owner who was a Solvang resident. He even showed me the original purchase order spec’d with the factory hardtop!
Solvang showcases everything from highly modified to pristine stock examples of roadsters. John Baker’s ’69 2000 and this ’67 SPL were great examples of stock roadsters, right down to their stock steel wheels:
Speaking of stock, Mike Young brought this fantastic 67 2000 for display showcasing his great restorative skills. White/red is one of my favorite combinations and really got the stance right on this SRL with the slightly larger Libra-style wheels:
A few more 1600s, including Mike’s stroked and Mikuni-carb’d hot rod. Watanabe wheels, EMPI steering wheel and red/black interior are great choices. Eagle eyes may notice the 2L gauges, shift plate and trim ring. Watch the video to hear it run!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJIVRqm8Pfo
A pleasant surprise was this “short-nose” Skyline coupe or “hakosuka”. These cars were powered by G-series 4-cylinder engines unlike their larger L-series 6 cylinder brothers that we are starting to see stateside. Sitting nicely on Hayashi Techno Phantoms this classic J-tin ticked all the right boxes with pillar-less windows and a proper surf line left intact! Check the gallery for other “non-roadster JDM” finds.
An incredible amount of high windshield 2000’s inhabited the show this year with very diverse examples. Solex, SU and even motorcycle quad-carb induction setups hooked up to U20s. Scoville/BRE stripes, fresh paint jobs and custom interiors worthy of Pro-Touring muscle cars were also seen:
A properly executed engine swap into a Datsun Roadster is always nice to see as the bar increases each year. These (for lack of a better word) “resto-modded” roadsters blend modern drivetrains with vintage lines while adding personal touches from the builder/owners. Here are three examples that stood out:
Looking for more power but wanting to stay NA, Mike Anderson’s ’68 SPL sports an SR20VE. Using Nissan’s version of VTEC, this VVL combination is good for 200hp NA. With help from Kevin Desirello of KRD it dyno’d at 215wrhp! Limited production Volk TE37v SL wheels are one of my all-time favorites. Mike took me for a spin and this engine in such a light car is phenomenal.
Jon Frampton’s 1967.5 SPL stole the show with a total frame-off restoration and SR20VE-T/6-speed drivetrain. That’s right, a turbo was added to an already ballistic engine! Another one of Kevin Desirello’s creations, this roadster came to him needing only transmission work and suffered an extreme case of “Hey, while we’re there”…
It’s hard to believe this car was once candy red and decked out in 90’s era style. Beautifully applied #531 Beige Grey Metallic paint and a very subtle but custom interior by Bill Dunn (Overhaulin’) helped win Best of Show. Jon himself is famous for restoring and “modernizing” roadster gauges…his work is sensational! Check the gallery for more shots…there are plenty of neat details to see!
Finally, Ted’s 1966 SPL is a familiar, though still impressive roadster. Built by Michael Spreadbury of Spriso Motorsports, this S15 SR20DET powered beauty glistens with Plymouth Prowler paint:
Sitting perfectly atop 16″ Watanabe RS-8 wheels with a massive dish out back on a 225-width tire, this one oozes cool. Ted is currently driving her thousands of miles on a Southwest tour!
We had a blast at Solvang and always look forward to next year. Big thanks again to SoCalROC for putting on another wonderful show!
If you didn’t attend please watch this excellent drone footage of the show from fellow roadster owner Mike Anderson. Don’t forget the picture gallery after the jump and…
