Z CAR GARAGE IS LOOKING FOR EXPERIENCED TECHNICIANS
**PLEASE SHARE THIS**
Looking for a Job? – How about a great career?
ZCG is expanding to support our vintage, late model and motorsport work. We are seeking experienced and skilled automotive technicians to join our team. This is not an average 9 to 5 automotive job:
-We work 4-10hr days and offer competitive pay/benefits with opportunities for growth
-Requirements: Automotive experience, your own set of tools, willingness to learn, and be part of a team.
-Nissan/Datsun experience is NOT a requirement, you just need to have passion.
-We are heavily involved in motorsports and the automotive community. From race cars to street cars and performance tuning…to routine maintenance and keeping vintage cars on the road, we love what we do!
Interested or know someone who might be a good fit? PLEASE SHARE THIS, spread the word and please contact rob@zcargarage.com or call us at (408)452-0350.
Check out our shop on this episode of Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen:
Filed under: Events,Racing
by Alvin G @ 6:37 pm on June 1, 2021
Twenty years in the waiting, but the Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) is returning to Laguna Seca this weekend, June 5-6! They are hosting a (FREE) car corral in the paddock of Laguna Seca with a limited number (30) of parking spots available for your vintage car. This event is not open to the general public, only parking corral participants! To get your car corral parking spot please contact Geoff at CSRG: race.director@csrgweb.org
Get ready for some B-Sedan Racing action!
Here is a map of the paddock with car corral parking area and race schedule. You will need to fill out the following form HERE
This info will be provided to Laguna Seca for use on the gate list. NOTE: One driver and one passenger per car, masks on, and no pets please. This is all part of Laguna’s COVID-19 protocols.
Z Car Garage will be racing and supporting our clients. Rob Fuller, Kelvin and Tom will be racing their Datsun 510s in Group 9:
Rob will also be racing the #49 Mazda Miata in Group 8:
Our customer Randy Jaffe’s 1970 Datsun 240Z is featured on the latest episode of Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen. Rob Fuller and Larry discuss this historically significant, record-setting Z and take it for a spin. Enjoy!
Stay tuned for a full zcarblog.com feature where we will take a closer look at our revival of this wild race car.
Joel E. Anderson, beloved friend and race car driver, passed away 3/29. He was 79 years old. Joel was an immensely talented graphic artist and successful privateer Datsun racer with regional and national championships all over California. We miss him dearly and offer our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Let’s take a brief look at Joel’s automotive career and how he touched our lives, knowing fully that a single blog post offers only a glimpse into Joel’s achievements and larger-than-life personality.
Joel Anderson, Epic Datsun Racer
Joel Anderson’s racing career began in the late 70’s while working with another Datsun legend Frank Leary at FAR Performance in Mountain View, Ca. He was racing his Z cars as a privateer against many high-dollar teams/cars. Here is Joel re-telling these events in a interview I conducted in 2014:
“In 1974 Walt Maas had just won the National Championship in C/Production in Atlanta, GA in the FAR Performance 260Z called “The Giant Killer”. At the time Frank Leary was Walt’s crew chief and the service manager at FAR. Frank was also building a Z of his own to road race in the carport of his condo in Santa Clara. I helped Frank build his car in exchange for his secrets to make a Datsun fast. While working as Leary’s crew chief I had converted my Z to a full on road racer and ran SCCA solo events and won the C/P class. In 1977 I went through SCCA’s driver’s school and started road racing, by the end of the year I had won most of the races and regional championship and was issued my National license. In 1978 I ran SCCA’s National events and qualified for the runoffs in Atlanta. At Atlanta I had my first DNF due to running too much timing which split and exhaust valve. In ‘79 I turned the SCCA car over to my wife so she could compete in regionals and I built my IMSA GTU car.”
(L) Joel’s C-production Z, in the iconic black-arrowed hood with orange and yellow accents. (R) Frank Leary with Joel.
Joel was Frank Leary’s crew chief and later became a fellow competitor. As he mentioned above, Joel raced at Atlanta when Frank won the American Road Race of Champions in 1978, as seen in this cool video. Enjoy this period article about Joel and Frank’s competitiveness and friendship HERE. The two shared a shop together in Santa Clara for years. Here is Joel in the office doing graphic art work, and also wrenching on L-series drivetrains!
It was his talents as a graphic artist that led to the white and black CP-Z race car being casted in the Walt Disney film Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. Note that it was filmed at Laguna Seca Raceway!
Joel’s favorite track was Laguna Seca, here are a few period photos of him in the white CP-Z and his black IMSA GTU at familiar courses like Sears Point and Road Atlanta. More pics in the gallery! We highly encourage you to check out our interview with Joel back in 2014, it’s a good read!
Our friendship with Joel
Joel came into our life in 2010 when he started selling all of his race cars. Rob made an offer that Joel couldn’t refuse:
“I would love to tell your story. I’ll buy the car if you help me assemble it with all of your knowledge. You will drive it at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Renuion at Laguna Seca.”
Rob had been building street cars for years, and attending Historic racing events for years, but he had little experience building one. Of many lessons Joel would teach Rob, he taught him that there is nothing street car about a race car. From 2010 to 2014 Joel, Rob and the ZCG crew worked slowly but surely to assemble his IMSU GTU Z car. Joel describes this car’s history:
“The car was originally presented by Mr. Katayama to Mr. John Cooper, President of Ontario Motor Speedway in 1972 to be used as the Official Pace Car for the Third Annual ” California 500″ held on Sept. 3, 1972. (it still has the built in flag holder) The car was later given to the Bob Bondurant Driving School at Sears Point. In 1977 I purchased the car from Datsun Comp. for one dollar and picked the car up at Sears Point. I ran the car at all the west coast IMSA races in GTU for three years. Starting in 1980 I ran the car in SCCA Super Production setting the track record at Sears Point and Laguna Seca and winning The Pacific Road Race Championship as well in S/P. When I got the car back it had been in a storage shed for 15 years or more.”
In 2014 we applied for admission to the Rolex event and got accepted, even though Joel’s Z was not completed. In the course of 8-10 weeks before the actual race, friends and family banded together. Joel taught us so much, discussed suspension setup, etc and guided us throughout the build. Josh, Alvin, Lou and others all worked nights/weekends to finish the car.
This magical story culminated in a successful race event with Joel and his #49 IMSA Datsun 240z at the Rolex Motorsports Reunion in August. Please see our coverage of the event HERE
Watching a race car that you restored out on the track is amazing. Topping that off, the driver that originally built the car is at the helm, some 35 years later. Laguna Seca’s track layout has changed since Joel and #49 were here in ’79, but the car looks pretty similar if you ask us 🙂
Despite the competitiveness we finished the race without incident, actually placing midpack and on par with fellow 240z’s. Rob recalls the feelings of many at the race:
“The first time since 2001 when the BRE 510 510 ran at Monterey and after watching Against All Odds many times… that didn’t hold a candle to watching a man who built this car 30 years ago drive on the same track, same livery…it was awesome. We all got emotional as Joel drove away onto the starting grid.”
If finishing this race wasn’t enough, the supreme measure of satisfaction and validation for countless hours spent on #49 came when a teary-eyed Joel gathered everyone around to thank us:
Being a part of this team was the highlight of my year and the dedication from all members and friends that helped really showed. We had #49 t-shirts made for the crew/spectators and Meghan even sported an original 70’s shirt with nails to match. Mike Joy from FOX Sports even interviewed Joel:
Telling Joel’s Story
In 2015 we applied again and got accepted to the RMMR. Unfortunately Joel wasn’t feeling well, and we were 3-weeks away from the event. Rob was focused on telling Joel’s story….how he raced against factory-backed teams and was competitive…the world needed to know! With race week fast approaching Rob enlisted the help of his hero and legendary race car driver John Morton. You can see our report from the 2015 RMMR HERE.
It had been Rob’s dream to drive the #49 IMSA GTU car and he had one rule: he would never sit in the driver’s seat until he was driving on the track at Laguna Seca. So, since 2010 he did not sit in the car and Joel told him it was time. Joel pushed Rob to make his dream a reality. Joel wanted the people around him to succeed. Rob would gain his SCCA license (special shoutout to Larry Oka) and competition license. In 2018, after running a full SCCA season Rob had the racing bug bad. We finally got accepted to 2018 RMMR.
It was Nissan’s first time being honored at RMMR, and the first time Rob Fuller would race a historically significant Z car.
(L)Photo: Mark Hutchinson
Adding to the experience was the support from friends and family. Having Joel Anderson close by to see his old Z racing and Rob’s excitement was endearing. Rob was on cloud 9, the student and master both together having a great time.
We would not be doing the things we are on the track without guidance from Joel. Off track, he was guy that walked into a place and the room changed. he simply oozed cool. Rob remembers Joel and his personality:
“For his 75th birthday in 2017, we flew out to Texas to surprise him. We worked on his hot rod, reminisced, made good food, drank beers. He was just brimming with personality. Our friend Steve S would say ‘If half the s__ Joel did in his life is true, it would make for a movie’. Theguy lived so many lives: he was in advertising (working for Atari), owned his own pool company, landscaping. He can fix anything. A fond memory: We were running behind on the IMSA build. He flew in to help for a weekend. Meghan asked me to put ceilings fans in our house, and Joel taught me how to install them! He was LeMons racing with us too. Such a larger-than-life personality. At the 2014 Rolex, people remembered that car.’Is this Joel Anderson’s car? Whatever happened to that guy? I would point he’s right over there!”
We miss Joel. Even though he is gone, his spirit lives on through friends and family. We will continue to share his story with the world. ZCG will restore his C-Production Z (currently in fabrication stage) and race it just as we did with Joel’s IMSA GTU Z. From Rob:
“My condolences to his family and friends. Brace yourselves… we are slowly losing our heroes but it’s up to us to keep their spirit alive. Everyone knows the BRE Datsun 240Z, and to me Joel Anderson is right there…we loved him. 79 years on Earth is not long enough. Wherever he’s at I hope there’s a race program and he’s kicking ass.”
Joel’s #49 IMSA GTU Z in the Media
Listen to Rob share his love for Joel and the Z in this Hoonigan Autofocus video:
Links to racing events and features on Joel’s IMSA GTU Z:
If you are a fan of Datsuns and John Morton, The Stainless Steel Carrot is required reading. The essential nonfiction book by motorsports journalist Sylvia Wilkinson follows the true story of up and coming racer John Morton during his 1971-72 championships that turned Datsun and Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) into household names. For the first time since publishing in 1973, the book will be released digitally on April 5th. If you want to pre-order your own e-book copy, visit Carrara Media now.
This is great news especially if you were not lucky to grab a hard copy of the book. We don’t blame you, as prices of the print versions are fetching almost $300 now. Who knows, maybe Sylvia and John can electronically sign your E-book edition! While you are getting your copy, check out these autographed bookmarks and commemorative postcards:
We have been fortunate to gain their friendship over the years:
At 79 years of age John Morton is still formidable behind the wheel.
Here is an extended video with in-car footage of John dicing it up with Porsche RSRs and BMW CSLs…Long Live The Z!
Enjoy these photos of John and Sylvia we snapped at various racing events. Sylvia amazingly is still immersed in racing.
Without spoiling the behind-the-scenes level of detail Sylvia reveals in The Stainless Steel Carrot, she can still be seen clocking lap times for John:
Official press release from Carrara below:
LONG BEACH, Calif., March 8, 2021—Carrara Media will publish the classic motorsports book The Stainless Steel Carrot, by motorsports journalist and author Sylvia Wilkinson, in digital eBook format for the first time.
Releasing in eBook exclusively on April 5, 2021, The Stainless Steel Carrot provides unparalleled access behind the curtain of a championship-winning race team and its star driver, John Morton, chronicling their adventures during the 1971-72 SCCA seasons in iconic vehicles such as the BRE Datsun 510, Datsun 240Z and others.
The eBook is open for preorder now at CarraraBooks.com. In the near future it will also be available wherever eBooks are sold. Excerpts are available for publication by request.
Wilkinson, a longtime advocate and care-provider for animals of all kinds, is donating proceeds from the sale of The Stainless Steel Carrot to animal welfare organizations.
“I never pass up a chance to provide financial aid for food, shelter and care for the wild and tame critters of the earth,” Wilkinson said.
The Stainless Steel Carrot was originally published in 1973, with an expanded version publishing in 2012. However, both of these print editions are now extremely rare and difficult to find. They frequently command prices up to $300 in online marketplaces. This will mark the first time that The Stainless Steel Carrot has been published as an eBook, at its most affordable price ever, with hopes to inspire a new generation of automotive enthusiasts.
“Nearly 50 years later, The Stainless Steel Carrot is as relevant as ever due to Wilkinson’s tireless on-scene reporting,” said Ryan K. ZumMallen, president and founder of Carrara Media.
“There is still nothing like The Stainless Steel Carrot, and now it will be available to modern audiences at its most affordable price ever. We are honored to play a role in preserving this classic tale.”
The Stainless Steel Carrot was written over the course of two years, during the 1971 and 1972 racing seasons. Wilkinson embedded herself with the Brock Racing Enterprises team, an upstart band of characters with big dreams and motor oil in their veins. Their leader – Pete Brock, a hard-charging former designer who penned such automobiles as the Shelby Daytona Coupe, and the man in charge. Their star – John Morton, a young driver with glasses and a mop-cut who captured consecutive SCCA championships in the pursuit of motorsports stardom.
Against this backdrop the BRE team hustles to achieve greatness, fend off hungry rivals and establish themselves and the Datsun 510 as forces to be reckoned with. Wilkinson deftly captures their feverish work, all while painting these real-life personalities with depth and compassion, relating their hopes, their fears, their celebrations and frustrations with the craft and care of a premier storyteller.
Racing fans the world over have enjoyed The Stainless Steel Carrot for decades.
The Stainless Steel Carrot is available for preorder now at CarraraBooks.com
