“Great Drives” is a Zcarblog series highlighting scenic routes and destinations we have enjoyed from the past and present. Whether it is a nice cruise or thrilling adventure, we hope to inspire Bay Area vintage car owners to Enjoy The Ride! Have a great drive of your own that you want to share? Feel free to contact us on Facebook, Instagram or by e-mail.

 

Mt. Umunhum to Alice’s Restaurant, October 2018

There are several fun routes reaching Alice’s from San Jose. This drive was organized by Lotus 7 owner Geoff W and we all met in Almaden to begin:

 

The 11-car group was diverse with both vintage and modern sports cars with great Nissan/Datsun representation!

The cars:

Daniel’s Nissan 240s (S13) with an RB25DET swap. He is the man behind the lens of BayRoadsAP. Naveed Yousufzai’s R32 Skyline GT-R:

  

Lane Skelton of DrivingWhileAwesome in his Porsche 944. Eric in the 911 Targa

  

TWO Z cars! Michael’s Series 1 240z (with patina) and Andrew’s Series 1 Fairlady Z (RHD!)

  

Geoff (organizer) in his Lotus 7, featured on Petrolicious! Mike in his 993 Porsche:

  

Matt in his Subaru BRZ Performance Pack, Brendan and Drew in their Chevy SS sedans, and myself in the Datsun Roadster.

The route:

  

Driving through Almaden to Mt. Umunhum:

 

The climb up to the peak is filled with freshly paved road and switchbacks. At the top:

 

In the lower lot we had a few minutes to chat and check out the cars

 

I really dig Michael’s S30, it has a warmed-over triple-carb’d L-series:

 

We left Mt. Umunhum towards 17 and exited on Bear Creek Rd. for lunch in Boulder Creek. This was a fun stretch I haven’t been on.

 

Heading up 9 to 35. It was fun chasing Michael in the Z:

 

 

We had a little scare when his oil pressure gauge started reading low….it checked it ok and we were off again:

 

The route changed a bit and we took Alpine Rd. (lots of loose gravel) to Pescadero Creek Rd, then Stage Rd. After re-grouping we hopped on HWY 1N:

 

From 1 we turned right onto 84. This stretch was amazing. SO much fun connecting the turns and chasing Geoff in the Lotus. This is a road that made me love my roadster even more. Thanks Geoff for an exhilarating drive!

 

All of the Roadsters at Alice’s Restaurant. An “Aero Cycle” joined:

 

We also got a closer look at Geoff’s go-kart. One look at the driver’s seat tells all: this is a wild ride!

 

After drinks we departed. Alice’s never disappoints.

 

Here’s video I snapped showing the action, enjoy!

 

After drinks we split up for home, and i took 35 back down 9. I was treated to some great coastal and bay arae views:

 

 

Big thanks to Geoff for organizing the drive. It was a fantastic run with great company! More pictures in the gallery below.

 

The 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show was held on September 15, in Long Beach, CA. This is the original vintage Japanese-car event in SoCal and in its 14th year, JCCS has grown incredibly–over 430 cars covered the lawn of Marina Green Park. The vehicles themselves remained a fantastic blend of stock, modified and restored. 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.

   

ZCG Displays Two Z Cars!

 

Z Car Garage displayed two customer cars at the show: Randy Jaffe’s 1970 Datsun 240z and James Stevens’ 1972 Datsun 240z.  Randy’s Z was completed in time to be our booth car. This Series 1 S30 started as a project car 4-years ago with paint/bodywork performed by Bryson Richards of Classic Livery. The Z was shipped to us from Georgia for finishing Randy’s vision of a wild show/go race car:

 

Inspiration for the Jagermeister livery came from Randy’s obsession with Porsche, and the Max Moritz Racing Porsche 934.

  

We will take an in-depth look at this Z in separate post, but here are a few key details. Providing room for the 275/315-width tires is an authentic Pandem Rocketbunny aero kit. Randy channeled his passion for racing into this build and the chassis is virtually identical to his #46 BRE Datsun 240z, using zinc’d DP Racing suspension parts. The engine is a big displacement L-series running 13:5:1 compression, triple-Mikuni ph44s, a Fujitsubo header and glorious BRE-style exhaust. Running gear includes a close-ratio ZX transmission, OS Giken LSD for the 4.11 R180, our ZCG CV Axles and ZCG Big-Brake Kit (race version).

   

We are happy to report that Randy’s Z won 1st place, Best 240z in a class filled with incredible Z cars!

 

James’s 1972 S30 was displayed with fellow Z car owners in the show. At the heart of this beast is a turbocharged L-series managed by Haltech. Chassis upgrades include custom full-length subframe connectors, our ZCG CV Axles and Big-Brake Kit (328mm) behind Volk TE37V wheels.

 

A stack instrument cluster was integrated into the gauge pod, viewed from leather Recaro Pole Position seats. This Z has a very unique sound. We recently tuned it on E85, dyno results and videos coming soon!

   

We are very happy for James as he won the award for Best of JC Speed!

 

Stay tuned for in-depth reports on both of these Z cars coming to zcarblog.com.

Showtime!

Our friend and talented racer Troy Ermish transported both of our Z cars (and his 510) down to Long Beach Friday afternoon. Below is a video of the Z’s loading from the shop:

We unloaded early Saturday morning from the expansive parking lot near the new venue in Marina Green Park.  Immediately we could tell this location was larger and more vendor-friendly than The Queen Mary of past shows. Our booth was situated in a great spot, at the mid-point of the show with our neighbors from OS Giken.
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Nissan celebrates over 50 years of racing

There are vintage car races every month of the year, but few draw such amazing machines as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Each year the Reunion has a featured marque and this year it was Nissan, previously known as Datsun. This was the very first time a Japanese manufacturer was honored as the featured marque in 45 years of running the event! As you can imagine, excited Datsun racers and fans around the nation made plans to attend the Reunion held 8/23-26 at Laguna Seca Raceway.

 

We had a blast at the RMMR and I was once again fortunate to be on the Z Car Garage pit crew for several race cars. Read further for our report, illustrated by a 200+ shot gallery with videos. Enjoy! Here is a short introductory video highlighting the Nissan/Datsun group photo (50 cars!) and a taste of racing action to come:

An epic showing from Nissan Motorsports

Nissan really rose to the occasion, bringing historically significant race cars from Japan to offer a museum-like collection under its paddock tent. Our friends at Japanese Nostalgic Car (JNC) took an in-depth look at each of the cars displayed, catch their excellent coverage HERE. My favorites were the #46 BRE 510, Grand-Prix dominating R382, hyper-rare Nissan R390 GT1 Road Car, and of course the monstrous GTP ZX Turbo car. We wish they would have driven them on the track!

 

Datsun fans unite

When the announcement was made that Nissan would be the featured marque at the RMMR, we knew it had to be an unforgettable experience for all Datsun enthusiasts.  An event “not to be missed”, and that is where The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) comes in. We reached out to club secretary Ann Devor, and her team coordinated a Nissan-only parking corral AND a parade lap around the world famous, 11-turn, 2.238-mile jewel of a road course called Weathertech Laguna Seca Raceway.

 

Car corral attendance was impressive, and it was absolute bliss for all participants. There were over 130 cars including Datsun 510s, Z cars and roadsters followed by Z32s, Z33s, Z34s and GT-Rs.

  

Staging for the parade lap was awesome with smiles everywhere! Living legend Pete Brock even rode shotgun in a Datsun Roadster as the lead car. We were fortunate to get almost two full laps in, at a surprisingly brisk pace. Please see our picture gallery and link (from Jason Green) for shots of your car!

  

Missed out on the fun? In the video below you can see my coverage of the car corral and parade lap. Also included is parade lap footage captured from the Corkscrew, one of the track’s infamous turns, thanks to Gary Savage:

 

Serious recognition for Japanese Classics

 

The Reunion is a highlight for race fans, but it is also part of Monterey Car Week which is filled with classy events like auctions and the famous Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. Another first for Japanese cars was the Japanese Automotive Invitational hosted by Infiniti. This inaugural event displayed landmark Japanese vehicles. While I did not have a chance to visit the JAI, Speedhunters did. We are proud of three cars displayed: Tim Corcoran’s stunning ’64 Datsun 1500, a hakosuka Skyline GT-R from our friends at JDM Legends,  and Brian Kippen’s Nissan Patrol:

 

Epic racing

With 50 Nissan/Datsuns racing this year the starting grid for Group 3B (B-sedan, roadsters), Group 5A (IMSA GTU) and even Group 7B (IMSA GTO) was a fan’s wish come true. Z Car Garage supported 5 race cars, and Rob Fuller would be driving one of them as well. Rob’s operational plan was to assign one technician per race car to ensure that all were ready for each session. It was an orchestral process to watch unfold, and we pulled it off as all 5 cars made it through the Pre-Reunion week and race!

  

Take a lap with John Morton in the BRE Datsun 240z

 

For this year’s Reunion, Z Car Garage prepared and supported the #46 BRE Datsun 240z piloted once again by our hero John Morton. Owner Randy Jaffe restored this Z over several years with fanatic attention to detail. The Z was shipped to ZCG from Georgia, needing refreshing from racing earlier this year at The Mitty (Nissan was also the featured marque).

 

  

At 76 years of age John Morton is still formidable behind the wheel!

  

Enjoy this extended video with in-car footage of John dicing it up with Porsche RSRs and BMW CSLs…Long Live The Z!

John finished the race as the fastest Z car in the field! 8th overall out of 52 cars with a best lap time of 1:41.8. The BRE 240z also enjoyed the Monterey scene off the track, taking a trip to the lush greens of the Quail and shop-lined streets of the Carmel Concours. The video below shows the drive to these events and features a bonus interview from Motor Trend with Rob at Z Car Garage:

 

Rob Fuller’s RMMR debut

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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion here we come! Nissan is the featured marque and we are amped! Z Car Garage is running 5 race cars:
#46 BRE Datsun 240z makes its return with John Morton behind the wheel:

  

#9 Hakosuka and #52 Bluebird and #38 280zx all piloted by Alex Mcdowell:

  

#49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU 240z returns to RMMR since 2015 with Rob Fuller at the wheel!

Lots of fun events to enjoy during the week, big thanks to Ann from ZONC for making a great schedule so you don’t miss a thing!

 

Here is a video to get you excited, enjoy!

 

 

For #throwbackthursday we take a look at Rob Fuller’s 1970 Datsun 240z. This Series 1 S30 gained notoriety 15 years ago when it was powered by an RB25DET drivetrain. We had many good memories with the RB-configuration and like all Datsuns, this one has a great story behind it.

 

In 1997,  Rob spotted a ’70 240Z sitting in a driveway while driving down a back road in Georgia. He soon learned that the owner had the Z for a really long time and it hadn’t been running for years. Unable to afford the owner’s price, Rob offered to wash and detail the car, as well as bringing a car cover to protect it until he had funds for towing. Eventually a deal was made with the seller, and Rob towed it home to start working on it. In 1998 he started his first job working at Z Service Unlimited in Atlanta when the recently acquired Z overheated and failed.

Rob and the 1970 240z at Z Service Unlimited in GA, ~1997. (Right) Turbo Tom’s EFI turbocharged L-Series build, still at the shop today:

 
A customer’s ’71 240Z had rolled-over and Rob swapped it’s 2.8L/5-speed/R200 diff into his Z. He enjoyed driving the Z all around Georgia before relocating to Northern California where he was offered a job at a local Z shop. Once the 240 was shipped over, Rob saved up money for yet another engine transplant, this time a 3.1L stroker with SUs. He attended many track days at Thunderhill and Laguna Seca with the setup. In 2001, the car was painted ’70 Mopar Go Green by William’s Auto Body:

 

In 2004, Rob opened Z Car Garage and started building a turbocharged L-series (utilizing Turbo Tom parts) for his Z.  After completing his SR20DET-powered Datsun 510 he was inspired to have the same modern powerplant for GO GA Z. The turbocharged, inline-6 from the Nissan R33 Skyline was a logical choice. The swap was completed by July 2005.

   

A quick breakdown of the build:  T3/T4 turbo, Nismo 740cc injectors, GReddy intake manifold, custom Z Car Garage front-mount intercooler, C&R radiator, JWT aluminum flywheel and heavy-duty clutch. Ford Lightning MAF, a Z32 TT fuel pump DEFI gauges. Suspension consisted of full Ground Control parts with 5-way adjustable Tokicos,  custom 993 Porsche brakes behind 16×7 Panasport wheels wrapped in 225/50/16 Kumho Victor Racer V700 tires.

 

How did it perform? At 19 psi, the Z put down 440 whp and 380 lb-ft of torque at the wheels on the ZCG dyno. All while making the most intoxicating sounds.  Enjoy this compilation I made of the Z in action, speakers up!

 

We enjoyed driving the Z to car shows/events including long trips to JCCS (2006) and the Mt. Shasta All-Datsun Meet.

  

GO GA Z even got some media exposure (before the days of Instagram and Facebook!) Below: Sport Compact Car Magazine, Lighting Auto (JDM), and Turbo Magazine

  

So where is the Z now? In 2009 the RB25DET was removed and built up to RB28 spec for installation into Gary’s Behemoth.

   

Gary would later decide to run the legendary OS Giken TC24B1Z in his Z, making it the world’s first LHD OS Giken TC24B1Z powered S30. Rob’s Z was the test mule for the TC24, a little known fact. Here it is on the dyno:

 

 

The RB28 sits on display in the front office at ZCG, while the GO GA Z chassis is still being utilized for TC24 development.

 

We hope you enjoyed our trip down memory lane with Rob’s RB-powered Z. I loved this car so much I built a 1/24th scale model of it. Please read on to learn about the model and see more pictures. LONG LIVE THE Z!

About The Model

One of my hobbies is 1/24 scale model car building. In the past few years I’ve focused on building scale replicas of friend’s personal cars. Rob’s 1970 240z holds a special place in my Z heart and I thought it would be a nice challenge to make a model faithful to the real car.

 

I made sure the engine bay had the entire RB25DET drivetrain visible with Greddy intake manifold, injectors, turbo and FMIC plumbing, BOVs, and that Interstate battery. On the outside I used Go Green paint for the body, Porsche Big Red calipers with cross-drilled rotors, Panasport-type wheels, and a photo-reduced license plate that reads ” GO GA Z”.  The interior even has DEFI gauges, a MOMO steering wheel and Recaro seats…just like the real thing!  Enjoy the pictures and stop by the shop to see the model in its display case, but please do not touch it 🙂

 

You can see more pictures below!

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