The Safari tribute 240Z is owned by our client Randy Jaffe and Z Car Garage helped prepare this car a few years ago for a Nissan commercial. We installed new 3.0 Rebello street race motor, 1982 280ZX 5 speed transmission and OS Giken 4.11 LSD. Small details were re-created including functional Works-style side jacking points, rear bumper steps and twin-exit exhaust system. View our full report on this build HERE.
Photos by Larry Chen
Talented photographer and car culture ambassador Larry Chen captured these amazing photos and video of Randy’s Safari tribute and the New Z Safari tribute in action. You can see more photos in the official Nissan Nissan Press Release, and view behind-the-scenes footage on Larry’s Instagram.
Enjoy this video highlighting Larry Chen’s work:
Follow or Facebook and Instagram accounts for more Z car content from the SEMA show!
Filed under: 240z,510,Events,Racing
by Alvin G @ 5:25 pm on October 30, 2023
The CSRG Finale
On November 3-5, Classic Sport Racing Group (CSRG) is hosting the 56th Season Finale and Awards Dinner at Thunderhill Raceway Park. Z Car Garage will be racing Datsun 510s with the B-Sedan group and testing a Mini in preparation for the upcoming Velocity Invitational event. The John Morton Cup will be Group 3, see race schedule below:
Joining the ZCG crew are the Rothmans (Gabe and Jeff) and Todd R:
You can also view our report from last year’s CSRG Finale here: HERE. We are excited for the last CSRG vintage racing race of the year, see you at Thunderhill!
At Z Car Garage we specialize in performance modifications and tuning for the Nissan/Infiniti sports cars. Dyno tuning with UPREV or EcuTek software can maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake/exhaust upgrades. Josh M visited Z Car Garage for a dyno tuning session on his Nissan 350Z following an engine swap and we were happy to help him. Let’s hear about his Z-car story…
Josh’s 350Z V.2
“I bought my car back in 2007 after graduating high school. I first heard about the shop shortly after I joined my350z.com back in 2008. After a few years and acquiring a full set of Motordyne bolt ons I finally called up the shop and met with Rob in 2013 to get it tuned. He wisely advised against it with how much oil I was consuming back then and suggested I come back with a fresh motor or rebuild (I’m thankful for his honesty and integrity).”
“Last year when that motor finally gave up around 200k it was time to swap all my mods to a new engine and call Rob for a dyno tuning session. My car made great power and surpassed my own expectations when it made 288whp and 274wtq on this swap from an ’04 G35. It’s always felt like a strong DE with a solid powerband and the dyno tune proved it. My main goal for the car is overall balance between drivability on the streets and performance on the track, and using our beautiful Santa Cruz mountain roads as testing grounds has helped me kind of find that happy spot.”
“As far as the exterior, a mix of KH3 super black and seibon carbon keeps it stealthy but also distinguished in the right light. I’m serious about the overall balance thing and reducing this 2 seater cars weight is a top priority, currently sitting at ~3100lbs and ideally want to be under 3k lbs.”
Dyno Tuning at Z Car Garage
A typical dyno session begins with a road test and full inspection before hitting the roller. We found a failed inlet hose and loose plenum bolts so we tightened everything up to ensure a successful dyno pass.
We dyno tuned the Z with UPREV and ARC license. Z Car Garage offers this ARC (Advanced Racing Controls) license add-on service to the existing UPREV Flash, allowing adjustable launch control, burnout mode, and flat-foot shifting for $150. This is for cars with manual transmission, VDC/cruise control. Call Rob for more details! Josh’s Z made 288hp/272tq to the wheels, a significant gain over baseline of 274hp/261tq:
Turn up the volume and enjoy this video of Josh’s 350Z on the dyno. Thanks for your support Josh and LONG LIVE THE Z!
Interested in dyno tuning your Nissan/Infiniti sports car? Contact Rob at the shop for more information and scheduling 408-452-0350 or e-mail Rob: robATzcargarage.com
Tony K sent us a few photos of his 1972 Datsun 240Z on a gorgeous Sacramento evening. This Z has a long history with Z Car Garage having received upgrades like a 3L with triple-Mikuni ph44s, 280Zx 5-speed transmission, suspension refresh, our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles and Z Car Garage Heat Shield. You can read all about it HERE.
WE LOVE RACING! Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the 20th Charity Challenge at Sonoma Raceway on September 8-10. Z Car Garage raced and supported several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in the B-Sedan Group (John Morton Cup). Everyone had a blast, enjoy our race report with in-car video and photos below.
Z Car Garage Supports Five Datsun 510s!
It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Our services include full race support and car-preparation to help make client’s race days seamless and worry-free so they can focus on driving. One of our specialties is dyno tuning. Before a race weekend we confirm that your car is running well and make necessary adjustments while on the chassis dyno:
#88 Todd Rueppel
Todd enjoyed his Z Car Garage trackside support experience with us at the Laps For Laguna event!
#7 Kelvin Tse
Kelvin and his brother Kenny are regular ZCG trackside support clients…
Gabe and his Dad Jeff’s B-Sedans:
#7 Rob Fuller
ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car
Rob recaps the Charity Challenge races from Group 3: B-Sedan and John Morton Cup…
“Over the last 20 years, CSRG has raised money for children’s charities and every Fall Z Car Garage tries to attend the Charity Challenge. We had a strange summer with Laguna Seca canceling our summer event, so it had been many months since CSRG was on the race track. In the B-Sedan group we were happy to support Kenny, Todd, and Gabe’s Datsun 510s. We also had newcomer Jeff Rothman, who is father of Gabe. Jeff’s no stranger to vintage racing with serious Alfas and a Formula Ford. One of Gabe’s fondest early memories is when his Dad took him to the historic races at Laguna Seca. And now they are racing together at Sonoma.”
“First session out Kenny had a transmission issue, so Nick and Cooper went to work making sure everyone could stay on the track. We got Kenny’s car back together and I lost 4th gear in my 510 so I decided to start from the back. I was proud to still click off a fast time despite losing 4th gear. Gabe and Kenny shared the front row and both got their personal lap records! It was Todd’s first time with an Elite box, he kicked ass with no issues while improving his times. We had just done a bunch of prep to Jeff’s car and he had a great time. Not as many cars in our run group but it was super fun.”
Enjoy these in-car videos from the Group 3 Race from Rob’s Datsun 510:
“No 4th gear but still trying to get to the front. At the start of the race a Mini hits me in the right rear but I am able to recover and keep racing till the end . Thanks for CSRG for another great weekend. Z Car Garage kept me safe and on track all weekend long. Do it in a Datsun! Note: My steering wheel is off since my car is toed in the rear and you can hear the right rear tire howling.. Good times!”
Race 2: Rob was missing 4th gear all weekend so he tried starting in the back to see if he could work his way to the front:
The 2023 Nissan Z as Pace Car!
Z Car Garage was happy to have our 2023 Nissan Z as Official Pace Car at the Charity Challenge. Rob was happy to wheel the New Z around the track:
“One of the coolest things about the Charity Challenge was driving the new Z as pace car and give charity rides. In its 20th year the Charity Challenge has raised millions for children’s charities and they allowed me to be a driver on Sat/Sun to give 4-5 rides which included a warm-up lap, race lap and cool-down lap. Yes, that’s actor/director Seth Rogen!
Paddock Action
Experience the sights and sounds from our paddock and the race track in this video below!
“My IMSA car has pretty good history at Sears Point (now Sonoma Raceway); it came from the Bondurant School and actually held a record there. I really enjoyed driving it, and had a good pace. Super fun race with Jim Froula of RacecraftNW in his GT3 240SX-bodied car. Stoked on the ZCG crew and thanks to Roger Kraus for the tires: first time running Goodyears and I love them. The Joel Anderson IMSA Z was on display all weekend and people remembered it from back in the day. A couple came over and showed me a photo of the Z from 1980. I let a young person sit in it. Made me happy to see folks appreciating Joel’s creation.”
Enjoy these in-car videos from Group 8 in The Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z:
Sunday’s race:
“Thank you CSRG for another great event. It was so awesome to get the Joel Anderson GTU 240Z out on track. Great driving by Jim @racecraftnw in his GT3 car. Thank you Z Car Garage for keeping us safe and on track all weekend. Long live the Z.”
Saturday’s race:
“Starting from the back in Anderson 49 car… @ the 13 min mark Dr. Phil waves me by and I come up on a waving yellow caused by a spun out car in Turn 4. I clear it and give Phil back his position and we race to the checkered flag. So cool to be on track with some Nissan History. Thanks for CSRG for another great weekend. Z Car Garage kept me safe and on track all weekend long. Do it in a Datsun!”
Thank You!
The Charity Challenge was fun with the usual group of folks, Oliver, Meghan, lots of snacks and good times. The ZCG crew kept all of us safe and on the track to enjoy the weekend. We got to have dinner in the turn 11 clubhouse for the first time and the vibe was incredible. Excited for next year’s event! Huge shoutout and thank you to our star photographer Meghan Fuller for capturing all of the paddock and track photos in the gallery below.
The racing continues! We are racing at Laguna Seca this weekend for the GRIDLIFE event. Race reports from the Laps For Laguna event and SVRA Double-header are coming soon. You can see our report from the 2022 Charity Challenge HERE
Join us for the 2023 Vintage Racing Season!
Z Car Garage is amped for more racing this year. Here is list of events we will be attending in 2023, including CSRG and SVRA . Please join us!
March
March 3rd to the 5th SVRA Thunderhill
March 24 to 26th CRSG Sonoma
April
April 27th to 30th SVRA Sonoma
May
May 4th to 7th SVRA Laguna Seca
June
June 23rd to 25th CSRG Laguna Seca
August
August 12-13 Monterey Pre-Reunion
August 16-19 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
