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Hagerty just published an article about the future of the auto repair industry. Writer Robert Crespo interviews Rob Fuller of ZCG for an honest outlook of the business. Read the article here on Hagerty.com
This pretty Bayside Blue (TV2) R34 Skyline GT-R is at the shop for maintenance services and upgrades. Incredible condition with low mileage, enjoy the photos!
Ultra clean interior!
We are excited to offer the Z Car Garage Heat Shield for your triple-carb’d L-series Z car. This is a one-piece 304 stainless unit with laser-etched serial number. Proven on all of our L-series engine builds and dyno testing.
This heat shield will fit Mikuni, Weber, Dellorto and Jenvey induction with several intake manifolds like the Harada. Also available for 4-cylinder L-series applications as well! Utilized on both race cars and street cars. Shown below are ZCG clients running the heat shield on their cars, starting with JDM Legends’ epic S30 build:
We love to see our products being installed and used on customer cars. Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft is running our ZCG Heat Shield in this vintage 260z race car! Volume up and enjoy!
Richard’s 1971 Datsun 240Z:
Khang’s EFI L-Series with Jenvey ITB and Z Car Garage Heat Shield:
More Z cars running the ZCG Heat Shield:
The ZCG Heat Shield is available for purchase for $169.00 with product information below. View this product and other ZCG parts on the new “products” page of our website HERE
WE LOVE RACING! On October 4-6 we attended the Velocity Invitational at Sonoma Raceway. Z Car Garage had a blast racing and supporting clients in Group 7 (1968 – 1978 IMSA GT Cars), Group 8 (ALMS) and Group 5 (B-Sedan). This vintage racing event was just as fun for spectators with a friendly, immersive vibe. Enjoy our report from the weekend with photos and in-car video of the action.
Famed engineer and race car driver Corky Bell ran this Datsun 510 in the early 70’s Trans Am series. Z Car Garage restored it back to its former glory with Trans Am livery and Corky drove it for the first time in 52 years at Velocity. It was a mad thrash to get the 510 prepared for the event and we will dedicate a separate blog post to the restoration and Corky’s story. Here are a few photos of the car during the revival:
Enjoy this video of Corky Bell racing in Group 5 at the Velocity Invitational with in-car, paddock action and some great commentary from Rob at the end…
It was an emotional weekend filled with joy for the ZCG crew and Corky’s family. His daughter Stephanie:
Such a privilege to see my Dad race his last Datsun 510 yesterday and today. He stopped racing when I was 4. Seeing him race and enjoy something he loved so much made me cry. More than once. HUGE shout out and even bigger Thank you to Rob & Meghan Fuller at Z Car Garage in San Jose for making this a reality. They rescued the car from a field and fully restored it. Such a big full circle moment for Dad. Can you imagine getting back in a race car after 5 decades? So proud and amazed by him.
Icing on the cake…Corky’s Datsun 510 joined the ranks of greatness in Velocity Invitational’s 2025 promotional photo shoot! More photos in the gallery below.
Group 7’s IMSA cars were dominated by big-power Porsche 911 RSRs. Rob Fuller ran the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z and battled for P1/2 against Martin Lauber (red 911 #64) and Chet Taylor (blue 911 #55).
Rob fought hard, mixing it up with the two Porsche 911s but the feature race sadly ended with a collision. The Joel Anderson IMSA GTU will be rebuilt and it will return, faster than ever.
You can also see the full-length, in-car footage on Saturday and Sunday. Catch the Sunday livestream HERE and watch more of Rob’s racing adventures on his YouTube Channel.
In 1981, Joel Anderson, Casey Mollett (280ZX) and Cary Eisenlohr’s Porsche were all pitted together at Sears Point. We had a unique opportunity to re-enact this historical moment at the Velocity Invitational, 44 years later!
Photo by Alex Trang
Historic B&C Sedan partnered with Velocity Invitational to gather a collection of 30+ real historic B and C sedan cars for the Velocity Invitational! Thirteen cars among them have real Trans Am Under 2L and Two-Five Challenge history. This was the largest gathering of real historic sedans since the 2010 Monterey Historics. Amongst the real Trans Am cars were the Alfas of Horst Kweck, Gaston Andrey, Jon Norman, Charlie Thieriot, Dave Burns; BMW 2002s of Carl Fredericks, Jeff Kline; Porsche 911 of Walt Maas; Datsun 510s of Corky Bell and Bob Finn.
ROB: ZCG provided trackside support for 4 cars in the B-Sedan field and it was exciting to watch. Noah kicked ass in his Bluebird finishing 3rd and 5th in the second race. It was intense, glorious and fun. Kelvin drove the Dragonetti car until Sunday pm when brother Kenny took wheel, making it to 8th from the back. Corky went from 2:34s to 2:07 and Tom returned in fighting form with his freshly restored Balzer 510.
We have helped Tom build and prepare his Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510 for several years. Unfortunately the car was wrecked at Sonoma Raceway. Z Car Garage rebuilt the 510, making a triumphant return to this year’s Velocity event with a cool period-correct livery change.
We have in-car video from Tom Dockery in the Ex-Norm Balzer B-Sedan Datsun 510, volume up and enjoy!
Noah’s Bluebird Coupe in action:
Enjo this in-car video from Noah’s Bluebird with livestream and paddock action:
Kelvin is a steady ZCG trackside support client, running the Ex-Ted Gruner 510.
Kelvin and Kenny shared the Dragonetti car over the weekend
KENNY: The 911 that I was driving didn’t run on Friday or Saturday. Kelvin was driving the Dragonetti on those days. Saturday was the qualifying race. Kelvin was stuck in a lot of traffic but he was trying to make his way through it to get a clean lap. However, he hit a patch of oil exiting the carousel which caused him to spin. After the spin, the car wouldn’t start and all of the cars that he had cleared earlier passed him back. He finally got the car restarted, but by that time the session was almost over and never got a clean lap. He ended up qualifying 20th.
Catch Kenny racing in Group 5 via livestream: HERE and watch the feature race HERE
This very special Porsche is the 2006 FIA European GT3 Championship winning car that was driven by Sean Edwards. It is a 997 GT3 Cup S Prototype and our client Kenny Tse raced it in the Legends of Endurance group at the Rolex.
As Kenny mentioned above, the 911 fought us with oiling issues, but we will resolve them for the next season.
There was no shortage of rare and exotic cars from well-known and upcoming supercar marques. More photos in the gallery below!
This car features our Z Car Garage CV Axles
We also provided dyno tuning services for the fresh Rebello L18 with Solex/Mikuni 44phh induction and BRE intake:
It’s worth noting that not unlike privateers of the period, Glenn builds his race cars, maintains and manages racing efforts himself. Not an easy task so we applaud his work ethic. Glenn builds some beautiful Datsuns and we thank him for organizing the Historic B&C Sean group to keep the spirit of Trans Am racing alive.
Formerly known as the Sonoma Speed Festival (2019), the Velocity Invitational re-imagined the vintage race experience with a Goodwood-inspired vibe that we enjoyed at the 2022 Velocity Invitational. One of the best experiences for spectators is the paddock and organizers made access to drivers and their machines seamless. Fans could get up close and personal with race cars without the typical ropes or 45-foot RVs in the way:
ROB: “First time running at Sonoma for us with VI, since we missed the inaugural event in 2019. Jeff O’Neill ‘s event is first class and reminds us of what the Rolex RMMR. So much excitement in the air…when you drive in people would be everywhere. Thanks to Jeff, Ryan Turri and Ardelle Lind for accommodating our needs.”
If you want to see action from the event in its entirety, check out Goodwood’s live streaming coverage of Day one and Day Two. Huge thanks to Meghan Fuller for capturing photos/videos for ZCG. More photos in the gallery below from from Alex Trang, Chris Constantine and Nick Dockery
Huge shoutout to the Z Car Garage race crew including Josh, Meghan, Nick and Cooper. We are grateful for your support, keeping us safe and on the track!
Thank you Velocity Invitational for an incredible event. We look forward to running with you again. Join us for the 2025 race season and stay tuned for our CSRG Finale report from Thunderhill. LONG LIVE THE Z!
Z Car Garage is excited to participate in the Velocity Invitational at Sonoma Raceway October 4-6. This is a must attend historic racing event for Nissan/Datsun fans with IMSA GTU Z cars, exotics and more to enjoy. Tickets are still available, to purchase simply on click HERE, and read below for a preview.
Z Car Garage is excited to be racing and supporting 7 cars in Group 7 (1972 – 1981 IMSA GT Cars), Group 8 (LeMans, IMSA & GT Cars 1955-2016) and Group 9 (Historic Trans Am 1966-1972) . Here is a preview:
Rob Fuller will be driving the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z in Group 7:
Famed engineer and race car driver Corky Bell ran this Datsun 510 in the early 70’s Trans Am series. Z Car Garage restored it back to its former glory and Trans Am livery (to be documented in a dedicated blog post) and Corky will be driving it at the Velocity Invitational, for the first time in 52 years. Yes that’s Corky Bell at our shop, re-united with his race car at 84 years young!
This very special Porsche is the 2006 FIA European GT3 Championship winning car that was driven by Sean Edwards. It is a 997 GT3 Cup S Prototype and our client Kenny Tse raced it in the Legends of Endurance group at the Rolex.
We have helped Tom build and prepare his Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510 for several years. Unfortunately the car was wrecked at Sonoma Raceway. Z Car Garage rebuilt the 510, making a triumphant return to this year’s Velocity event.
Kelvin is a steady ZCG trackside support client, running the Ex-Ted Gruner 510.
Alex McDowell returns to Sonoma in this C10 Skyline built by our friend Jim Froula of Racecraft. Z Car Garage has prepared and supported Alex’s race efforts with the Hako and it has been an awesome experience. Two very memorable racing events were the The Mitty and RMMR
Photo by Kris Poulin
Historic B&C Sedan has partnered with Velocity Invitational to gather a collection of 30+ real historic B and C sedan cars this upcoming weekend! Thirteen cars among them have real Trans Am Under 2L and Two-Five Challenge history. This will be the largest gathering of real historic sedans since the 2010 Monterey Historics. Amongst the real Trans Am cars are the Alfas of Horst Kweck, Gaston Andrey, Jon Norman, Charlie Thieriot, Dave Burns; BMW 2002s of Carl Fredericks, Jeff Kline; Porsche 911 of Walt Maas; Datsun 510s of Corky Bell and Bob Finn.
The Historic B and C Sedan race is one of the most exciting run groups so don’t miss out! Race car driver and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou will be racing his Ex-Bob Finn U2.5L Trans-Am Datsun 510! This car features our Z Car Garage CV Axles
We also provided dyno tuning services for the fresh Rebello L18 with Solex/Mikuni 44phh induction and BRE intake:
Listen to this 510 make sweet L-Series music on our dyno in the video below. There is also race/paddock action with Glenn behind the wheel:
Z Car Garage is amped for more racing this year. Please check the CSRG website and zcarblog.com for upcoming race events. Do not miss the next event: CSRG’s Charity Challenge at Sonoma September 13-15.
