The latest episode of Motor Trend’s Ignition series takes a look at the Nissan GT-R lineage. The segment features glorious engine sounds from the R35, R32 and Hakosuka Skyline GT-R. All cars were driven hard by host Jason Cammisa on the curvy roads of the Santa Cruz Mountains. I am especially excited about this short film because the R32 shown was built at Z Car Garage and currently owned by customer and friend Alex M. If you have not seen the video yet click on the YouTube link below, and continue reading for a behind-the-scenes look:

https://youtu.be/1DkGNPz89FA?list=PLEFAC5D656286E89B

 

When Motor Trend reached out to us for a GT-R feature we happily obliged by providing the R32 GT-R. I had the wonderful opportunity of delivering the R32 to the set and spending a day with the filming crew. So what was it like to be on the set of production? It started in the morning on a weekday in May when I picked up a freshly detailed R32 from the shop. After a splash of 100 octane I proceeded to drive the Skyline on (what else?) Skyline Blvd:

 

It was a thrill driving the R32 GT-R up HWY 9 and 35, and I finally arrived at my destination. I met up with Jason and director Anthony Esposito at Alice’s Restaurant, a popular hub for gearheads enjoying the surrounding twisty roads. We had breakfast with the crew and I couldn’t believe I was eating blueberry pancakes next to Jason Cammisa! My hero from Head2Head, which I recommend as the chemistry between him and Jonny Lieberman is highly entertaining!

 

We hopped in the GT-Rs and headed out to the first shooting location to acquire “beauty” shots before the action footage. This, dear zcarblog readers, was an epic moment as I was treated to the simply orgasmic sounds emanating from the S20-powered Hakosuka GT-R.  The 3 GT-Rs:

 

The 1971 Hakosuka Skyline GT-R

  

The authentic, KPGC10 Skyline is owned by enthusiast Tom Knudsen. Learn more about Tom’s passion for vintage J-Tin from our friends at Japanese Nostalgic Car.  It’s hard not to shoot endless pictures of this rare, iconic beauty:

 

The 2017 R35 GT-R:

 
The 1992 R32 Skyline GT-R

 

Jason and I took the R32 out for test drive before filming. Again I was a little star struck sitting shotgun. When I drove it up Skyline Blvd earlier that morning I had not given it the full throttle but Jason on the other hand didn’t hold back. We were both pretty giddy driving it on boost. He’s a carnut like the rest of us and enjoys his track days and building/working on cars. He’s seriously funny too, follow him on Instagram

 

  

While the crew was setting up, I had an enlightening chat with Tom about vintage Japanese cars and historic racing. He raced back to his garage to bring a vanity plate for the Hako and returned in his 1973 Porsche 911E. Then a random yellow NSX showed up.  All of this combined with sweeping views of the Bay Area would make any gearhead happy:

 

  

In addition to the NSX and numerous hikers/cyclists that stopped by, traffic on Skyline was getting heavier throughout the day. This would clearly impede filming, but I learned an interesting (apparently common) solution: hiring off-duty CHP officers to shut down the road for 15 minutes at a time:

 

That 15 minute window was frantic to me but the entire team was calm and collected with each cycle, accomplishing all desired footage.  I was thoroughly impressed.  On the other hand, after traffic was released by the CHP the passing drivers were either visibly frustrated or genuinely in awe of the triple Skylines that were holding them up!

  

Weather conditions were not favorable for recording sound. It was extremely windy and cold and though I wasn’t dressed for the chill I managed to find warmth and solace in the heated seats of the R35. Kudos to Dennis the sound guy and camera crew for making the best of the conditions. I even witnessed Anthony do some wild acrobatic filming hanging out the back of a Tahoe while driving in reverse!

  

Simon, Wiley and Anthony adorn the R32 with a myriad of camera/sound recording devices:

 

By 6pm the session was called and with the fog rolling in, our R32’s role was completed. The team would continue filming the KPGC10 and R35 the rest of the week.

 

All good things must come to an end and I drove the Skyline back to the shop and relinquished the keys:

   

Thank you MotorTrend crew for the hospitality! It was a memorable experience and the video turned out great. We are sad to report that Jason left Motor Trend after this episode but I was fortunate to watch him and Anthony work their magic in person. I wish them the best!  More pictures in the gallery below
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Today we bring you three cars that received UPREV tuning to maximize performance gains from common bolt-on parts like intakes and exhaust systems. Enjoy!

Sean’s 370z

Sean visited us for an ART pipe install and to correct a few issues with previous intake/exhaust installation from another shop.

 

Rob UPREV tuned the Z with great results gaining 25hp/12tq for a total of 337hp/274tq to the wheels:

 

Sean also wanted to use a new feature from UPREV called the ARC(Advanced Racing Controls) license. This add-on service to the existing UPREV Flash allows you to have 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!

Nick’s 370z

 

In 2014 we UPREV tuned Nick’s 2006 black 350z…and now he has a 2010 370z so it was time for an UPREV reunion!  Nick had Stillen Gen 3 Intakes and the Fast Intention CBE w/ 18″ resonators so it was prudent to get a proper tune and extract their full potential.  With tuning we saw peak gains of 7hp/8tq for a total of 318hp/262tq to the wheels. Note the great mid-range gains:

 

 

Karl’s 350z

Nick came in to ZCG to tune his 2005 350z with bolt-ons, and we happy obliged.

 

With UPREV tuning Rob extracted 6hp/11tq for a total of 268hp/251tq. The peak numbers may not seem impressive but look at the area under the curve after tuning. There are significant gains in hp/tq throughout the rev range:

Contact us if you are interested in UPREV or ECUTEK tuning for you Nissan or Infiniti!

 

Matt M is another member of the Inconceivable Racing group and visited ZCG to supercharge his 370z Convertible. Here are a few pictures of the Stillen kit installation:

 

Matt came back to have us install some ART pipes and a Fast Intentions catback exhaust system:

 

ART pipes in place:

 

OEM vs FI exhaust system:

   

Being base model Z, Matt wanted to put slightly wider wheels on and sticky RE-71R tires for track days:

 

We love the PLX Devices gauge that neatly replaces the clock with a multi-function display to monitor vitals:

  

Finally, also installed new end links for his sway bars:

 

On the dyno we retuned with ECUTEK to maximize gains from the bolt-ons. Final numbers are 402hp/354tq to the wheels, peak gains of 32hp/24tq. After 4000rpm gains of almost +50hp/tq are seen:

Enjoy The Boost, Matt!

 

Eric T hails from Benicia, CA and he is one of the key members of Inconceivable Racing along with our customers Matt M and Rasheed B. This is a group of enthusiasts that got into Z cars and are now obsessed with taking them to open track days and events like Shift Sector. What is really cool is that both Eric and his wife run their HR-powered 350z cars together at the track!

 

Here are the couple enjoy their Z cars at Laguna Seca. It is a small Z-car world and we have worked on Eric’s wife’s 350z Convertible because it was our man William’s!

 

Eric had been to several independent shops and wasn’t really happy.  Rasheed told him about ZCG and we met with Eric to help sort his Z.  After driving at Laguna Seca, he was frustrated with corner entry and exit speeds. This was a result of not putting power down effectively through the open differential on his Base-model Z. Our solution was to install the OS Giken limited-slip unit:

 

Here is the unit being installed with a 4.08 gear, all new bearings and seals.  We also added a NISMO Diff cover:

 

    

The diff all buttoned-up and installed on the car:

   

With the car up on the lift we noticed one of the bushings in rear subframe was leaking. The subframe was pulled and all bushings were replaced with with SPL solid bushings. The diff received Whiteline bushings:

     

The aftermarket exhaust system was rubbing on the rear chassis brace and had a rubber pad wedged in between as the solution from a previous shop. We fixed it:

 

The exhaust was also rubbing on the rear sway bar, where a heater hose complete with hose clamps was used as an isolator. We fixed this well:

 

Motordyne ART pipes were installed and the Z was retuned with UPREV:

 

On the dyno we found peak gains of 7hp/11tq for a final 303hp/265tq to the wheels. More importantly the gains can be seen throughout the rev range:

 

 

 

After we performed this work Eric attended a 2-day race event at ‘Seca for his birthday. He was super pumped with the Z and it performed well. He’s a ZCG believer. Enjoy the Ride, Eric!

 

 

We are proud to be a sponsor of the 13th Annual 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show September 23! The JCCS is a J-Tin lover’s paradise and it keeps getting better every year. Take a look at the poster above and you might notice a familiar black Z car. This year our OS Giken TC24 powered 1971 Datsun 240z will be displayed as one of the featured show cars, from the press release:

 

“America’s Most Exotic 240z” does have a nice ring to it!  You can see the original article by Mike Garrett over at Speedhunters HERE.

 

 

Z Car Garage will have its own booth at the show, so please stop by, check out the Z and say hello!

                    ***JCCS registration opens Saturday, July 1.***

 

Registration open tomorrow, July 1, so get those applications in and Z you at the show!

In case you missed it, our coverage of last year’s JCCS show is HERE and you can see a brief history of the TC24B1Z powered 240z below:

 

Over 30 years ago OS Giken created the first dual overhead cam (DOHC) 24-valve cylinder head for the Nissan L-series engine: The TC24-B1Z.

 

Z Car Garage in partnership with OS Giken debuted the first North American (LHD) Datsun 240z to run the TC24-B1Z at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, CA:
ZCG at SEMA 2015

We want to share how this mythical cylinder head sounds, looks and drives.
Turn up your speakers and enjoy!