Last weekend was beautiful and sunny in the Bay Area, perfect for a quick drive in Sora, our 1967 Datsun 2000 roadster. I joined Geoff in his 1963 Lotus Elan and Glenn Chiou in his Honda Civic Type-R (FL5).

 

We met in downtown Saratoga and admired Geoff’s recently acquired 1963 Lotus Elan S1. It’s sporting 26R-spec wider bodywork and interior pieces.

 

The hardtop is the most sharp-looking I’ve seen on a 60’s roadster (this is not a coupe!) and those are real Knock-on wheels. Dyno tuned at Z Car Garage. We’ll take a deep-dive into this English gem in a full report coming to zcarblog.

 

We headed up HWY9  to the Vista Point where the skidpad hosted some great hardware as usual, including these two Porsche (993) 911 Turbos. The Arena Red car had 195k miles and the Polar Silver car sported Advan GT wheels and Andial-built GT2-spec engine.

 

Vanity plate award goes to this BMW 1M:

 

Geoff was happy to see a fellow 7-owner. This one clearly powered by a Hayabusa motorcycle engine:

 

An NC Miata wearing Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R wheels…we thought it looked great!

 

From there we drove down HWY9 to Boulder Creek and headed home via Bear Creek Rd. There was an usual (and welcome) number of Pre-War “Ragtime Racer” cars out and about!

 

 

Enjoy the sights and sound of our 60’s sports cars in this video:

 

At home, Geoff kindly indulged my obligatory driveway photos. My family also witnessed a car that’s actually smaller than the Datsun Roadster!

 

Sora performed admirably, making many people smile this weekend. Enjoy the photo gallery below and Do It In A Datsun!

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Join us on Sunday, June 8 for the Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) gathering at the Blackhawk Museum! See flyer below for more details:

 

We had a blast at last year’s ZONC event with a fantastic turnout. See our report from the 2023 event HERE, and Z you at Blackhawk!

 

 

 

1992 Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 for sale.

All work and maintenance performed by Z Car Garage since 2013

Built engine with forged internals. Stock turbos.
Ohlins Road and Track coilovers
Stoptech BBK front & rear
TE37SL wheels
Bride seats
Takata Racing harness

Additional parts and details below

Asking $75,000 obo
Contact Lou at ltstrick32ATgmail if interested.

 

Build History at Z Car Garage

 

For most fans of Japanese sports cars the “R32” Skyline supercar is highly regarded and historically significant. Not familiar with this model? Find out what makes it special over at JNC. This R32 Skyline received extensive suspension and engine work performed by Z Car Garage including fully upgraded front/rear Ohlins coil-overs (2022), sway bars, T/C rods, camber/control arms using parts from Cusco and Powertrix:

 

A full Stoptech big-brake system with larger calipers and 332mm vented rotors F/R was installed. Volk TE37SL wheels, sized 18×9.5 and finished in high-metal bronze. The wheels perfectly frame the Stoptech 332mm big-brake kit at all 4-corners:

 

The RB26 was rebuilt using a Rebello-prepped bottom end consisting of forged JE pistons and Eagle rods. Mild headwork and stock turbos make up the top end.

 

 

A full Tomei titanium exhaust system was added including downpipes, test pipe and the Expreme Ti muffler, installed at ZCG:

Video of exhaust with drive-by:

 

With the new exhaust and Haltech it was dyno tuned to a healthy 412hp/311tq to the wheels:

 

The interior features a Bride seats with Takata harnesses and a MOMO steering wheel:

   

The R32 has been driven to many shows/events running flawlessly. It is equally at home on the street or at the track.

 

This R32 was featured and driven by Jason Cammisa in the GT-R episode of IGNITION from MotorTrend:

 

If you have not seen the video yet click on the YouTube link below for a preview of the R32 in action, and see our behind-the-scenes report HERE.

 

The R32 was driven to the 2019 Skyline Matsuri in San Francisco:

 

More photos in the gallery below. Contact the shop for more information.

   

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We’ve been working on a spare wheel and tire solution for clients running our Z Car Garage Big Brakes (or any larger than stock brake kit) on their 1970-78 S30 Z cars.  Since the factory 14″ spare wheel will not clear big-brakes, we are proud to offer a 15″ Panasport wheel and tire combo that will fit perfectly in the spare tire well. In addition to great looks this setup is also significantly lighter than the factory spare.  This is one of those small things we love to offer that make your Z enjoyable on long journeys.

 

The 15″ Panasport wheel runs a 155/80/15 tire and fits perfectly in the factory spare well area. Below is a comparison with the factory 14″ spare:

 

We love how the 15″ Panasport spare looks. Here it is mounted on our client Ken’s 1970 Datsun 240Z (vin #1762) with 16×7 Panasport wheels from Z Car Garage with a 225/50/16 tire:

 

Z Car Garage 15″ Panasport spare wheel with a 155/80/15 tire:

 

Side profile with the 15″ Panasport spare:

 

Easy clearance on Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (or almost any larger brake-kit):

 

The 15″ Panasport wheel and tire combo (32lbs) offers a significant weight savings of 8lbs over the factory spare (40lbs) setup!

 

Rear view showing difference in tire width. 15″ spare (top), 16″ (bottom):

 

More photos of the 15″ spare on different cars including like Mrs. Butters, our Series 1 shop 240z

 

Retail cost of the wheel will be $250, giving you the option to choose your own tire. To purchase the BF Goodrich tire in 155/80/15 the price is $145+ freight.  Wheel/tire package deal will be $395+ freight. Limited availability, contact the shop and get yours today!

 

 

 

On June 20-22, Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) will host the Corkscrew Classic vintage race at Laguna Seca. Z Car Garage will participate and support several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 3. It will be a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Remember to bring your family and friends as admission is FREE for spectators!

Hoosier Tire 2.5 Challenge

CSRG will be featuring the Hoosier 2.5 Challenge TA/BS. This is an action-packed race group with B-Sedans battling for points in the series!

 

Watch these Datsuns Race!

Want a glimpse of what it’s like to see Datsuns racing at Laguna Seca? Check out our 2024 race report with video and photos: HERE, and view a sample of cars expected to race June 20 at the Corkscrew Classic:

Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou in his FAR Performance 240Z. This Z has a very rich racing history, driven in the 70’s by Loren St. Lawrence in VIPS Restaurant livery.