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IN MEMORY: RIP Jack Atkinson 1954-2022

Filed under: 240z,Automotive History,Events,Z Proto,z32
by Alvin G @ 2:40 pm on October 24, 2022


Jack Atkinson, friend, extraordinary designer, fabricator and creator of the Primadonna Z, left this world on July 15, 2022. He was 68. Jack and his wife Yolanda have been a part of our lives since the beginning of Z Car Garage. We send our deepest condolences to Yolanda and their family.

 

Being lifetime members of The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) and supporting our shop along the way, we are forever grateful to them. This is our tribute to you, Jack. We miss you and know you are out there Enjoying The Ride!

Design and Fabrication

 

In the automotive space, Jack was a visionary designer and self-taught fabricator. Many enthusiasts in the Nissan/Datsun community to this day are still impressed with his iconic “Primadonna Z” based on the 1970’s Datsun 240Z sportscars. This is a very special Z car with a history that will be shared in a (deservedly) separate blog post. Briefly, Jack Atkinson built three totally custom 240z cars in the early 80’s. In 2021, Z Car Garage helped reunite Jack and Yolanda with his first Primadonna Z build:

 

Heavily influenced by the wild IMSA Z ‘s and Porsche 935 bodywork, Jack hand-fabricated the body pieces and affectionately named the cars “Primadonna Z’s”. Only three Primadonna Zs were made. This red car is the first one Jack built, here is a period photo of it:

 

Jack would go on to build and eventually sell the Primadonna kit, spawning black and white versions:

 

The whereabouts of the black and white cars have been fairly well-documented over the years, eventually landing (and thankfully) in the hands of caring owners. The white car (known as Jettlag) and red car (known as Z Bait) are currently with Eric and Allison Knutsen of Southern Florida Z. We have so much to tell you about this car’s history, from its current whereabouts back to inception in the skillful hands of Jack. For now, a nice primer can be seen HERE.

 

Datsun Destiny

 

Thirty-six years later Jack was reunited with his first creation, Primadonna Z #1. The Z arrived at Z Car Garage and we were able to get it started and take both Jack and Yolanda for a spin. It was incredible to see this Z in person and even sweeter to witness the reunion. This would be Jack’s last ride in the car he built by hand before he passed.

 

Here is short video of Rob and crew getting the Z started and rolling on the street:

 

Back in Z Game

After a 20 year hiatus, Jack’s creative mind and passion urged him to get back into modifying Z cars. This time he chose the Nissan 300ZX (Z32) as his canvas, building two “Primadonna Z32” sportscars.

 

The first Z32 was a 1993 convertible (above) that was transformed into a widebody with several iterations of livery, wheels and color schemes. That was Jack: always seeking to improve his designs:

“I wanted to take an already nice looking Z and make it look like a super car. Even though this car is a one off, my insurance is the complete set of molds, from which the components you see were made. I made the fiberglass molds from the hand-sculpted prototype body of wood, aluminum, styrofoam, fiberglass and bondo. Body components were constructed using hand laid S-Fiberglass, Carbon Fiber and Kevlar and rolled out with a high temperature resin.”

The build started in July of 2005 under a canopy in his backyard and took 6-months to complete-including paint. Below, build documentation and the Primadonna Z32 in all-black:

 

The second Z32 was a 1996 Twin-Turbo with only 13,400 miles on it. This stunning ZX was one of the last Z32s to roll off the line (#247 of the last 300) and Jack’s hand-made body-work highlighted the car’s lines, while leaving the ‘looks-new’ interior in full view through the windows and t-top. Jack garnered many awards for both Primadonna Z’s including Best of Show and First Place at ZDay in Pismo Beach:

 

Jack’s LS3-Powered Z32

 

Jack developed a love for Corvettes and we helped him bridge his passion for the Z by performing an LS3 engine swap into his Primadonna Z32 Convertible. This was a dream come true for Jack, earning him a prize in the Z32 Ultra Modified category at ZCON 2021. Here are a few photos of us wrapping up the LS3 swap with road-testing and dyno tuning. Full report soon!

 

It even sports full A/C and OEM shifter for the automatic transmission. The Z was loaded up with the OMS pace car and heading to ZCON 2021! You can hear Rob discuss Jack’s LS-powered Z on this episode of Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen from the 34th Annual Z Car Convention (ZCON) hosted by ZCCA in Colorado Springs.

 
 

Fellow Z car enthusiast and ZONC board member Ann Devor on Jack’s creative work. Jack inspired many Z-car enthusiasts, including younger folks:

“Jack, with Yolanda’s assistance with fiberglass molding, designed and fabricated all manner of auto body parts – fenders, noses, tails, splitters, wings, all to accommodate the bigger wheels that were necessary for his aerodynamic designs. And the wheels were big! Wheels for Jack’s cars were custom made and it was always one of his favorite jobs to put his new wheels on for the first time. And to his last days, he wanted a set of new wheels for one of his cars. Jack was always thinking about the next big thing he wanted to do, whether it was a road trip or a new design for a car.”

“When Jack started working with vinyl applications and graphics, a whole new world opened up and added to Jack’s already respectable number of design innovations. Jack’s cars visually popped with their huge wheels covered by muscular fenders, big wings, splitters just barely clearing the asphalt, and car paint clothed in colorful spears, stripes, arrows, and emblems. There is nothing else like Jack’s cars.”

Roadtrip Leader

 

Some of our greatest memories of Jack are the numerous roadtrips he led (with Yolanda’s help, of course) with ZONC. These memorable drives would kick-off at Z Car Garage, with Jack briefing a large group of enthusiasts. You could also count on seeing Jack’s car equipped with a CB radio antenna, whether it was a Z car or NSX. This desire to share the road and its adventures carried with him later in life to the Santa Clara Corvette club where he would lead them on epic cross-country drives.

 

Datsun Family

 

Jack and Yolanda have supported Z Car Garage since we opened our doors in 2004. They helped us design and produce special t-shirts and swag (more on the way!) that you may have seen at various race events and gatherings. We are forever grateful for their friendship.

 

Love. Jack and Yolanda were in love for 43 years. Their partnership was inspirational, doing everything together including working side by side as business partners and enjoying automotive hobbies. Indeed, it was tough to get a picture of them apart, so most of my photos are of them together 🙂 Here are Jack and Yolanda in 2008 at a Z Car Garage dyno day, in their NSX:

 

We Miss You Jack

 

On October 22, Z Car Garage attended a Celebration of Jack’s Life in Bakersfield, Ca. There was an incredible outpouring of love from friends and family at the event. Jack’s passion and love for sharing spanned across different marques, eventually reaching NSX and Corvette clubs.

 

The celebration of life also brought people together. We met Eric and Allison Knutsen, current caretakers of the Primadonna Z cars all the way from Florida. The parking lot was a mini car show with Jack and Yolanda’s cars as well as friend’s rides. We think Jack would be right at home seeing the gathering of cars and people. Enjoy the photo gallery below:

 

Jack is at peace, and his story will continue to be told. We were fortunate to be in his presence and cherish the time we spent Enjoying The Ride. He truly embodied the words Mr. K said best, “Love cars. Love people. Love life.” Our sincerest condolences go out to Yolanda and Jack’s family. We will miss you Jack!

 

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EVENTS: Cars and Coffee with Driving While Awesome!

Filed under: 240z,Events
by Alvin G @ 6:51 pm on January 8, 2020

 

Last Sunday we attended the DrivingWhileAwesome (DWA) Cars & Coffee event in Santa Cruz, CA. Our group of friends left from San Jose and headed up HWY 17 on a chilly morning with myself, Rob and Meghan in our Datsun Roadsters, Geoff in his BMW 2002 and Ty in the 991 Porsche:

 

We were stoked to see Rob’s Datsun 2000 on the road with refreshed Mikuni-Solex carbs and it sounded wonderful. Full report soon!

 

In Search of J-Tin

The venue has moved since we last caught the DWA gathering in Davenport.  Sunday’s event was held at the new location across from the Old Wrigley Building in Santa Cruz. By 9am the parking lot filled rapidly with a great diversity in marque and era.

 

Although attendance was mostly Euro/Italian, many Japanese gems showed up. Let’s start with the Nissan/Datsun showing. Ray’s Hakosuka Skyline was a pleasant surprise.

 

The last time we saw Ray was at the Golden Week Kyusha Festival where I learned that this Hako was from our friends at JDM Legends! We look forward to seeing Ray for some upgrades on this already stunning Skyline.

 

Happy to see Courtney and her 1973 240z.

 

VQ-powered S30, R32 Skyline, S14 240sx and Infiniti Q45:

 
 

More J-tin goodness! Lloyd’s Corolla was a crowd favorite (mine as well) sporting a 4AGE fed by ITBs, Levin front end and perfect Volk TE37s. This AE86 coupe complements his F20C powered AE86 Hatch.

 

Glenn’s sexy FD RX-7:

 

Two black NSXs

 

Making our Datsun Roadsters look big was this Honda TN7 “Kei” pickup:

  

Euro Classics

Yearning for Porsche’s? Or something a bit less “mainstream”? DWA CnC did not disappoint.

 

Two Panteras:

 
 

Geoff’s 2002 and an E28 M5:

 

 

Pretty Alfas:

 

VWs: Scirocco and a LSx-swapped Caddy!

 

Austin Healey:

 

Porsche Galore:  914s, 944s, swb 911s, 991s

 

American classics as well! Here is a Plymouth Belvedere and International Harvester Travelall:

 

DWA CnC was definitely my kind of cars and coffee. It’s a great venue with amazing driving roads nearby and the cars were so diverse. We highly recommend checking it out! Thanks to the DWA crew for hosting. If you haven’t already, listen to their podcast and make sure you give them a follow on Instagram.
More pictures in the gallery below!

 


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EVENTS: The 2019 Coastal Range Rally

Filed under: Events,Featured Cars and Projects,Performance
by Alvin G @ 2:57 pm on March 29, 2019

 

The 2019 Coastal Range Rally was held March 15-17 and we had an absolutely blissful driving experience. Hosted by Driving While Awesome, this 3-day event brings together interesting cars and their drivers sharing a common passion for enjoying the best driving roads in California. This year the rally began in Southern California heading back to the Bay Area and we participated with the Z Car Garage 1970 Datsun 240z. Here is our report from the weekend filled with open roads, seemingly endless stretches of curvy mountain passes and good company.

 

The ZCG Datsun 240z

 

Rob and I planned to run this event together but he had to race in Spec Miata at Thunderhill. He handed me the keys to “Ms. Butters”,  a 1970 Series 240z that has become the shop demo car and I happily obliged. While this S30 deserves its own feature, here are a few details on the build:

Engine: Stroked L-series with triple Mikuni 44 carbs and special cam profile (full spec/dyno soon)
Suspension: Full KW coil-over suspension (ZCG-spec)
Brakes: Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels)
Drivetrain: ZX close ratio 5-speed, Z Car Garage CV Axles, OS Giken 4.11 LSD
Wheels: 16×7 Panasport with 225/50/16 Bridgestone RE71R
Interior: Recaro LXF seats

 
 
 

The Z performed admirably without a single problem over the 1200-mile event. This is a testament to thorough rally-prep (thanks ZCG crew) and the wonderful upgraded suspension/chassis. These modifications offered a great balance of ride compliance and stiffness for the canyons with a seamless transition between rough to smooth surfaces. The ZCG Big-brakes also delivered great feel and zero fade…truly confidence-inspiring. Enjoy this video of Ms. Butters with extended Fujitsubo exhaust footage and hear that L-series sing!

 

 

Day 1: Palmdale to Ventura

This year the rally was dubbed CRR “Rewind” as the starting point was in Southern California heading north through the Central Coast. I joined fellow enthusiasts Glenn (R32 Skyline) Naveed (Porsche 911) and Gen (E30 M3) Friday evening to blast down to the starting point in Palmadale, CA. Instead of taking the highway we took an exciting route through HWY 25:

 

The next morning all rally participants met just outside of Palmdale to grab their swag bags and rally maps. The DWA organizers encouraged us that CRR isn’t a race, and to enjoy the roads at our own pace. I can’t emphasize enough how great this group of folks is. A good portion are 3rd-time CRR rally drivers and the positivity was contagious.

 
 

I hopped in the Z and joined Naveed and Gen on this stage towards Agua Dulce. Gen led us on a slight detour through Angeles Crest and it was exhilarating. We stopped at a lookout, realizing our cars represented the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s icons!


 
 Lunch in Agua Dulce and back on the road to Ventura. Mandatory Datsun content: I was happy to see 2 other Z cars (grey is Lloyd’s) and a special ’69 Datsun Roadster (Kevin and Heather). Sporting engine/suspension upgrades this little roadster surprised many with its performance:

 

Lake Castaic overlook heading westward:

 
 

The Ventura hotel parking lot was a car show representing a great feature of CRR: diversity. So many cool cars from all era’s and marques! This was a fun time chatting with fellow rally’ers followed by a DWA hosted dinner:

 

Day 2: Ventura to Paso Robles

The second day (3/16) was my favorite stage of the rally. Our destination was Paso Robles, with a stop in Taft. I had no idea how breathtaking the scenery would be on this stage as it was filled with Alpine scents, pastures, desolation, oil fields and small sleepy towns. Truly a feast for the senses, and EPIC driving. The kind of driving that makes your arms fatigued!

Through Ojai via HWY 33, in the sky through Frazier Mtn. Park:

 
 

Lockwood Rd. had several streams we had to drive through. Ali Javidan took some really cool shots of cars fording through!

 

After lunch in Taft, Naveed spotted an oil field. Carb’d inline 6, EFI flat 6, and a 2.5L 4-cylinder:

 

Our next stage was HWY 58 heading to Soda Lake. This stretch of freshly paved road was so much fun that many of us turned around to do it over again! My absolute favorite part of CRR. The Z was such a joy to drive through here:

 

At the junction of 58/7-mile Rd. was a super bloom. We definitely stopped to take it all in after the brisk drive. Erich in his modified EVO:

 
 

Glenn let me drive his R32 to Soda Lake and he took the Z, thanks for the picture Matt!

 

View from the overlook revealing Soda Lake. It was also reached via an optional dirt Road if you dared!

 

Don’t let the perspective fool you 🙂

 
 

A breather just before reaching our hotel in Paso Robles

 
 

It is difficult to describe the driving experience through photos, so please enjoy this video I made of Day 1 and 2 of CRR!

 

Day 3: Paso Robles to Laguna Seca

I decided to join Glenn and conclude our CRR with a visit to Laguna Seca to see our friends vintage racing. Dave Stone was in his B-Sedan 510 and the entire Racecraft crew was also participating:

 
 
 

It was a beautiful day check out the gallery below for more pictures! Here is a video from ‘Seca:

 

Thank you DWA!

The Coastal Range Rally was a surreal experience. I am still day dreaming about those incredible roads that we travelled all in one weekend. I’m not alone, as many participants are also suffering through “CRR withdrawals”.  See what I mean by all of the #CRRRewind posts on Instagram. The event was that good. Big thanks to the crew at Driving While Awesome and old/new friends met during the rally. We are definitely signing up for the next CRR! Enjoy the picture gallery below and LONG LIVE THE Z!

 

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Monterey Festival of Speed with Z.O.N.C. VIP Corral

Filed under: Events
by Forbes @ 10:42 am on March 17, 2009

Do you own a Z?  Good.  Do you want to drive a Parade Lap around Laguna Seca?  Of course you do!  Well here is your chance.  ZONC (Z Owners of Northern California)  are hosting a VIP Z Car corral along with NSXCA-Bay Area Chapter at Laguna Seca on May 17, 2009.

The $65 ticket price includes the following:

ON TRACK PARADE LAP
WEEKEND Race Ticket
Hospitality Area
VIP Parking – Car Corral
Grand-AM Team Tours

Please click on the event poster above to see all the fine details or head over to the ZONC website and tell them your friends at ZCarBlog.com sent you.  We will try to bring as many cars from the shop as possible to suport ZONC and we hope to see you there!!




ZONC Interclub Gathering and Drive to Hearst Castle

Filed under: Events
by Forbes @ 12:15 pm on January 27, 2009

It’s only of January yet and the car clubs are already going full force to set up meets and drives, not that I’m complaining!  This one comes to us through our friends at the Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC.)  For this event they have teamed up with the Bay Area and Sacramento NSXCA chapters which will make for an awesome car gathering headed to one of the most beautiful parts of California.

All of the information is available on the ZONC website but I’ll lay out the main points here:

Dates:  Februray 14th – 16th (Sat, Sun, Mon)

Package for 2 includes:

Hotel occupancy of 2 per room
2 tickets for Hearst Castle (Tour 1, 2, or 3)
2 dinner coupons ($20ea) at one of two choice restaurants

Price for package:  $284.50 (includes tax)

THE HOTEL MUST BE CONTACTED DIRECTLY AND YOU MUST MENTION THAT YOU WANT TO RESERVE A ROOM HELD BY ZONC/ATKINSON FOR THIS PACKAGE.  Call (805) 927-3998.

We will be meeting at Z Car Garage and be leaving at 10:30AM sharp.

The full event information can be found at the top of the ZONC website.  Check it out and I hope to see you there.

Link: ZONC website