Everyone had a great time Saturday evening helping raise funds to support the Datsun Heritage Museum(DHM). The event was held at the penthouse atop the Petersen Automotive museum in Los Angeles, CA.  The night was filled with food, friends, celebrities, and some cool Datsun memorabilia. When we arrived at the museum Mr. K’s 240z was on display and we took a brief tour inside. Check out the movie cars including the Batmobile, General Lee, and Green Hornet:

Then we headed up to the Penthouse for the party!  I was very impressed with the venue. Everything from the table decorations, dinner, lighting and sound was fantastic. Weather was perfect too. And who doesn’t love an open bar?  Check out the Datsun cupcakes 🙂

Just before dinner a silent auction was held with plenty of Datsun(and sports) memorabilia. I bid on a some very cool Datsun Roadster and R35 GTR models. I was outbid on both 🙁 It’s okay though as the winner(also at our table) helped the DHM! It was great to see familiar faces too. Here is Datsun racer Ron Carter showing us a race helmet signed by all of the BRE team members and guest drivers, up for auction!

The evening peaked with some celebrity entertainment. Adam Carolla could not be there in person but he did say a few recorded words.  His buddy comedian Rob Schneider made us laugh and also helped auction off a few impressive items including a 1 year lease on the USA’s first Nissan Leaf.

Some of the biggest names in Datsun racing were present including Tony Adamowicz, John Knepp, Don Devendorf, Frank Honsoweitz, Kirk Allegro, and our hero John Morton! I think the highlight of the night was seeing and listening to Mr. K live via Skype. 101 years old he is still articulate and passionate about Datsuns and preserving the history of the marque. It was absolutely amazing to witness it in person.  Racer Tommy Kendall presented John Morton with the Datsun Legend award.

To top it all off I got to speak to John Knepp in person since we exchanged e-mails from this year’s Road Atlanta event in July. He remembered my name!

This was a fantastic effort to raise funds and keep the Datsun spirit alive. We want to thank everyone at our table for helping support the Datsun Heritage Museum: Rod of Rod’s Datsun Parts, Matt and Maryann, Tom and Matt, and of course Rob and Meghan. It was a memorable night and weekend all for a good cause.

Enjoy the Ride!

Here is another amazing example of Motorsports bringing a family together. Rob’s wife Astrid had a birthday coming up so it was time for their Daytona Blue ’07 350z ‘vert to get some B-day love. Living off a mountain road Rob and Astrid needed a car that could be both comfortable and sporty. The couple have had their fair share of track days and Astrid has driven in the 24hrs of Lemons race while Rob has a G37 Sport coupe has his daily driver.

The Z came to ZCG for a 30k service with some upgrades to add some excitement to Astrid’s commute. Like most upgrade sessions at ZCG we started with a baseline dyno to see what we were working with:

Once the services and baseline was complete we installed a set of the Injen intakes and a Bassani exhaust system. These 2 bolt-ons gained 20hp/13tq!

Rob and Astrid wanted this Z to be able to handle any curvy road and  the occasional Track Day. A combination of braking and suspension upgrades were installed, starting with TEIN Flex coilovers with EDFC control unit. This allows the driver to pick from 16 levels of dampening force:

A nice compliment to the coilovers is the adjustable sway bar set from Hotchkis:

We installed our favorite brake pads for any sport driving, the STOPTECH 309 in addition to a full brake and clutch bleed with Motul 600.
With the power mods, brakes, and suspension Rob and Astrid should be able to enjoy a track day or drive on any curvy road with a smile on their faces:)

You know its true love when your wife drives a Z . Ashley took a trip out of town and while she was gone her sneaky Z-obsessed husband dropped her ’07 350z off for some ZCG love. A family that Zs together stays together.  First item on the list for this visit was a baseline dyno to see what we were working with, then a quick install of dual JWT Pop Charger air intakes:

The VQ35HR engine responds well to minor bolt-ons and the addition of JWT intakes resulted in an impressive gain of 17hp/13tq! Plus they look great and sound heavenly when Ashley leans on the loud pedal.

Ashley’s Z sports a set of SSR GT3 wheels with stock ride height. Every Z can benefit from a little lowering, especially with aftermarket wheels/tires.  TEIN S-tech springs were called upon to give the Z a mild drop. Pics coming soon!

The last detail was a set of LED side markers that are both stylish and functional for when Ashley needs to switch lanes and pass the slower traffic 🙂

Stay tuned for Part 2 of “Z Are Family”

The 1st Annual Datsun Heritage Museum Gala event will be held on November 20, 2010 in Los Angeles. The event will be hosted by comedian Rob Schneider atop the Petersen Automotive Museum. More details and registration information HERE

Here are some killer shots of Matt’s 510 at Laguna Seca from our track day with NCRC 11/1/10. I love this little dime!