We had a fabulous week racing at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 14-16. More commonly known as the “historics” at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, this epic vintage race is part of several events occupying the week-long Monterey car festival leading up to the Pebble Beach Concours. Every year the RMMR highlights a featured marque but for 2024, the 50th anniversary of historic racing was celebrated. Enjoy our race report with photos and video!

Serious recognition for Japanese Classics

 

The Reunion is a highlight for race fans, but it is also part of Monterey Car Week which is filled with classy events like auctions and the famous Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. The Japanese Automotive Invitational hosted by Infiniti returned for its fifth year showcasing JDM icons. We are proud of several Datsuns displayed including John Baker’s 1969 Datsun 2000 and Allen Horwitz’s 1967 Datsun 2000. See more in MotorTrend’s JAI coverage.

  

Epic racing

Z Car Garage supported 5 race cars starting with the Pre-Reunion. It was surprising to see very few Datsuns entered at the Rolex: there was not a single Datsun 510, even in the Group 3: John Morton Trophy! Despite the lack of Japanese cars we were happy to see a few Z cars and Roadsters driven in anger. Below you will find each car supported by Z Car Garage followed by in-car video. Enjoy!

 

Take a lap in the #49 Joel Datsun Anderson IMSA GTU 240Z

 

Rob Fuller piloted the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z in Group 8 IMSA.You might recall the story behind this special, 1972 IMSA GTU 240z as it was owned, built and raced in the 70’s by none other than Joel Anderson.  ZCG restored #49 back to its former glory and it debuted at RMMR 2014. John Morton would drive #49 at RMMR 2015. Enjoy this extended video with in-car footage of Rob dicing it up with big power Porsche RSRs… Volume UP and Long Live The Z!

Rob drove #49 Z hard and finished the race 6th place overall out of 23 cars, posting a best lap time of 1:36.38. Rob recaps the Rolex event:

“The ZCG crew with Joshua and Cooper kept all our clients on the track and safe. Kenny Tse was in his 997 cup car, it was the return of Alex in his Skyline and the #49 Z in the IMSA group, Adam Carolla in the first BRE car, and Greg Hoff and myself in the ’67 Mini Cooper S. The Pre-Reunion was a success…the Mini was really competitive and the IMSA Z car did well placing in the top 10…Kenny and I both got our personal best times at Laguna. What makes this special and fun is getting to share the stories of these epic sports cars, and also doing with friends. So many people came by the ZCG paddock excited to see the Datsuns, the underdogs. Really great racing.”  

 

See the entire Session 2 in-car video from Rob on his YouTube Channel and give the man a subscribe! View the livesstream from Group 8

 

BRE Datsun 2000 Roadster (Group 3)

 

We were stoked to prepare and provide trackside support for the #44 BRE Datsun 2000 Roadster, owned by Adam Carolla. This 1968 SRL has a rich history, highlighted by the 1969 SCCA racing season with drivers Frank Monise and John Morton battling with privateer Jack Scoville. This roadster joined 3 others in the highly-competitive John Morton Trophy, Group 3.

 

Adam drove #44 hard and finished the race 28th overall out of 40 cars, posting a best lap time of 1:55.44. Enjoy this video with in-car action and Turn 6 footage with fellow Datsun Roadsters:

View the livesstream from Group 3

Rob recaps working with Adam and the BRE 2000:

“We got Adam got there but the car fought us a bit with charging issues/wiring. He had a great Friday morning session moving up in the field. Really proud of him and the car. If there was a MVP of the Rolex weekend it was Joshua Corwin who stayed overnight and re-wired parts of the BRE car. We had to source parts so shoutout to shoutouts to Mike Young and Rod’s Discount Datsun as we went back and forth between Laguna and San Jose to make sure Adam was going to stay out on the track. Unfortunately on Saturday am on last race of the weekend we started the car and it had a compromised head gasket. Really enjoyed working for Adam and it was great to see his son Sonny, Matt d’Andria and Charles. Good times”

   

Alex’s Skyline

 

Alex McDowell returned to Laguna Seca 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 Josh Nelson

Alex raced the Hako successfully at the Pre-Reunion and race week, winning the Award of Excellence for Group 8!

   

Alex drove #9 hard and finished the race 15th overall out of 23 cars, posting a best lap time of 1:41.11. Enjoy this video of the Skyline below, speakers up!!!

 

Porsche 997 GT3 Cup (Group 7)

 

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.

 

Kenny’s brother Kelvin was there to root him on as was Kenny’s wife Marsha. We love learning and it’s always fun to do something new…helping Kenny with his 911 also allows Rob to say “if it’s not the Z-car, let it be the P-car!” Kenny drove #9 hard and finished the race 14th overall out of 27 cars, posting a best lap time of 1:32.33. Enjoy this video below with Kenny’s group, paddock action and more:

View the livesstream from Group 7

Mini Cooper (Greg/Rob)

 

Rob and Greg drove #44 hard and finished the Group 13 race 2nd overall out of 35 cars, posting a best lap time of 1:47.84. View the livesstream from Group 13

Paddock Highlights

The best part of the RMMR has to be the paddock. Home to all the race cars and their teams, massive car transporters and an all-around pure sensory overload. At every corner there is wicked metal with history begging to be told.

 

Datsun Roadsters at RMMR

Three other Datsun Roadsters were racing with Adam in the John Morton Trophy (Group 3):

 

Please visit the gallery for more roadster pictures, and see in-car video from Steve Walker’s Datsun Roadster HERE

Z Car Garage in the MEDIA

 

The 1988 Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo at Z Car Garage was displayed at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion during Monterey Car Week. It was great to see this legend with fellow IMSA race cars at Laguna Seca. The media also took notice, with Hagerty writing an article about the ZX-T’s development, recognition and restoration at ZCG. View the article HERE

 

Bonus media exposure: Motor Trend’s top classic car picks from Car Week included the GTP ZX-Turbo and the Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z!

Required Reading: The Nissan GTP Story

 

One of the highlights of the Rolex event was meeting Electramotive engineer Chris Willes! He wrote an incredible book chronicling the design and development of the Nissan GTP car that dominated the IMSA GT series during the late 1980’s. It’s a must-read for all Nissan/Datsun fans, and you can purchase the book HERE. Rob invited Chris to the Rolex event to be reunited with his beloved ZX-T. (Below) Here I am with Chris and we look forward to working with him!

People

Contributing to the fun were family and friends.

 

We were humbled by the number of people that stopped by including fellow Datsun owners Anthony Schwisow and Jan Trondsen. We will have an updated feature on Anthony’s 2JZ-powered Datsun 510 Wagon soon!

Paddock finds

Super cool to see our client Linda Williams’ 1972 Datsun 240Z OMS Pace Car Duplicate at Laguna Seca and in Carmel during Car Week. Way to drive it Linda!

 

From massive transporters, to exotics and downright crazy vehicles the paddock never disappoints. Here’s a few of my favorites, more in the gallery!

Thank you!

We hope you have enjoyed our recap of the 2024 Monterey Historics! Please browse our mega-gallery of pictures from race weekend below. Big thanks to our friends and family members that helped us make this possible including ZCG Crew: Josh, Cooper, Keith and Meghan Fuller. We certainly enjoyed the company of friends and visitors in our paddock, here’s to another year of vintage racing in Monterey, California.

 

Join us for the 2024 Vintage Racing Season!

 

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.

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On Saturday, August 24 we attended the Tokyo Calling 4 event hosted by Breakfast Club Rally. Z Car Garage participated with a group of client cars and enjoyed a wonderful day of driving through the foothills of Northern California. The event also featured 200+ Japanese classics and 90’s-era wonders to appreciate during the morning social gathering and rest stops. Enjoy our report with mega-photo gallery and video!

 

Breakfast Club Rally

 

The Breakfast Club Rally (BCR) started 4 years ago as a small group enjoying weekend drives. It blossomed into a monthly event with one hour of hanging out drinking coffee, followed by two hours of driving on the second Saturday of the month. Registration is free and always open to all makes. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to enjoy the beautiful Northern California roads and scenery. You can see our previous BCR reports HERE!

 

The initial BCR Tokyo Calling event, Tokyo Calling 2 and Tokyo Calling 3 were all a blast. We did not want to miss their fourth all-Japanese, mostly-vintage rally so I assembled a group of Z Car Garage clients and friends to participate in TC4. We left the shop at 6:15am heading to Vallejo, here is a preview of our cars:

Beau’s 1976 Datsun 280Z

 

Beau’s Datsun 280Z is fresh from  Z Car Garage full cosmetic and mechanical restoration featuring Recaro Specialist seats, our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles!

  

Vince’s 1973 Datsun 240Z

 

Vince’s 1973 Datsun 240z is Enjoying The Ride with our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles.  He scored this Z from our friends at Bring a Trailer and regularly drives it on rally events.

Mrs. Butters

 

Our client Jim H was in Mrs. Butters, our Series 1 shop 240z. This Series 1 S30 features a 3.2L with triple-Mikuni induction, Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, ZCG Heat Shield, 6-speed transmission and full KW suspension.

Yoni’s 1972 Datsun 240Z

  

It was great to see our client Yoni Enjoying the Ride in his 1972 Datsun 240Z. This Z recently got our Z Car Garage KW coil-overs in addition to the Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles.

 

Linda’s 2023 Nissan Z

 

Linda Williams drove her 2023 Nissan Z. This is the special,”Proto Spec” edition limited to just 240 units. We love her “1OF240Z” tribute license plate. Linda joined us on the last two Tokyo Calling events in her 1972 Datsun 240Z OMS Pace Car Duplicate. She loves driving it everywhere.

Kurt’s R32 Skyline GT-R

 

Our client Kurt drove his  R32 Skyline GT-R. Full report coming to zcarblog.com on this beautiful example with Stoptech Big-Brakes, FHM wheels, a host of engine upgrades and sweet interior touches from Kurt himself.

The Z Car Garage Nissan Z

 

I drove our shop 2023 Nissan Z with Fast Intentions TDX cat-back exhaust system. Our morning caravan of 5 cars enjoyed cruising up I-680 through Benicia. Nothing beats driving with fellow Z car owners!

 

Tokyo is Calling before the Rally!

 

Our crew arrived at the rally start in Vallejo and it was already filled with fabulous J-Tin parked at Kindred Motorworks. BCR hosted a “social gathering” from 7:30-9am so we could take in all the glorious cars. The vibe was tremendous, and as usual it went by too quickly. Let’s go through some of the highlights, with more photos in the gallery below!

 

Over 20 S30 Z cars were present!

   

I am always on the lookout for Nissans and Datsuns, and roadsters get my attention. There were at least 10 in attendance including a genuine 1967 2000. One of the most sought after Datsuns, these “half-year” models were introduced mid-1967 offering a 5-speed transmission and 150hp twin-Mikuni carb’d 2L engine…hot stuff for the era.

 

Ian’s SRL is #601 (out of ~1000 cars) and it was fully restored years ago by Les Cannaday in San Diego. Ian is meticulous about maintaining this car, but it is no garage queen, attending monthly rally events. The (655) Off-white paint with red interior is one of my favorites. Yes, it even sports a factory Nissan hardtop with all the stainless trim!

 

John Baker’s immaculate 1969 Datsun 2000:

 

Mark’s right-hand drive ’69 2000:

 

High and low-windshield roadsters models were present:

  

We got all of the roadsters for a group shot before starting the rally:

 

There were eight Datsun 510s in wagon and sedan form. Our client Jay installed a set of our Z Car Garage CV Axles on his Green 510. Jay is a hardcore rally driver  and also brought his mint wagon with family!

   

Back to Z cars, Pratibha and Andre recently finished preparing their ’73 240Z:

 

Our client Cameron’s Z32 Twin Turbo visited Z Car Garage for maintenance work, downpipes, inlet piping, larger intercoolers all from Specialty Z. Cameron has been bringing his 300 to us for many years and we we are really glad to see him driving again. More Z32s were on the rally!

 

There were a handful of S14 and S13 240SX:

  

Nissan Skyline

 
Our client Lehan in his R32 with Stopech Big-Brakes and an R33! (below)The lone S130, looking good in Black/Gold!!

 

Enjoy this walk-around and driving video from Tokyo Calling 4:

 

So many cool cars please check the gallery for more photos! Next, let’s check out some non-Nissan/Datsun action…

Kei Classics

  

TWO (!) Honda Beat sports cars, one owned by our R32 GT-R client Miles.

Honda

 
There were no less than 20 Honda S2000 sports cars on the rally!

 
Honda was well-represented including late model DC2 Integras, a few NSXs, CRXs and EF/EG hatches rounded out the display:

 

Mazda

  

Toyota

 

Some of our favorite Toyota’s including Supra (A60, A70, A80), first gen MR2s, and AE86s! The Lexus IS300 SportCross with A80 Supra wheels was sweet!

    

Trucks and Vans

Let’s not forget the Japanese classic trucks and vans! Hilux, Nissan and Land Cruiser:

   

The impossibly cool award goes to Todd Lapin’s Toyota Cera:

Rally On!

The rally started at 9am and I was tasked with leading our group. There was no cell phone reception but I was armed with a turn-by-turn rally printout. I enjoyed hustling the ZCG Nissan Z through the backroads:

 

One of the perks of BCR events is their team of professional photographers at various stages capturing epic rolling and detail shots so people can focus on enjoying the drive. I encourage you to visit each of these SIX photographer’s photo albums to see shots of your rides:Sophia Thompson, Ben Kim, Alex Nibyt, Everett Lederer, Emma Lai and Chris Friske.

 

The rally concluded back at Barn 5400, where BCR arranged for lunch from Kinoko Japanese Home Cooking. Folks enjoyed Donburi surrounded by J-Tin everywhere. It was a superb venue to enjoy cool cars and great company.

  

Thanks BCR!

 

Many thanks to the Breakfast Club Rally organizers, we had a blast and I urge you to register for their next event, especially if you are in the South Bay area like me and want to see what driving bliss lies North.

 

Thank you to all of the Z Car Garage clients that made the journey with us. Huge thanks to BCR for extending their hospitality to our crew, everyone was thrilled. Here’s to the next rally and always, always #DoitInADatsun! More photos in the gallery below…

 

 

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The ZONC Annual Car Show will be held Sunday September 8 in Brisbane, CA. This a fun event in a great location so bring out your Z, G, Datsun or GT-R! Pictures from previous shows can be seen HERE with more details below. Z you at the show!

 

Enjoy these photos from previous ZONC annual Car Shows:

  

 

Our client Greg’s 1977 Datsun 280Z is now on display at the LeMay-America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington. This Z was treated to a ZCG-style mechanical restoration including a new drivetrain, engine bay restoration, total suspension rebuild, Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and our Z Car Garage CV Axles.

 

The exhibit, called “Shinka”, is an immersive Japanese Automobile Exhibit featuring everything from classic models that laid the foundation to legends of the ’90s and their modern-day successors. The year-long display will showcase both JDM and US market vehicles from a variety of manufacturers, with new cars rotated into the exhibit, so plan to visit frequently!

 

Thanks for the heads up Greg, we are stoked that you are still Enjoying The Ride! See more of Greg’s Z HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

At Z Car Garage we love keeping Z’s on the road. From concours-level restorations to light refurbishments, making a client’s goal a reality is our passion. Beau brought his 1976 Datsun 280Z from Castro Valley, Ca for a full cosmetic and mechanical restoration, ZCG-style.

 

Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles along with a new drivetrain, full suspension and body restoration transformed this S30. Before we explore the work performed, let’s take a look at how Beau found the Z car of his dreams…

Z Beginnings

 

BEAU: I am the second owner of the car – the original owner passed away and the children decided to sell the car. I saw it posted on Craigslist and knew immediately that this was the car for me. My brother-in-law took it on a test drive and it performed great, appeared to be in good condition – no rust, dings or signs of being mistreated. The owners told us that there were several interested buyers but the first person to show up with cash would get the car. We scrambled to quickly find cash at 6 PM in the evening and headed back to purchase. 

 

The Z Car Garage Touch

 

Shortly after acquiring the car in 2018, Beau joined the Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) and asked for recommendations on a mechanic.

BEAU: Everyone that I spoke with recommended that I connect with Rob. He is an artist – not just a mechanic. As such, the process takes time and involves patience. That patience is rewarded with a car where all of the details are considered and thought through. Rob listened to all of my requests – a car that looks like it came off the factory floor in 70’s but with performance, handling and upgrades that reflect what is possible today. 

    

 

BEAU: I wanted to note that we’ve named the car, “Orange Julius”  – somewhat inspired by Larry Chen’s Ole Orange Bang and Randy Jaffe’s Rocketbunny Z  which I saw at Z Car Garage and was floored by the color. The process took nearly 3 years and I endured a lot of questions from friends and family about when the car would be done – my patience was rewarded! Thank you Rob!

 

Drivetrain

 

Beau acquired his 280Z from the original owner with 50k miles. We started a mechanical overhaul so he could enjoy driving it. A 4-core radiator upgrade is something we do anytime a car has an automatic transmission along with cooling line replacement. Beau wanted more power so the stock L28 was bored and stroked to 3.0L by Rebello with forged pistons and light port work:

 

With the engine/transmission removed we focused our efforts on restoring the engine bay. Everything was zinc plated and powdercoated. New parts included brand new injectors, all new fuel system, hoses, fuel filter and all the drive belts. The 3.0L still utilizes the factory EFI and intake manifold that was cleaned up and powdercoated:

 

MAF/hose/hardware detail:

 

Engine bay restoration, before/after:

 

We installed our full ZCG Exhaust system with slash-cut tip:

 

Dyno Tuning

Rob dyno tuned the Rebello 3L/Automatic transmission making 161hp/175tq at the wheels, a significant gain over the stock L28:

  Enjoy this video of Beau’s 280Z in action including the dyno run, test drive and drive-by:

Z Car Garage CV Axles

  

Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 200 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback. Stock half shafts and Beau’s ZCG units shown below:

   

Suspension

 

A full suspension refresh was performed, including coil-overs (Koni), T/C rods and control arms from Techno Toy Tuning. T3 finishes the suspension in our signature color and we really appreciate Gabriel and his staff. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.

 

All front and rear suspension parts were powdercoated:

 

We bagged/tagged every nut and bolt for plating along with fresh hydraulic lines for the chassis:

   

Z Car Garage Big-Brakes

We are proud to have several of our ZCG products on Beau’s 280z. We installed our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) which have the been standard on numerous ZCG builds.

     

Stock disc/drum brakes  were removed and we installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit.

   At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. New OEM Nissan master cylinder and Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!

    

Panasport Wheels

Complementing the new coilover suspension on Beau’s Z are 16×7 Panasports with Bridgestone S-007a tires in 225/50/16. Our ZCG BIg-Brakes also look great behind the wheels!

 

Interior

 

With the Z back from paint/bodywork we installed the interior, door panels, windows and all new weatherstripping. A complete dash restoration was performed with full HVAC/ducting using a reproduction piece from Vintage Dashes. ZCG has done several Vintage Dashes installations and we thank Ivan Jaramillo for making a cost-effective product for Z cars.

 

Recaro Specialist seats in leather are our favorite upgrade to the S30 interior. Beau enjoys modern creature comforts like Bluetooth, back-up camera, power steering and full sound system:

   

Another upgrade to the interior of an S30 is our ZCG sound deadening package. The result is a less tinny sound and almost Germanic-like “clunk” when you shut the doors. All weatherstripping was replaced:

 

Details

The little things are what we excel at. Below, fuel cap plating with drip gasket, 240Z OEM mirrors and stainless window trim, microphone for hands-free Bluetooth mounted near steering column. Please check the gallery below for more detail shots, there are too many to list in this blog post!

The Transformation

Beau’s 1976 Datsun 280Z before and after:

 

Driving is Believing

ROB: This is a full ZCG-style restoration top to bottom and the best part is that Beau has been Enjoying The Ride. The Z has so many details/features in it and we are just happy to make his dreams come true. He comes back for a 1,000 mile checkup soon… and it’s back on the road again.

 

BEAU: From the exterior, I wanted the car to look as original as possible but I wanted better handling, more power, modern braking and some nice amenities like the back-up camera and power assisted steering. I wanted the car to be as original as possible – so, the engine was restored/upgraded by Rebello, many of the original parts were cleaned and re-plated and I stayed away exterior modifications like fender flares.

 

BEAU: Right now, I’m just enjoying the car. Nearly every weekend I go on rides with my 10 year old daughter and my son and I just attended the Tokyo Calling 3 and had a fantastic time taking turns driving the car and seeing what others have done to their Zs. At some point in the future, I’d like to replace the 3 speed automatic transmission with a more modern transmission.

We loved seeing Beau driving his Z on the Tokyo Calling 3 event hosted by Breakfast Club Rally. He’s attended a few more of their drives as well:

 

BEAU: After the restoration was completed, I met up with the children of the original owner to have them see the car and they were floored by the work. It was great to drive in the car with them and hear their memories of growing up with the car. They were delighted to see the car have a new life with me and my family.

  
More good news…Beau purchased a 2023 Nissan Z to complement his 280Z!

 

Thank you for entrusting us with your S30 Beau it was a pleasure working with you. LONG LIVE THE Z!

 

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