We had a magnificent track day experience at Laguna Seca on Sunday with City Tech. Big thanks to Patrick Chio for hosting a top-notch event. If you are looking for a safe, affordable trackday with maximum track time then check out their event schedule for 2013.
Datsun Roadsters Rule!

 

Rob and I were completely stoked at the idea of driving our roadsters together through the world famous corkscrew at ‘Seca…this track is incredible and Doing It In A Datsun makes it even better!  We gathered several ZCG cars and friends to come out and enjoy the opportunity. The group was quite diverse: Josh-’72 VW, Walt-GTR, Jeff V-Mustang GT, Wade-Lemons 240z, Glynn-Porsche 993, Scott B-G35 sedan, Allen B-Vortech Z33, and Ken in his newly Stoptech bbk’d WRX:

 

When we arrived early Sunday am the track was wet from fog and drizzle.  Despite the conditions we removed our tops and drove to our heart’s content. Eventually the grey sky turned blue around noon and the track dried out for plenty of grip.

 

Words can’t describe how much fun driving Laguna Seca is. I could wax poetic for days.  First timers Jeff (Mustang) and Ken (WRX) are hooked:

 

You just need to come out with us next time and see for yourself!

 

Josh, Rob and I wanted to capture our vintage cars running the track so we all mounted GoPro cameras from different vantage points. You can see how we had a blast staying together and mixing it up(there might be an impromptu drag race in there). The trunk mounted/rear facing camera on Sora Blue really gives you a perspective of the elevation drop through the corkscrew…make sure you select the “1080p HD” option, crank up the volume and enjoy!

 

 

Another fun part of track days are ride-alongs. Walt geve me a ride in his GT-R and I was blown away by it’s acceleration and grip coming out of turns. Look for in-car video soon! As with all track days cruising the paddock reveals some high dollar and very cool machinery. It is always neat to see driver’s clever attempts of evading the sound station 🙂 Here are some highlights, including several Z’s, a F20C-powered AE86, and lots of S2ks, more pictures in the gallery of course:

So thus ends the epic track day at Laguna Seca. Thank you to everyone that joined us and caravanned down from the shop. Another thank you to Patrick at City Tech. We look forward to more track days!

Check the gallery for more great pictures!

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From heavily modified builds to simple bolt-ons ZCarGarage can improve your Nissan/Infiniti to best suit your goals! Tetsuya M visited ZCG to find out about the UPREV tuning software and exhaust options for his yellow, 2005 350z. After discussing the merits of UPREV tuning Rob suggested the Bassani cat-back exhaust system.
Below you can see the Bassani true-dual exhaust system with their trademark “x-pipe” crossover just before the mid-pipes. Once installed one can really appreciate how straight the piping is compared to the OEM setup…and let’s not forget that incredible new sound which lets the VQ35 sing!

With UPREV tuning and the exhaust the yellow Z gained 9rwhp/18tq with more power throughout the entire rev range!

So stop by the shop or give us a call to see what ZCG can do to improve your Z’s performance…and enjoy the ride 🙂

 

 

Last Sunday we checked out the Canby Datsun Driving Show on our way back from a camping trip. This event is organized by the Northwest Datsuns group and is held at the Clackamas Fairgrounds in Canby, Oregon. Before I share with you how cool this event was here’s a couple gratuitous shots of our Z33 camping near the Columbia River Falls area 🙂

On to show!

                          
The Canby show is actually a 3 day affair with an Auto-x event on Friday, Swap Meet, and Car show on Sunday. It’s reminiscent of the All-Datsun Meet at Mt. Shasta but with plenty of shade, grass, kid-friendly activities, and gorgeous 70 degree weather. Upon entering the parking area I noticed that there were just as many show-entered cars as non-registered, both groups had some pretty incredible and rare rides, like this Datsun 200sx:
                                
It was engine-swaps ‘o plenty and (dare I say) almost seemed predictable to see 510s, roadsters, and Z’s with SR20DE(T) and KA24-series drivetrains. Most were exceptionally clean with attention to detail like this beautiful ’69 Roadster with a full S13 SR20DET drivetrain, Lotus Elise seats, Z32 Calipers, and a spotless engine bay:

     
The “Rat Rod” or “Ratsun” theme was in effect with several Datsuns, like this pickup. Dogs love trucks!
                          

It was quite refreshing to see these 2 super-clean L-series powered 510s, both boosted in different ways. The green car has EFI, while the red had a 32/26 under the box! Both cars had immaculate, semi-race-prepped interiors. Keepin’ it real with L-series power, gotta love it.

Speaking of “keeping it real”, as this pretty first-gen RX-7 rolled into the show I exclaimed “It takes some guts to bring a MAZDA to a DATSUN show!”, to which the owner replied, “Hey it’s not all Mazda!” And the crowd walked over to see under the hood of this Zoom-Zoom to find…NISSAN power! In the form of a KA24DE, factory clean looking install too.

Lots of pretty, restored 240Z cars, even a few 2+2s!

                    

Late-model rides to drool over too like this R34 GTS-T with a massive turbo:

Uber-clean S13 with an RB26-single turbo:

Nismo 370Z!

                    

Check the pictures below for everything from mild to wild. Canby had it all, plus a good vibe with great folks running the show.  Oregon is a long haul for us Bay Area folks, but if you happen to be near Portland or feel like a road trip, it’s worth visiting. So mark your calendars for next year’s event!

For a list of car show winners in each class click here:
Canby 2010 Winners
Click on the “continue reading” link below for the full picture album (107 pics)
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I have quite a few posts in the works that should be done in the next day or two. Coming up will be a full track report from last Monday’s sessions at Laguna Seca, a nice write up on a G35 build and lots more.

Thanks to those of you who are patiently waiting.

Long live the Z

Rawb