Z Car Garage wishes you a Happy 5/10 Day! We love driving Datsun 510s on the street and at the race track. Here are a few 510s at the shop, with more photos in the gallery below. Hope you get to Enjoy the Ride in your Dime today too!
We have several Datsun 510s in the shop today, here’s a short preview with full features coming to zcarblog.com.
SR20DET-powered Bluebird Coupe:
Sean’s SR20-powered (Mikuni induction) 510:
We always have many racing 510s in for tuning/sorting:
5/10 Days of the Past
We have plenty of 510 content for you to enjoy, starting with the most famous Dime of all time…when the Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) Datsun 510 #46 race car arrived at Z Car Garage.
Despite being against all odds, our hero John Morton drove this 510 to SCCA Trans-Am series championship victories in 1971 and 1972, putting Nissan on the map and fueling every Datsun enthusiast’s passion. In preparation for the Velocity Invitational at Laguna Seca we dyno tested this legendary race car. Turn those speakers up and enjoy the video!
John Morton was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame on March 9-10, 2026 in Daytona Beach. The official induction ceremony was held during the 38th Annual Induction Celebration Presented by Toyota Gazoo Racing. Z Car Garage was honored to attend this milestone for our hero and inspiration to motorsport enthusiasts worldwide.
From the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America:
“The ageless Morton first made headlines in the early 1970s as lead driver for 2022 MSHFA [Motorsports Hall of Fame of America] inductee Peter Brock and his BRE Datsuns, winning consecutive SCCA C Production national championships (1970, 1971) in the outfit’s 240Zs and consecutive Trans-Am Under 2.5 titles (1971, 1972) in BRE 510s, winning 12 of 19 starts. Nevertheless, Morton didn’t attract many top professional rides until the late ’80s. He won twice in 11 starts in 1987 in underpowered Group 44, Inc. Jaguar XJR-7 GTPs owned by 2018 MSHFA inductee Bob Tullius and four times in eight starts in the top-rated Electramotive Nissan GTP cars in 1988. Other noteworthy results include a stunning second overall and first in IMSA GTO at the 1979 Rolex 24 at Daytona in a Ferrari 365 GTB/4, first in Group C2 at the 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans and first overall in the 1985 L.A. Times GP in a Porsche 962. He continued winning into the 2000s. At the 50th annual SCCA Runoffs in 2013, Morton, age 71, started 13th and finished 10th despite having only a few practice sessions in the car.”
Highlights from the event included the unveiling of the John Morton display case, which will be showed for one year and the John Morton bronze portrait which will be permanently displayed in the MSHF.
Video
It was great to see John (currently 84 years of age) up on the stage giving his speech. Watch the induction ceremony with words from John and his peers in this video:
Reception Highlights
ROB: It was announced last year that John Morton would be joining the class of 2026 Motorsports Hall of Fame, alongside luminaries including Peter Brock (2022). Our client and friend Randy Jaffe also attended the event, bringing both the BRE Datsun 510 and 240Z race cars to the track and museum for display:
Highlights for me: Rusty Wallace was a one of the key speakers and I also recognized ESPN/NASCAR commentator Marty Smith. Lots of famous people were there like Nissan driver Elliot Forbes-Robinson, Kenny Roberts Sr. and Jr. both MotoJP champs when 2-strokes kind of ruled that series. It was really cool.
Mike Debbie Rogers brought their narrow-bodied Cobra which is 1 of 32 ever made and it was a real spectacle. People were freaking out, taking photos with John since considering his connection to Shelby American.
We also spotted a few Z cars at the event!
It was a blast to have drinks with Randy, Joe Cavaglieri, Steve Johnson, Charlie from Honda R&D and a bunch of awesome people. We heard amazing stories of other inductees as the MSHF not only recognizes automotive motorsports: winningest driver in Unlimited Hydroplane history Dave Villwock (Powerboats) and NHRA competition director Steve Gibbs (Drag Racing). Incredible time and we loved seeing John Morton recognized for such an amazing career.
Please join us in congratulating John for this achievement!
Happy 3/11 day to all Datsun Roadster owners across the globe! Give your Fairlady a hug and get out and drive! Here are a few memorable roadsters that have been at Z Car Garage over the years. Of course, Eric Straw’s SR20VET-powered beauty is high on our list:
Life at Shutter Speed is a 400-page collection highlighting 20 years of photography from talented car culture ambassador Larry Chen. We were super excited to receive a signed copy at Z Car Garage with some keepsake photos. The hardcover book is impressive and we are still marveling at the sheer amount of work Larry has accomplished. This is not just a photo-book, it is a story of his craft from his latest events to early beginnings. We highly recommend getting a copy for yourself and for any car/photography enthusiast. Thanks Larry!
Upon reading the book we came across a few humbling throwbacks…
The New Z (RZ34) Reveal in Times Square
In 2021, we joined Larry at Time Square in New York for the Nissan Z Global Reveal in New York. The experience was surreal. You can imagine how honored Rob felt to share a page with John Morton and be recognized as a member of the Z community.
R34 GT-R Dreams
In 2004, Rob drove the Z Car Garage R34 Skyline GT-R to the GT Live event in SoCal. In the book, Larry recounts how his dream of owning an R34 began when he saw our R34! It’s a small world as this ex-Motorex car switched hands and years later ended up back with our friend Sean from Top Rank!
Thank you
Larry commissioned Z Car Garage to transform his beloved SR20DET-powered 1970 Datsun 240Z into multi-dimensional sports car with power, handling, braking, comfort, reliability and performance to match its eye-catching beauty. In Life At Shutter Speed, “Ole Orange Ban”g gets its own spotlight and we are thankful to be part of the journey. Huge thanks to Larry for sharing his passion with us. Long Live The Z!
Happy Birthday to Joel Anderson who passed away in 2021. Joel would have been 84 years old today and we miss him dearly. He was an immensely talented graphic artist and successful privateer Datsun racer with regional and national championships all over California. See Joel’s racing career and learn how he helped us enter the world of vintage racing in our tribute HERE
