We are happy to report a Best In Class win for this 1967 Datsun 2000 at the 2020 Boca Raton Concours D’Elegance in Florida. Typically reserved for European and American marques, Concours events rarely accept Japanese classics to enter and compete on the same field, let alone a Datsun.
Acquired by noted marque expert Mike Young several years ago, owner Steve Tetreault took it upon himself to bring the rare Datsun 2000 roadster to concours-level status. Steve recalls how his Datsun was even considered for the event:
“After hearing about the Boca Concours in April of 2019- I decided to submit an application for the Datsun. I soon realized the category that I would be in was named “European Class Sports car” ’65-’75. I completed the application and submitted photos as required in June 2019 and asked the question, “Where does a Japanese car fit here?” In October of that year I received an email requesting more information about the significance of the car, and a few other questions, including more detailed photos”
Steve soon received an email from the nominating committee that he was in fact in the Concours! The class name had been revised to: “Foreign Sports Late” 1965-1975. He was in good company as well: *1966 Lamborghini superleggero *1965 Porsche 356 cabriolet *1967 Jaguar XKE *1974 Alfa Romeo Montreal *1971 Mercedes 280SL pagoda *1970 Ford Capri Perana *1967 Datsun 2000 Sports
Steve describes his Concours experience:
“The 3 very astute judges asked to be left alone while they surveyed the exterior- top up windows up. They asked to see the engine room , open the doors and to explain the significance of the car and why I am showing it. I explained the rarity of a half year car, and that this car is #455 out 750 produced with factory options of 5 speed trans, Mikuni/Solex carbs, B cam, 7 quart finned oil pan, 4 bolt windscreen, and then referenced John Baker’s race credentials for Nissan. I completed the conversation with my true mission: To elevate the Datsun Marque and its ability to compete equally in any Concours D Elegance class such as the one I’m in.”
To be considered for a Concours and then go on to WIN best in class amongst impressive peers is an incredible achievement for Steve. All Datsun owners can share and benefit from this breakthrough as well: it’s a sign that our cars are being taken seriously and command respect. So kudos to your efforts Steve. We remember seeing your roadster at the Solvang Shows and now it is a superb ambassador! Here is SRL-0455 after a 6-month restoration by Steve, sporting vintage Enkei Comp 8 wheels, #665 Paint and fresh chrome:
Old photos I snapped from Solvang:
Speaking of Datsun Roadsters, this a good time to remind you about the big Solvang show coming up April 25th. I’ll post a flyer shortly.
The 2019 Japanese Classic Car Show was held on September 21, in Long Beach, CA. This is the original vintage Japanese-car event in SoCal and in its 15th year, JCCS has grown incredibly. Over 10,000(!) spectators enjoyed 400+ cars covering the lawn of Marina Green Park. The vehicles themselves remained a fantastic blend of stock, modified and restored. This is the most important show for Japanese cars, and the Z Car Garage crew keeps coming back every year to soak up the sun, see old friends and drool over some spectacular vintage builds.
ZCG Delivers Mr. K’s Datsun 240z!
We had the joy and honor of delivering Mr. K’s 1972 Datsun 240z to owners Johnnie Gable and her son Kenny Ueda at JCCS. In true “Datsuns Are Driven” form, Rob drove Mr. K’s Z 400 miles from San Jose to Long Beach and it ran flawlessly.
Joining us were ZCG customers John B and James S in their Z’s. A few pics from the road trip South:
Showtime!
We unloaded early on Friday at Marina Green Park. This location is larger and more vendor-friendly than The Queen Mary of past shows. Our booth was situated in a great spot, at the mid-point of the show with our neighbors from JDM Car Parts.
We had lots of traffic at the ZCG booth. Mr. K’s Z definitely created a buzz, and enthusiasts checked out our Big-Brake kit for small wheels, CV Axles and picked up some free swag. Thanks to customers, fans and friends that stopped by! We met many great Datsun fans and enjoyed talking cars.
James’s 1972 S30 was displayed with fellow Z car owners in the show. At the heart of this beast is a turbocharged L-series managed by Haltech. Chassis upgrades include custom full-length subframe connectors, our ZCG CV Axles and Big-Brake Kit (328mm) behind RS-8 wheels restored by Love20bee.
A stack instrument cluster was integrated into the gauge pod, viewed from leather Recaro Pole Position seats. This Z has a very unique sound. We recently tuned it on E85, dyno results and videos coming soon. We are very happy for James as he won the award for 2nd place for Best Z!
Delivering Mr. K’s Z to a very happy Johnnie Gable and Kenny Ueda:
Expect a full report on our work performed to get this precious Z back on the road.
Highlights from JCCS
Enjoy this video I made highlighting the sights and sounds of JCCS 2019:
Why do we keep coming back to JCCS? Each year the bar is raised for the show cars, and this year was truly impressive. With over 400 cars and 80 vendors it was almost impossible to see it all in the 9am-3pm show time. Here are our favorites, starting with Nissan/Datsun.
Skylines
Here are few of my favorite Nissans and Datsuns, starting with that not-so forbidden fruit commonly known as the hakosuka Skyline. Roy De Guzman’s Hako sported a new look with the premier Pandem Rocketbunny flare kit and Cross Fever wheels:
Patrick S’ Kenmeri Skyline and Mikey C’s sedan both Rb26-powered and sitting on Watanabe Gotti wheels:
Mel’s R30 4-door on Watts, next to Jay’s DR30:
I didn’t expect to see a large gathering of R32 Skylines, even a 4-door!
Z Car Extravaganza
With the 50th Anniversary of the Z cars from all generations were in full force spanning the crested lawn of the Marina Green Park. I’m a big fan of subtle modified Z’s but I can also appreciate pristine, bone-stock examples and the occasional shakotan build.
Stock is good: beautifully restored ’72:
Todd Kaneko’s iconic, turbocharged L-series Z on Chevlon wheels:
So. Many. Z’s!
The winning Z:
1975 280Z 2+2 on Epsilons from Love20bee:
Shakotan !
Larry Chen’s freshly-painted S30!
Good old triple-carb’d L-series power!
RB25DET-powered:
S130!
You can find more S30s in our gallery!
Z31s were plentiful too, in both stock and modified examples:
The Nissan S12 chassis has been growing in popularity. Known as the “200sx” stateside there were some cool examples of both hatchback/coupe bodystyles.
People
At the JCCS it is always great to see old friends and meet new enthusiasts! Thanks to everyone that visited the ZCG booth!
The Datsun Roadsters came out in full force this year, running 6 cars strong!
Raymond Lim’s 1963 1500 was the oldest car present. This 3-seater SPL310 model was driven, not trailered to the show!
Ed’s sharp 1970 SPL sporting Enkei Compe wheels:
It was also great to see Michael Anderson’s “Rock Vest” race car. This historically-significant roadster is currently being raced by Mike!
The Desirello’s also displayed their SR20-powered beauties:
More roadster pics in our gallery!
Datsun 510s
Datsun 510s dominated the field as the most represented model again this year. From sedans to wagons and a single Bluebird Coupe!
Andrew’s RHD tribute 510 won Best of Show!
TSR-built 510:
Brian Holloway’s Coupe with Recaro seats…and the coolest socks
Wagons!
Our friend Troy’s customer won Best 510!
13B and CA18DET:
Dogs Love Trucks!
Kenny’s NL320 pickup:
Toyota
Toyota always has a huge corporate involvement with an assortment of race cars. They even had the new Supra on display and a 2000GT!
AE86, Cressida, Celica’s and Corolla’s!
Great showing of RA29 (Liftback) Celicas!
Trucks:
3nd and 4th gen Celicas:
Speed Star Racing Air Stage on Tommy D’s Starlet:
Wheels For Fantasy
I personally love going to JCCS because I get to see very rare Japanese/tuner wheels and parts. Preservation of authentic wheels and appreciation of the time and effort spent to find certain specimens that most folks have never heard of in this generation is what I admire most.
Variations on the mesh wheel from BBS, Epsilon, SSR, Volk, Bahn and more. You can’t go wrong!
It is difficult to run a car show and keep up the quality and interest levels but the folks at JCCS have managed to do exactly that for 15 years! No other show gives you the chance to see obscure, pristine, modified Japanese classics…and we look forward to next year’s entrants. Koji and Terry the new venue is great, almost overwhelming with the number of cars! We hope you have enjoyed our coverage and please visit our mega-gallery for more pictures.
We are excited to sponsor and be a part of the 2019 Japanese Classic Car Show Saturday 9/21 in Long Beach. This is the most important show for Japanese cars, and the Z Car Garage crew keeps coming back every year to soak up the sun, see old friends and drool over some spectacular vintage builds.
See Mr. K’s Datsun 240z in the Z Car Garage Booth!
Our latest project car is Mr. K’s 1972 Datsun 240z and it will be displayed in our booth! Yutaka Katayama (affectionately known as “Mr. K”) put Datsun on the map while serving as President of Nissan Motors USA.
This Z was Mr. K’s personal car, with touches like the “G-Nose”, custom mix Yellow Pearl Paint, wire wheels and automatic transmission. It was most prominently featured in Nissan’s multi-million dollar Datsun Heritage advertising campaign in the late 90’s. Check it out in this Super Bowl Ad – “The Dream Garage” lead a series of T.V. commercials featuring Mr. K (played by an actor):
In 1977 Mr. K retired and before returning to Japan he gave the Z to his long time Administrative Assistant, Johnnie Gable and her son Kenny Ueda, both will be attending JCCS.
We were honored to have this national treasure at the shop and get it back on the road. Full report soon. If you listen closely, you can almost hear it whisper the words of Mr. K’s simple philosophy, “Love cars. Love people. Love life.”
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles on Display!
Please visit our booth to see and feel our Big-Brake kit for small wheels, and CV Axles. We will be available to answer any questions and if you are interested in purchasing a set of CVs please contact Rob at the shop. Keen eyes will notice that our latest Big-Brake offering will be displayed fitted behind a 14″ Panasport wheel! As usual we will have free ZCG swag and merchandise on hand.
ZCG Customers
We are also very proud of ZCG customer James S’ 1972 240z. He will be driving his Turbocharged L-series S30 down to JCCS and displaying it with fellow owners.
JCCS is an amazing show that gets better with each year. We are thankful to organizers for having us again in 2019. The show takes place from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm in Marina Green Park. Catch a glimpse of what JCCS is all about in our report Last year’s show. Z you there!
On this #ThrowbackThursday we were happy to see this discovery from our friends at Classic Motorsports Magazine. They found these archived photos from the NOPI Nationals in 1997 and pictured is Rob Fuller auto-crossing his 1971 Datsun 510!
Almost a decade later and to this day Rob has not changed much. He still races Datsuns and here he is in the very same 510 auto-crossing at the Mt. Shasta All-Datsun Meet.
We are extremely happy for our friend and fellow Datsun enthusiast Tom D and his newly acquired B-sedan Datsun 510. This is a historically significant race car built and run originally by Norm Balzer. Here it is at Road Atlanta in 1977:
Tom brought the 510 to Z Car Garage to have it prepared for the upcoming race season:
“I bought the car rough three years ago from Steve Link with the help of Dave Stone. Since then I exchanged information with MaryLee Balzer (the original builder and owner’s widow) and Jon Koobation, the last guy to campaign the car. Both kept all the records and materials associated with the car. They graciously gave me all of it, even Norm’s race jacket (so cool). My plans are (with Rob and ZCG support) to get the car track ready. The car will be campaigned with its original livery and as much of the original equipment as possible, including the FIA prepped L18.”
The car was wildly successful on the West Coast. Many, including Larry Oka referred to the car as the “other BRE car” since it was built with the help of Mac Tilton and hardware from the BRE garage as the Trans Am series ramped down. Tom plans to run several events this year including CSRG April at Infineon Raceway, The HSMA Festival of Speed in Late May, The Rolex in August and the CSRG Charity Event in October. We are currently breaking the car down for race prep. It is shockingly original and a treat to see!
Enjoy that twin-Mikuni carb’d L-series sing!
A Rich Racing History
Purchased from a local Datsun dealer in 1971 for a one dollar, Norm Balzer took this Datsun 510 which was damaged in shipping straight to the garage to create one of the most successful B Sedan race cars on the West Coast. With help from Mac Tilton, many parts were sourced from the BRE garage. Norm raced the car from in B Sedan from 1973 until 1979 and then later as a GT2 entry in 1980.
Willow Springs 1976 and RA in 1979:
Jon competed with the 510 in GT2, GT3 and IMSA/GTU Special Group 2 from 1981 to 1992, amassing a number of first place finishes including a win in IMSA SP2 at Laguna Seca in May of 1983. Together Norm and Jon took this Datsun 510 to the podium forty times with thirteen first place finishes and six Southern Pacific Division Championships. Overall they competed in eighty-six races between 1973 and 1992.
Stay tuned for an in-depth look at this historical Datsun race car!
