Happy 86th Birthday to our hero Peter Brock! You have been and continue to be inspirational to us Datsun fans worldwide. Here a few pictures we enjoyed taking with you over the years:

Jack Atkinson, friend, extraordinary designer, fabricator and creator of the Primadonna Z, left this world on July 15, 2022. He was 68. Jack and his wife Yolanda have been a part of our lives since the beginning of Z Car Garage. We send our deepest condolences to Yolanda and their family.

 

Being lifetime members of The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) and supporting our shop along the way, we are forever grateful to them. This is our tribute to you, Jack. We miss you and know you are out there Enjoying The Ride!

Design and Fabrication

 

In the automotive space, Jack was a visionary designer and self-taught fabricator. Many enthusiasts in the Nissan/Datsun community to this day are still impressed with his iconic “Primadonna Z” based on the 1970’s Datsun 240Z sportscars. This is a very special Z car with a history that will be shared in a (deservedly) separate blog post. Briefly, Jack Atkinson built three totally custom 240z cars in the early 80’s. In 2021, Z Car Garage helped reunite Jack and Yolanda with his first Primadonna Z build:

 

Heavily influenced by the wild IMSA Z ‘s and Porsche 935 bodywork, Jack hand-fabricated the body pieces and affectionately named the cars “Primadonna Z’s”. Only three Primadonna Zs were made. This red car is the first one Jack built, here is a period photo of it:

 

Jack would go on to build and eventually sell the Primadonna kit, spawning black and white versions:

 

The whereabouts of the black and white cars have been fairly well-documented over the years, eventually landing (and thankfully) in the hands of caring owners. The white car (known as Jettlag) and red car (known as Z Bait) are currently with Eric and Allison Knutsen of Southern Florida Z. We have so much to tell you about this car’s history, from its current whereabouts back to inception in the skillful hands of Jack. For now, a nice primer can be seen HERE.

 

Datsun Destiny

 

Thirty-six years later Jack was reunited with his first creation, Primadonna Z #1. The Z arrived at Z Car Garage and we were able to get it started and take both Jack and Yolanda for a spin. It was incredible to see this Z in person and even sweeter to witness the reunion. This would be Jack’s last ride in the car he built by hand before he passed.

 

Here is short video of Rob and crew getting the Z started and rolling on the street:

 

Back in Z Game

After a 20 year hiatus, Jack’s creative mind and passion urged him to get back into modifying Z cars. This time he chose the Nissan 300ZX (Z32) as his canvas, building two “Primadonna Z32” sportscars.

 

The first Z32 was a 1993 convertible (above) that was transformed into a widebody with several iterations of livery, wheels and color schemes. That was Jack: always seeking to improve his designs:

“I wanted to take an already nice looking Z and make it look like a super car. Even though this car is a one off, my insurance is the complete set of molds, from which the components you see were made. I made the fiberglass molds from the hand-sculpted prototype body of wood, aluminum, styrofoam, fiberglass and bondo. Body components were constructed using hand laid S-Fiberglass, Carbon Fiber and Kevlar and rolled out with a high temperature resin.”

The build started in July of 2005 under a canopy in his backyard and took 6-months to complete-including paint. Below, build documentation and the Primadonna Z32 in all-black:

 

The second Z32 was a 1996 Twin-Turbo with only 13,400 miles on it. This stunning ZX was one of the last Z32s to roll off the line (#247 of the last 300) and Jack’s hand-made body-work highlighted the car’s lines, while leaving the ‘looks-new’ interior in full view through the windows and t-top. Jack garnered many awards for both Primadonna Z’s including Best of Show and First Place at ZDay in Pismo Beach:

 

Jack’s LS3-Powered Z32

 

Jack developed a love for Corvettes and we helped him bridge his passion for the Z by performing an LS3 engine swap into his Primadonna Z32 Convertible. This was a dream come true for Jack, earning him a prize in the Z32 Ultra Modified category at ZCON 2021. Here are a few photos of us wrapping up the LS3 swap with road-testing and dyno tuning. Full report soon!

 

It even sports full A/C and OEM shifter for the automatic transmission. The Z was loaded up with the OMS pace car and heading to ZCON 2021! You can hear Rob discuss Jack’s LS-powered Z on this episode of Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen from the 34th Annual Z Car Convention (ZCON) hosted by ZCCA in Colorado Springs.

  

Fellow Z car enthusiast and ZONC board member Ann Devor on Jack’s creative work. Jack inspired many Z-car enthusiasts, including younger folks:

“Jack, with Yolanda’s assistance with fiberglass molding, designed and fabricated all manner of auto body parts – fenders, noses, tails, splitters, wings, all to accommodate the bigger wheels that were necessary for his aerodynamic designs. And the wheels were big! Wheels for Jack’s cars were custom made and it was always one of his favorite jobs to put his new wheels on for the first time. And to his last days, he wanted a set of new wheels for one of his cars. Jack was always thinking about the next big thing he wanted to do, whether it was a road trip or a new design for a car.”

“When Jack started working with vinyl applications and graphics, a whole new world opened up and added to Jack’s already respectable number of design innovations. Jack’s cars visually popped with their huge wheels covered by muscular fenders, big wings, splitters just barely clearing the asphalt, and car paint clothed in colorful spears, stripes, arrows, and emblems. There is nothing else like Jack’s cars.”

Roadtrip Leader

 

Some of our greatest memories of Jack are the numerous roadtrips he led (with Yolanda’s help, of course) with ZONC. These memorable drives would kick-off at Z Car Garage, with Jack briefing a large group of enthusiasts. You could also count on seeing Jack’s car equipped with a CB radio antenna, whether it was a Z car or NSX. This desire to share the road and its adventures carried with him later in life to the Santa Clara Corvette club where he would lead them on epic cross-country drives.

 

Datsun Family

 

Jack and Yolanda have supported Z Car Garage since we opened our doors in 2004. They helped us design and produce special t-shirts and swag (more on the way!) that you may have seen at various race events and gatherings. We are forever grateful for their friendship.

 

Love. Jack and Yolanda were in love for 43 years. Their partnership was inspirational, doing everything together including working side by side as business partners and enjoying automotive hobbies. Indeed, it was tough to get a picture of them apart, so most of my photos are of them together 🙂 Here are Jack and Yolanda in 2008 at a Z Car Garage dyno day, in their NSX:

 

We Miss You Jack

 

On October 22, Z Car Garage attended a Celebration of Jack’s Life in Bakersfield, Ca. There was an incredible outpouring of love from friends and family at the event. Jack’s passion and love for sharing spanned across different marques, eventually reaching NSX and Corvette clubs.

 

The celebration of life also brought people together. We met Eric and Allison Knutsen, current caretakers of the Primadonna Z cars all the way from Florida. The parking lot was a mini car show with Jack and Yolanda’s cars as well as friend’s rides. We think Jack would be right at home seeing the gathering of cars and people. Enjoy the photo gallery below:

 

Jack is at peace, and his story will continue to be told. We were fortunate to be in his presence and cherish the time we spent Enjoying The Ride. He truly embodied the words Mr. K said best, “Love cars. Love people. Love life.” Our sincerest condolences go out to Yolanda and Jack’s family. We will miss you Jack!

 

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Last week 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 this weekend’s Velocity Invitational at Laguna Seca we dyno tested this legendary race car. Turn those speakers up and enjoy the video!

 

Huge thanks to Nissan and Randy Jaffe for giving us the opportunity to prepare the car. It was surreal to have it in our shop:

 

We spent hours admiring and pouring over all the details on this historical 510. Note the swirl chamber, BRE exhaust header, oiling system and hydraulics:

 

The chassis reveals hard-earned battle scars:

 

Note original Koni shocks, Porsche 911S calipers and oval section of exhaust, more photos in the gallery below:

 

Living Legends at the Velocity Invitational

 

Z Car Garage is really proud to announce special guests (and our heroes) John Morton and Pete Brock will be at the Velocity Invitational on Friday and Saturday. This is a rare opportunity to get an autograph and chat with these iconic gentlemen.

  

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Trans Am (under 2.5) racing series, Z Car Garage coordinated with Nissan Corporate to have the original BRE Datsun 510 displayed with the Horst Kwech Alfa Romeo at the Velocity Invitational. See the actual race cars in person, only at the Velocity event!

  

See you this weekend at Laguna Seca!

 

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The Datsun 510 is very close to our heart and today, the actual 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 for hot-rodding the humble economy car.

 

Huge thanks to Nissan and Randy Jaffe for giving us the opportunity to prepare the car for next weekend’s Velocity Invitational at Laguna Seca. This is the actual car driven by Morton to the championship; it remains unaltered and in its original racing livery:

 

Peter Brock and BRE built and raced the #46 Datsun 510 with John Morton as its driver. The team won the 1971 and 1972 SCCA Trans Am Under 2.5 Liter Championship. Few race fans thought the little Datsun from Japan could match the pace of the Alfas and BMWs, so its success earned it the reputation as “giant killer” among American racing fans. To this day it remains one of the most recognizable and honored racing cars of all time, and it established Nissan/Datsun as an accomplished performance brand.

 

We were completely awestruck to be in the presence of the BRE 510 and spent a few hours admiring it, fantasizing about its racing history and taking in all the BRE engineered details:

 

Enjoy this walk-around video of the BRE Datsun 510 at Z Car Garage today:

 

We also realized that the shop was filled with Trans Am brethren; the BRE 510, Ex-Ted Gruner 510, Corky Bell 510, Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510 and Rob’s Bay Area Datsun Dealers (tribute) 510 all ran in the fabled 1970’s racing series!

 

Living Legends at the Velocity Invitational

 

Z Car Garage is really proud to announce special guests (and our heroes) John Morton and Pete Brock will be at the Velocity Invitational on Friday and Saturday. This is a rare opportunity to get an autograph and chat with these iconic gentlemen.

  

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Trans Am (under 2.5) racing series, Z Car Garage coordinated with Nissan Corporate to have the original BRE Datsun 510 displayed with the Horst Kwech Alfa Romeo at the Velocity Invitational. See the actual race cars in person, only at the Velocity event!

  

The last time the BRE #46 made it to the West Coast was in 2018 at the 2018 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, so don’t miss this opportunity to see it in person at next weekend’s Velocity Invitational!

 

Enjoy the photo gallery from our surreal experience with the BRE 510 at the shop, and see you next weekend at Laguna Seca! DATSUNS ARE DRIVEN

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Z Car Garage has built several cars with our client Randy Jaffe including the Rocketbunny Series1 240Z and #46 BRE Datsun 240Z driven by John Morton. In 2020 he acquired this cool 240Z East-African Safari Rally tribute and we helped him take it to the next level.

 

History and Acquisition

Randy’s Safari Z is a tribute to the original #11 car piloted to victory by Edgar Herrmann and Hans Schuller in the 1971 East African Safari Rally. Nissan campaigned three of these S30s in the rally, finishing 1, 2 and 7th place while handily beating Porsche’s and other marques along the way. It was a grueling race spanning over 3,800 miles and quite an achievement for the drivers and Nissan. #11 is currently displayed at the Zama Museum in Japan, still wearing its battle scars (more period photos in the gallery below):

 

Randy has always admired the Safari Z, keeping a 1/18th scale model on his desk for decades:

“I always loved the 1971 story where the Datsun Rally Z cars finished on the podium and just kicked ass over 3,852 grueling miles of torture!! A friend of mine built this car from an oddly enough a Safari Gold series 1 240Z – VIN 03227 with a 4/70 production date, Jim Faria – I almost bought the car from him in 2014 at San Diego ZCON but he decided he and daughter who do a few rally’s together which they did.”

 

Credit goes to Jim Faria for adding livery replicating the Herrmann/Schuller car with period front and rear spotlights, Nissan mud guards, rear grab handles, hood-mounted light pods and replica East African Safari plates:

 

The interior also features period touches like navigator’s equipment including 70’s route map, microphone headsets and rally timers:

 

Randy finally acquired the Z in 2020:

“Fast forward 6 years later at the 2020 Z Car Convention in Nashville.  Jim placed the Safari Tribute for auction on Bring a Trailer. I was like ‘Jim you are selling my car!’ Eventually I won the auction and the Z was immediately shipped to Z Car Garage and featured in a Nissan commercial – from there on together with Rob we took this tribute to the next level.”

 

Z Car Garage Preparation

 

Randy shipped the Z from Georgia to our shop in San Jose, CA and we were first tasked with preparing it for a Nissan TV commercial. The Safari Z tribute would be in the “60 Years in 30 Seconds” commercial as part of “The New Nissan” ad campaign starring actress Brie Larson. Here are a few shots from the filming location:

 

With a little green screen action and some actual dirt driving (somewhere in SoCal) Randy’s Z looks like it is actually ripping through the desert plains of Africa, watch the actual TV commercial below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a7oSMoU-Eg

 

Photos from the off-road adventure were used in subsequent social media posts by Nissan…this montage shows video clips from an Instagram post with the Safari Tribute getting loose in the dirt:

 

After performing its duty filming with Nissan, the Z returned to ZCG so we could add the remaining touches that Randy wanted. Here it is at the shop, still wearing its dirt after a quick rinse. Let’s take a look at the details we added.

 

Drivetrain

 

Randy wanted to proudly display this historic tribute in his collection, but more importantly (also why we love him), he wanted to drive it so people can see and hear the Safari Z in action. The stock L24 with SUs wasn’t going to cut it, this Z was getting the Jaffe-treatment with an engine to give it some go. A new 3.0 Rebello street race motor using a 10.5:1 head for pump gas was installed with a new 1982 280ZX 5 speed transmission and OS Giken 4.11 LSD.

 

We provided him with triple-Mikuni ph44 induction (as the original #11 Safari Z ran) complete with Harada intake, velocity stacks, linkages and Z Car Garage Heat Shield covering the Fujitsubo exhaust header:

 

Rob dyno tuned the 3L, producing 254hp/228tq at the wheels:

 

Enjoy this video of the Safari Tribute 240Z in action!

 

Details

 

Small details can make a big difference, like functional Works-style side jacking points, rear bumper steps and twin-exit exhaust system. We worked with Randy to knock-out his list of items:

“Rob and Gary found a source for the rear mudflaps that are a dead copy of the originals along with their brackets and the vinyl mat that sat in the rear hatch area with the 2 spare tires on top! So many custom pieces to get it right and Z Car Garage made it all happen. We installed new race type seats from Jay at JDM parts along with his version of the original Seiko wheels which the car really needed! I found some 175 x 14 tires made for Postal Jeeps that look very much like the Dunlops originally spec’d. Of course the original car is right hand drive but I’m good with what I have done to the car – maybe find the set of Heuer Monte Carlo stop watches that ran on the dash and that will be it!”

 

Those rear bumper steps were fabricated to be just like the original pieces. Original car on the left with Randy’s tribute on the right:

 

At ZCON in 2020 Pete Brock demonstrated how these were used (with grab-handles) by the Safari drivers to literally “rock” the Z out of sticky situations:

 

Randy enlisted help from industry veteran Dan Passe (Director, Nissan Corporate Communications) who had a Zama Museum contact measure the O.D. of the twin-exit exhaust tail-pipes so we could replicate them:

 

Mudflaps wearing the “Datsun” (as the original Safari Z) logo were sourced to replace the existing “Nissan” units and also proper steel hangers were installed:

 

The original East-African Safari Rally cars wore Kobe Seiko Competition Works Rally-Magnesium wheels. These are difficult to source but reproductions are available. Randy is running a set from Jay Ataka of JDM Car Parts. Tires are hand-cut from a Postal service Jeep by Bryson from Classic Livery (of Leh Keen Safari 911 fame). Original on the left:

 

Inside, the original style REPA race belts were replicated as close as possible. The original Safari car ran Z432 seats, as seen on the Salt Flats 240Z we helped revive. These are also difficult to source so we used race-style seats from JDM Car Parts to replace to stock units:

 

Here is the Z at home in Georgia with Randy now featuring all of the parts/details:

Enjoying The Ride

 

Before heading back to Atlanta, Randy enjoyed driving the Safari Tribute during Car Week at Monterey. What a car to cruise in, and he even visited the paddock at Laguna Seca. Here are a few more shots from Randy of the Z in Georgia. We love his new “ZAFARI” (previously “SAFARIZ”) license plate:

 

We have many photos in the gallery below and don’t forget to see the Safari Z featured on Hoonigan Autofocus (now Larry Chen’s own channel) also looking at Randy’s epic Datsun collection.

 

Thank you Randy for your passion and continued support. We loved working with you to re-create fun details for the Safari Tribute. Long Live The Z!

 

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