Now that the auto show is over we are getting back to the usual work around the shop.  There are a ton of cars here now so I got on the roof this morning to take a couple of pictures.  Also, we’ve had a couple new customers come in and we certainly welcome the work and the new challenges they bring.  It’s always nice to be able to solve problems on a car that has been to a couple other shops before us and then to see the smile on the owners face when they drive the car for the first time after we are done.

We also had another GT-R stop in on Friday for a rear tire repair.  There were four nails in his rear tire so we just ordered a new one.  Luckily the car has low enough miles that we were able to replace just the one tire instead of all four.

I’m also going to sort out the rest of the Silicon Valley Auto Show pictures and post them for you in the next day or so.

I’m going to borrow a few pictures here from our friends over at GTRBlog.com and 370zblog.com for your viewing pleasure.  Make sure you check out their site for the entire story straight out of Japan.  The photos here are just a small taste of what they have.

Most of the cars are modified in the usual places, but there are a few standouts like the Power Enterprise Four Charger car (twin super AND turbocharged) and the Blitz D1 car that has been converted to rear wheel drive with a Hollinger sequential gearbox.  These are certainly questionable changes but it’s always nice to see innovation just to see what will happen.

I love GT-Rs.  Enjoy!

I’ve also put in a few pictures of the ZELE 370z that are from 370zblog.com.  The body kit is starting to grow on me but I’m not really a fan of the exhaust just yet.  We’ll have to see what a few other companies start bringing to market.

There are a few more pictures after the jump

Link:  GTRBlog.com

Link:   370zblog.com

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I have just received a couple new videos of the Buttonwillow Raceway track outing.  The first one was made by the the infamous Craig Lieberman (of Fast and Furious fame) and the second was done by Thomas Ramies who is the father of the professional driver that drove our GT-R.

I would like to thank everyone at the track day that sent me footage. I would also like to thank South Side Performance and Cobb Tuning for their support and getting parts to us with a quickness.

We should also be getting some new parts for the GT-R this week so expect to see a post on that soon.  Happy Monday!!!

GTR Battle: FINAL from Craig Lieberman on Vimeo.

Michael Ramies Driving the ZCG/SSP GTR at Buttonwillow 12/29/08 from Thomas Ramies on Vimeo.

I have made arrangements with Canepa Design to have a private veiwing of the entire museum, the restoration shop, and possibly the very exclusive Canepa customer storage area.  This is truly going to be a trip that will be burned into the memories of all who attend.

We plan is to meet at the shop on Sat. the 24th of January at 9:00AM.  We will provide some form of breakfast deal (coffee, doughnuts, bagels etc.) followed by some time to check out the cars and talk GT-Rs.  The plan continues on with a nice drive through some senic roads (exact route TBD) down to Scotts Valley and finally arriving at Canepa Design around 1pm or so.

I could write for a couple more hours here trying to describe my last experience here but it is much better to come down and experience it for yourself.  For those of you who won’t be able to make it, I will have an entire event report hopefully the evening after the meet.

For more info on Canepa and photos of the museum click on the link below.  This place simply blows my mind.  For instance, last time I was there I counted more than seven Porsche 959s.  We were even enlisted to help push one more that arrived via semi during our tour.  The quality of vehicles at Canepa are almost unparalled in the US.  Simply amazing.  Didn’t I say I wasn’t going to talk about it?  Oh well.

We can make plans for what do after the museum tour as the event nears, or we can make none and all split off on our own separate ways.  Either way works for us.  If you have any other ideas feel free to email me through ZCG by sending it to Rob@zcargarage.com or by clicking on the link to a thread that has already been started on the North American GT-R Owners Club (NAGTROC.org) forum.  I’ve also started a list on the thread for those who plan on attending.  Thanks and we hope to see you soon.

More updates to come as they are formed and pictures of my last trip should be up tomorrow (sorry.)

Link: Canepa Design

Link: NAGTROC Meet Thread

As promised here are a few shots of how we lined the cars up this year.  This show is always a little strange for us because we don’t have a booth like usual.  We just display the amazing things we can do with an automobile.  I will have more detailed pictures of the entire show over the next few days; these were just snapped as I finished prepping the cars this morning.  Enjoy