Filed under: Events
by Forbes @ 9:44 am on October 9, 2008
In less than two weeks the American Le Mans series storms into Laguna Seca yet again to provide some of the best wheel to wheel racing mankind has ever seen. Seriously. This ALMS events promises to be even more special than years past because a Z-car corral will take place on Saturday! All Zs (new and old) and Gs, 510s, Roadsters, and GT-Rs are welcome to attend. The Saturday day and corral pass are available on the Z.O.N.C. website for purchase.
Come out and join us for a great weekend in Monterey at Laguna Seca and bring your Z!!
Z.O.N.C. (Club Info, Purchase Tickets and Corral Passes)
I can’t believe it’s that time of year again!! The Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS) is taking place this Sunday, Oct. 12th at Hidden Valley Park in Irvine, CA. This is the ultimate show for you if you like all things vintage Japanese or true JDM.
There are huge sponsorship deals at the event this year from most of the OEM car companies, all sorts of media groups, and a large group of aftermarket supporters from around the globe (a complete list is on the JCCS website.) Most of the sponsors will have booths set up so expect free gift bags, entertainment of all sorts, and stickers galore!
In 2007 Mazda brought out an entire trailer loaded with race cars and even a rare Mazda Cosmo, of which there are only few in the world. They are a major sponsor again, along with Toyota, this year so expect some great things from both manufacturers.
The cars at the event are of the utmost quality and most everyone that attends is of the same caliber. Not only does this event show off some of the best original Japanese classic cars but it also offers the latest and greatest in innovations and customization that the aftermarket has to offer. Individuals and shops alike bring out their latest and greatest every year to be unveiled to the world. One of the best parts about JCCS is the approachability of all who attend. For example, if you see Pete Brock, of Datsun BRE fame, walking around the grounds make sure you walk up to him and say hi. Most “celebrities” here are happy to talk with anyone who shares the same passion for cars that they do.
Check out the video below for some footage of last year’s event and make sure to visit the Japanese Classic Car Show website for all the official updates as well as an awards, vendor, and sponsor list. The JCCS site also has an amazing gallery of years past where I borrowed most of these pictures from.
This event is a MUST ATTEND. If you have the weekend off we hope to see you there. Feel free to stop myself or any of the Z Car Garage people to say hi or talk cars. Long Live the Z and JCCS.
Look for an update right here next week when we return with our original pictures and a full event report.
Filed under: Events
by Forbes @ 12:43 pm on October 6, 2008
There was a great turn out at the annual Monterey and Pebble Beach Z and Meet. Even though the weather was less than favorable the turnout was very high with 40 to 50 cars showing up for the drive. The meeting point was held at MY Nissan in Salinas, CA. Zs and Gs packed the parking lot with a few other cars mixed in including an NSX, S2000, Pontiac GTO, Mitsubishi EVO, and a 60’s Ford Mustang.
The drive wound it’s way through the hills of Salinas, Monterey, and Carmel and continued onto 17 Mile Drive with the first leg ending at Bird Rock right along the famed Pebble Beach golf course. From there the caravan conituned on to a buffet style lunch at Poppy Hill. If you live in the Northern California are this is the end of the driving year event that should not be missed. Without further delay here are a few pictures that I took of the drive. Hope to see you all next year!!
Here are the first set of pictures from the Historics that I promised. These are mainly from the Z Car Corral on Saturday. I will be posting more of the paddock, pits, and the race action as I get to editing them. I hope these will hold you over until then.
The first track test of Z Car Garage’s own big brake kit took place last week at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA. The brake kit was designed entirely in house and has gone through various stages of testing over the past few months since its creation. This initial kit was installed on a freshly restored 240z to ensure that the car would be able to handle it’s new braking capabilities.
After the owner of the car had a few sessions under his belt with the kit it was time to test the brakes under tougher race-like conditions. To do this the ZCG crew enlisted the help of professional racecar driver David Ray. David has won a San Francisco Regional championship (1994) in an ITS prepared 240z and again (2004) in a T2 class 350z.
With the Z Car team in the hot pits, Ray took to the track with instructions to make two hot laps to gauge initial feel and then return to the pits for inspection. He returned to the pits with a smile and a satisfactory report. The ZCG pit crew took temperature measurements and did a quick visiual inspection before sending Ray back onto the track. This time he was asked to stay out for the entire session or until he felt any change in the braking feel. He stayed out for the rest of the half hour session with no issues. Every other lap or so he would give a thumbs up to the crew as he went down the front straight.
When the session ended he pulled into the pits and the crew took their final “hot lap” readings. After all the data was logged Ray jumped out of the 240z with a huge grin on his face. The first words out of his mouth were, “These are the best brakes I have ever felt on a 240z, including my race cars.” He continued on, “These brakes are much better than the Brembos on my championship winning T2 350z, I even had to pump them (the Brembos) after a few hot laps.”
Now on to the specs. The rotors are 12.9 inches in diameter with custom machined billet brackets. The rotor hats were also designed from scratch in house at Z Car Garage. Other parts included with the ZCG brake kit are an upgraded master cylinder, brake booster, and braided lines. The caliper specs are under lock and key for now but rest assured that the braking bias is spot on with amazing pedal feel.
Due to the size of the rotor and caliper, wheel choice is very critical. Z Car Garage has worked extensively to get the brakes to fit under the current 16″ Panasport casting with a custom Z Car Garage offset.
More updates will be posted here as they happen. ENJOY!!
Additional information can be had by contacting Rob@zcargarage.com
