The Concours event was an amazing experience. Big thanks to David Swig for the invitation and giving Japanese classic cars a presence at the show and in people’s hearts!

We left ZCarGarage at 7am with three 240z cars, a ‘67.5 roadster and one sinister-looking s/c’d 350z.

This was my first time at a Concours event, and I was really impressed with how the venue was organized. As we drove  past the registration and onto the lawn area each car received a bottle of wine!  Flag wavers at every turn directed us to our staging area, where I immediately saw a sea of Ferrari’s and other exotics. I kept wondering, “A bunch of Datsuns get their own display in this show? ” Yes indeed. Not only Datsuns, but Hondas and Toyotas deserve their moment in the spotlight as well 🙂

The Japanese classic car display included a Toyota ’67 2000GT,  Toyota Sports 800, ’68 Honda S800, ’71 Skyline GT-R.   3 Datsun 240zs,  Datsun roadster, and a 1973 Toyota Corolla.   9 lovely Japanese cars in between gangster-era Cadillac’s and bright red Ferrari’s.
 
 

 
People were smitten with the display. I could hear memories being conjured, stories being swapped. It was great exposure for our cars, and quite endearing to see this happen amongst all of the high dollar iron surrounding us 🙂

                    
Rob told me that the Skyline was real, with the S20 drivetrain. My jaw dropped and I got very giddy as I have never seen a real Skyline GT-R in person. When the owner opened the hood the mighty S20 gleamed in all its twin-cam glory. Check out the pictures below for more detailed shots…from the underbody to the interior, it was a treat.
                  

The arrival of summer came late to the Bay Area but it was definitely felt with 95 degree + temps. Multiple tents and water stations were available to the attendees. Our invitation included snacks, drinks and lunch in a pavillion with a perfect view of the car display ramp. We were fortunate to have a chat with David Swig about seeing more folks getting into vintage racing and increasing Japanese car representation.
    

Here is a sight that was new to me: Concours judges scrutinizing cars. Maybe one day these gentlemen will be judging your Nissan/Datsun at a Concours event! Why not?

After lunch it was time to check out more of the cars, and I can’t describe or include all of the wonderful machines so I will  list a few favorites. Make sure to click after the “read more” to see all of the pictures!

Mercedes Benz 300SLs, and Gullwings galore! The new SLS was there too.

This Alfa Romeo Guiletta Sprint had just the right proportions:

Chrome everywhere, huge grilles, hood ornaments, and interiors that are so huge and luxurious that they belong on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

The event was truly an incredible experience and hopefully we can have an even greater display of Japanese cars for the collector car world to appreciate. Enjoy the pictures!

Click on the “continue reading” link below for the full picture album (315 pics)
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Just a little video fun to keep all of you entertained on this Wednesday afternoon.  It’s amazing what traction can do to destroy outright horsepower.  GT-Rs rule.

source: Autoblog

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 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

Rumors and spy photos of a four-door, Infiniti-badged, GT-R sedan have been around even before the R35 was released to the public.  It seems that the rabid enthusiasm for the GT-R has breathed life back into the program which had been reportedly scrapped a few months back.  Good news for us!

The new model will be more than just a lengthened GT-R.  While the final design is still under lock and key, this artist’s renderings hint towards a slightly softer lined four door coupe.  The biggest difference from the current GT-R is going to be the engine change from the VR38DETT.  The engine of choice for the new 4 door coupe will most likely be the 5.0 liter V8 (VK50VE) out of the FX50.  The engine is supposed to put out somewhere north of 420bhp.

While that isn’t enough power to let it compete evenly with other super 4-doors (AMG S63, Bentley Continental Flying Spur) no one thought that the 4,000lb R35 GT-R would be able to stand up and fight either.  I wouldn’t under-estimate the performance potential of this vehicle just yet….

The rest of the drivetrain will remain the same as the R35 with the manu-automatic dual clutch trans axle.  Hopefully there will be a few internal changes made to handle the power this time around.

Whatever happens with this concept, I’m just happy that Nissan is still willing to create concepts of this caliber.   We’ll have to wait and see….

Some pictures and information was sourced from LEFTLANENEWS.com