Our Z Car Garage Big Brakes have been winning over Z-car enthusiasts locally and globally. Jason purchased a set for his 1974 Datsun 260Z and performed the installation himself. Before we go into his Big-Brake experience let’s hear his Z-story…
JASON: “I first heard about Z Car Garage by following Larry Chen’s 240z build on his YouTube Channel. I saw his various interviews with Rob Fuller and was really impressed with his knowledge and passion for the Datsun 510 and s30 chassis. Quickly, I started researching more about the pain points of the s30’s, and noted the lack of support from many other companies in the area of suspension and braking locally. The kits available were Wilwood, Endless, Star Road, among others. No complete kits that were torture tested and raced like what Z Car Garage was doing with their ZCG CV Axles , Brake Kits and other components they were selling. Research and development are key to me, and I was thrilled to see ZCG taking this on themselves. In addition, Rob is a real human being who’s on top of answering questions via email and in person at Z car events. That’s a HUGE deal to me, and it’s so rare to meet someone that of course is just as passionate about his cars as the enthusiasts building them.”
“My 1974 Datsun 260z is an Early model s30. When I purchased it, a few years ago I quickly removed the stock seats and reupholstered Recaro LX vintage seats in Black. I loved the netted headrest, and the clean recaro stitching at the center of the seat. I also removed the Greddy Oni wheel that was originally in the car and swapped it out with a new old stock Nardi Nismo Deep steering wheel with a Black and Gold finish. I went through the interior and purchased a NOS Datsun center console, and replaced the stock door cards with Skillard flat cards with leather pull straps.”
“In addition to the door cards, I added Skillard powder coated heel plates. The car came with BC adjustable coil-overs and Swift Springs which I will be updating in the near future. The BC Coilovers are perfectly fine for the street applications I’m using the car for currently. My suspension underneath the car is the full T3 catalog including the power cradle, control arms, bushings, and even their steering elements. It’s finally sorted, and I really enjoy driving the car the way it currently feels.”
“The car is equipped with a L28, ZX 5 Speed transmission, and 44pHH Mikuni triple carbs built by Taka at Kyusha House. The header and exhaust system are Fujitsubo Legalis R. The engine has since been updated in every way from the ignition system, oil pump, spark plug cables, and brake new seals and belt. The oil pan was replaced with a Moroso baffled racing pan with higher oil capacity.”
“I have two sets of wheels and tires for the car. One set is Volk Racing TE37v custom gold 15×9 at 0 offset on Toyo Proxes R888 205/50/15, and the other set is Work Racing Equip 03 15×8.5 at -3 offset custom bronzed lip, and Gold Center on Falken Azenis RT660 205/50/15. The front bumper is a carbon MSA, and the rear tail light bezels are carbon fiber made by Vintage Carbon. The wing is a Carbon Fiber BRE spoiler.”
You can see Jason’s Z in action in the video below:
Z Car Garage Big-Brakes
As fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel and retaining factory emergency brake lever! A few details below:
Calipers: Stoptech ST42 4-piston front & rear race calipers (Alum 6061 mil-spec Type III anodized)
Rotors: 280mm x 20.6 with Alum 7075 hats
Pads: Stoptech 309 sport street pads
Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE.
Big-Brake Kits Available For DIY Install!
Z Car Garage is proud to offer our Big-Brake Kit to Z-Car owners that want to perform the installation themselves. We can ship worldwide and each kit contains everything needed with a comprehensive (40-page) installation guide. Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE. Enjoy these pictures of Jason’s beautiful S30 and his ZCG Big-Brake installation:
Our ZCG Big-Brake kit ships with everything needed to install and retains the factory parking brake function. Jason successfully installed the BBK on his Z with PitstopMotorTuning, and they look great behind both the Work Equip 03 and Volk TE37 wheels:
Beyond ease of installation and quality components, our Big-Brakes perform by offering superb pedal feel…everyone that drives our demo Z confirms! This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. Jason shares his feedback after replacing his existing Wilwood brakes with the ZCG BBK:
JASON: “The Stoptech ZCG Big-Brakes are really a solid kit. The lead time was pretty rough, but again Rob reassured me every month over the course of a year of waiting that it would be worth it. He was right! These brakes do not disappoint. Once the kit was completely bedded and broken in, I quickly put the brakes to the test on Angeles Crest highway here in Los Angeles. I know this road well, and that’s where I usually push the car at a safe limit, and see where the pain points lie. The ZCG brakes are worth every penny. They are precise, they are confidence inspiring, and also feel great under late braking situations. I had a blast carving around the canyon knowing my brakes would safely hold up. My next test would be to get a couple of track days on them, and see how they hold up under extreme conditions and multiple sessions.”
What’s in store for Jason’s Z?
“The goal for the 260z is to refine my current setup. The paint is a bit rough since it was a garage paint job, and I would love to repaint the whole car including the interior. At the moment, I’m building a high compression 3.1L stroker motor with Jenvey 50mm ITB being managed by a Haltech Elite 750 stand alone ECU. My goals long term are for big power, but with street car reliability. I would love to confidently do a track day, but also be comfortable driving my wife to car shows, and even to grab a cup of coffee together. The engine has a custom designed valve cover designed by myself, and commissioned to be created by BSpeed in New Zealand. Big updates to come in the new year!”
Thanks for your support Jason we love that you are Enjoying The Ride and Long Live The Z! More photos in the gallery below
The Last Stop in Braking for your Z
Z Car Garage Big Brakes are one of the best systems available for your S30 Z Car with over 200 kits sold worldwide and unanimous positive feedback. See our ZCG Big-Brakes on client cars HERE and enjoy the photos below:
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:
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!
Z Car Garage is proud to bring this record-setting 1970 Datsun 240Z Bonneville Salt Flat car back to life for our client Randy Jaffe. In 1976, a team of Nissan employees set out to break the land speed record for the stock body F/GT class. They built this Z in their spare time, setting a new record at Bonneville of 166.037 mph which stood for almost a decade. A monumental achievement considering they had no factory parts support.
Join us as we revive this historically-significant Z from its slumber with chassis and engine work. We will also look at the story behind the Salt Flat program, with an exclusive account from Bonneville crew member and former Nissan Parts Manager Tom O’Connor.
History and Acquisition
This Datsun 240z set the F/GT class record of 166.037 mph at Bonneville with Nissan USA field engineer Bob Stockman behind the wheel. The old record of 153 mph was held by a Mercedes 300SL. Datsun actually set several records at Bonneville prior to ’76, starting in 1974 with a B-210 Hatchback (121.8mph, driver Mike Jones) and twice in 1975 with a 280Z 2+2 (164.3 mph, driver Milan Micka) and 164.6 mph with Nissan Competition Department head Tom O’Connor.
A team of six Nissan USA employees, working in the Nissan Technical Center, Competition Department and Service Departments built the F/GT 240Z. From left to right: Frank Honsowitz, Matt Bornyasz, Milan Micka, Tom O’Connor, Bob Whitehead and Bob Stockman. O’Connor was responsible for building the engine, Micka worked on the suspension and created the paint scheme and graphics. Bob Whitehead, National Service Manager, was the man who originated the Bonneville idea at Nissan USA in 1974. Check out the period, Nissan Employee Newsletter chronicling the Bonneville efforts (PDF) by clicking on this link.
Bonneville-As Remembered by Tom O’Connor
How did they do it? We reached out to Bonneville crew member and driver Tom O’Connor to gain insight. The team volunteered time after-hours to build the cars and successfully run them. Tom was a Nissan Parts Manager and also built all of the Bonneville racing engines…their success depended on his skills/knowledge and we thank Tom for this exclusive, first-hand account of the F/GT record-setting effort.
Bonneville 1974, 1975, 1976 – As remembered by Tom O’Connor
“The story of the record breaking 240Z in the F/GT class at Bonneville in 1976 really began in 1974. Bob Whitehead the VP of the Technical Engineering and Service Support, a hot rodder and Bonneville fan, approached the employees in his department with the idea of running a Datsun B210 at Bonneville. Several of the employees including myself were currently SCCA club racers and we were all ecstatic about building and racing cars without having to spend our own money. We would have to work on the project after hours but the Datsun Technical Center facility was at our disposal and somehow Bob hid our expenses in his budget. The B210 went 121.8 MPH capturing the I Production class record.”
“After this first trip to Bonneville the team realized that it was harder to go fast at Bonneville than we thought. It’s over four thousand feet elevation, the salt and skinny Bonneville tires makes it difficult to get traction, and you only have two miles to get up to speed before entering the timed third mile. If you can go over 200 MPH on the three mile “short course” you can then use the five mile course for your record run. After considering all of this and looking at what classes the Datsun cars could fit into, we came up with the ambitious plan to return the following year with a 280Z 2+2 that was allowed to run as a production car, not a GT car. The plan was to build two different engines, one that would fit into the G Production class and one that would fit into the F Production class. What made this plan so ambitious was that to make a record run you must qualify one day by running the course in one direction and break the existing record for the class. You then come back the next morning to make the official record breaking attempt. This time you run in both directions, the two runs are averaged thus eliminating any advantage or disadvantage a wind would give a one way run.”
“Our problem was the number of days available to make two record attempts. Luck was on our side and the weather was perfect, the car passed technical inspection and we went to work changing the engine so we could be back the following day to make our qualifying run for the second record attempt. I was fortunate enough to be the driver for the F Production record. The car was so stable and you are so far from any objects that the sensation of speed is not there, but I became a big believer in aerodynamics when I turned off the engine at 165 MPH and the car slows to 90 MPH in what seems like a second. I really realized how much power it takes to push the air. The 280Z 2+2 broke both the F and G Production records. 164.6 and 164.3 MPH”
As soon as they came home, the team started looking at what they would do in 1976. They realized the 240Z that Datsun had loaned to famous cam grinder Racer Brown in 1972 to break the F/GT class record was sitting in a warehouse. The red paint can still be seen under the current livery.
Tom recalls preparing the 1970 “Racer Brown” Z for the F/GT class:
“The engine we had built for the G Production class was also the correct displacement for the F/GT class. We installed a “G” nose, added a few tricks we had learned, put the distinctive stars paint job on the car and went back to Bonneville to claim our fourth record in three years. It was great fun and really showcased how much talent was in the Datsun Technical Center in the mid seventies. Some evenings we could have as many as ten guys working on different systems that required their particular talent. I think that it is telling that three of us on the team went on to careers in motorsports. Frank Honsowetz would became the Nissan Motorsports Manager, Max Jones would spend much of his career at Rousch Racing and then become the Competition Director at Ganassi Racing and yours truly would finish out his career as a Competition Manager at TRD. Bob Whitehead would move on to Subaru where he used the same model of using enthusiast employees to build cars that broke records. It was also great, back in the day, to have many old Bonneville racers be so open and generous with their encouragement and suggestions to a group of 20 year olds entering their world.”
Out of the numerous trophies that Tom and the Bonneville team of Nissan employees earned, this one stands out:
“Alvin, this is it!! The trophy from ’76 hung in my shop for years, I don’t even remember how I ended up with it. The plaque was given to each member of the team by Mr. Katayama. I have given these to Randy so they will stay with the car.”
Tom is doing well, and we even saw him at the 2021 Amelia Concours (details below). Here is Tom with his ’72 240 that he got as a Christmas gift from his wife. He is excited about Z Car Garage reviving the F/GT Datsun 240Z:
“Fast forward forty five years and I get a call from Randy Jaffe telling me he has acquired the F/GT Datsun 240Z and that he is going to restore it and add to his collection! What great news to have a guy like Randy decide that the car and its story is worth preserving.”
Acquiring a Legend
Randy Jaffe has built a few notable cars with Z Car Garage including the Rocketbunny Series1 240Z and #46 BRE Datsun 240Z driven by John Morton. We were stoked to hear that he was able to add the Salt Flat Z to his collection. Here is how it all happened:
“The record setting Z sat in the Nissan Heritage Museum from circa 1977 thru 2020 in a non running state. Of course all Z cars catch my eye – but this super low mileage (2329 miles) Series 1 car with a Nissan Comp G-Nose on it with records set in both 1972 and 1976 – well I drooled over it after visiting the Nissan facility in Nashville several times. The guys who run the Heritage Museum and I have a relationship so we were discussing several cars in their collection and they mentioned they may want to see that Z in my hands.”
Indeed, big thanks are in order for the great people running the Nissan Heritage Museum including Jonathan Buhler (Sr. Specialist Corporate Communications at Nissan) and industry veteran Dan Passe (Director, Corporate Communications). Both gentlemen are hardcore automotive enthusiasts (see Jonathan’s personal Datsun 240Z) that proudly wave the flag for Nissan. They also do it on a volunteer basis, much like the F/GT Datsun Bonneville team. Randy’s plans for this historic Z car:
“Of course my immediate plans were to get the car mechanically sound with a new race motor and aesthetically get the car as good as it can be! Not until I got the Z back to my shop did I realize after scrutinizing old photos with placed decals on the car that this was same Z raced at Bonneville by the famous cam grinder RACER BROWN out of Virginia where he set the record of 152+ MPH in an orange paint scheme that was still visible in certain places all of the car. I understand at one point the car was ordered to be crushed by Nissan but the Nissan Parts and Competition Team somehow skirted that issue, added the G-Nose, painted the car and put it back on the Flats in 1976 with the record that held up for 9 years.”
Z Car Garage Revival
Randy shipped the Z from Georgia to our shop in San Jose, CA where we were tasked with bringing it back from its 44-year slumber. We admired the many details throughout the car, all designed and implemented by that famed team of six Nissan employees. This is probably the lowest mileage (not sold to the public) S30 in existence with about 2300 miles on the chassis. Immediately we noticed how preserved and rust-free the chassis and bodywork was for being a Salt Flat racer.
As you may recall, the standard front nose was run in Racer Brown trim: The F/GT team added this prominent “Grande Nose” for improved high-speed aerodynamics:
The “G-nose” was a factory-made, 5-piece kit made for the JDM-only Fairlady ZG (HS30-H). Created for Group 4 racing, it became a dealer option so it was common to see the G-nose on JDM and export market S30s. Check out the stock ducting:
One might expect a full roll cage for a Z car destined to run 166mph…here the stripped interior houses a simple roll bar with integrated headrest. It gets better as the steering wheel and seats are straight from the uber-rare Fairlady Z432R (shown as reference below)!
Keen observers may note that the steering wheel is an “Ura Mach” unit. This leather/aluminum steering wheel was an available option to all S30s from Nissan sports/race, with the stock wheel being wood composite made by Izumi. Though available as optional parts, these seats and steering wheel were removed from a 432R and installed on the F/GT car as delivered from Japan by Nissan!
Chassis
With respect to the ultra-low mileage of this chassis and provenance we performed a “sympathetic” refresh to make it road-worthy. The entire suspension was removed and powdercoated, with all hardware re-plated. Before/after shots below with more in the gallery.
We rebuilt and replaced all factory brake components including new calipers, rear drums/shoes+wheel cylinders, new wheel bearings front and rear:
New drum brake components:
Freshly powdercoated suspension and undercoated chassis:
New tie-rods, rack bushings an engine mounts:
The tubes inside the original wheel/tire setup were replaced. We built another set of wheels with Vredstein Classic tires in stock size with Mooneyes covers for display.
Engine
Randy wanted to proudly display this historic vehicle in his collection, but more importantly (also why we love him), he wanted to drive it so people can see and hear the F/GT in action. The stock L24 wasn’t going to cut it, this Z was getting the Jaffe-treatment with a famous engine to give it some go…
“John Caldwell had just built us a back up race motor for the 46 Z and it was on an engine stand in my shop so I decided that would go in the Salt Flats Z. The original record setting motor was prepared by Tom O’Connor and his team at Nissan but was long gone. The original 1976 raced motor and the Caldwell motor both L28’s were built almost identical with 44mm Mikunis and very high compression so it would be back similar to its 1976 build. A motor was in the car when I got it but it was a 1973 L24 with flat top carbs and it was not plumbed up – just sitting in the engine bay. There was no question that the car would go immediately to Z Car Garage to receive its heart transplant along with an overall inspection to get the Z road worthy and running strong! Rob went thru the brakes, hydraulics and made sure the car was prepared to drive as if it was going back to Bonneville.”
We installed the Caldwell-built backup engine that was prepared for the BRE 240Z from The Mitty. Randy purchased a set of ph44 Mikuni’s from ZCG complete with Harada intake, velocity stacks, linkages and Z Car Garage Heat Shield. We tried to replicate as much as we could in the engine bay from period photos and history told by previous team members:
More drivetrain goodies. The exhaust system includes a ceramic-coated header and side/rear exit all painted white. The engine is backed by a low mileage 280zx close-ratio 5-speed from Rob’s stash of parts with a JWT aluminum flywheel ad HD clutch. Power is sent through an R180 with 4.11 gearset complete with new bearings and hardware:
New radiator hoses and cooling system refurbished. Notice the large hole in the driver’s side radiator support? This chassis was fitted with a Nissan race carb inlet ducting kit! The fuel system got some love as well with all new lines and refurbished fuel tank. More detailed photos in the gallery:
The fuel pump assembly was updated while remaining faithful to original system. Before/After:
We hid the hid the MSD box by building a bracket and running the wiring into the engine bay. Inside the cabin we cleaned up gauges and made everything functional:
A Museum Piece that Moves!
How does the reborn F/GT Salts Flat Z sound and feel to drive!? Randy loves it:
“With a 13.5+ compression L28 race motor and straight pipes – well it’s music to a motorsports guy. The car has such little mileage and had several tricks added by the Nissan team that it drives amazing and is a total visceral experience!”
Photographer and ZCG client Larry Chen visited us and did an in-depth look at the Z on Hoonigan Autofocus. We made this video below complete with a dyno run, driving on the street and a few clips to give you an idea of the Salt Flat Z experience, enjoy!
We asked F/GT team member Tom O’Connor what power the Z made to achieve 160mph+ at Bonneville:
“I don’t remember exactly but it was a little over 300. Frank Honsowetz and I have discussed it and he can’t remember either, but 300 was our goal and I remember we beat it. We also can’t remember what diff ratio we used but I remember spending a lot of time with the gear ratio/tire size speed calculators.”
Rob dyno-tuned the Caldwell-built BRE motor, making 254hp/212tq to the wheels, not far off from the 300hp mark of ’76 while making all the right noises! Don’t forget to watch the dyno run in the video above!
Salt Flat Z wins at Amelia Concours!
Z Car Garage finished reviving the F/GT Salt Flats car and shipped it back to Randy in Georgia, just in time for the Amelia Island Concours. This event, like many Concours gatherings are heavy on Euro/US entries with little Japanese classic representation. Randy mentioned the Z to the guys at Amelia and they accepted it!
“After that first call to Rob I tracked down Tom O’conner in the LA area and he was thrilled to know that the car may run again and was kind enough to take the winning plaques off of his garage wall that were there since 1976 and shipped them to me! I then was talking to guys at Amelia about the Z and they said immediately – we want the car on the grass in 2021. The event is usually in early March but was pushed out until early May because of the Covid restrictions. Tom O’conner and I spoke several times and he said he would like to attend the Concours with his wife Sharon. This was huge to me to reunite the team leader back in the day with this car!”
Indeed, it was great to see Tom reunited with the record-breaking Z he was part of.
Rob Fuller was also present, meeting several iconic racing legends like Trevor Harris and Peter Brock. Icing on the cake…Randy Jaffe won two awards!
What a sight to see (and hear) the Z on the grass of the Concours. Here is a video showing it in action and revving up to accept the award. Randy also talks a bit about the Z:
Thank You!
ZCG thanks Randy for his unwavering support. We love your passion Randy and how you wave the flag for Nissan/Datsun history. The Salt Flat Z is in great hands for the next generation to appreciate. Stay tuned readers as we feature another cool Z from Randy’s collection on zcarblog. LONG LIVE THE Z!
Our customer Trevor M’s 1978 Datsun 280Z is featured on the latest episode of Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen. Rob Fuller and Larry discuss the 280Z platform, ZCG’s upgrades and take it for a spin. Enjoy!
Stay tuned for a full zcarblog.com feature on Trevor’s 280Z, where we will take a closer look at our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, CD009 Six-speed transmission and more.
It takes teamwork to make the Dream work. We want to thank Love20bee for sourcing and re-finishing these SSR Watanabe RS8 wheels for James’ 1972 Datsun 240z.
It has been said that “wheels make the car”. Matt and his team nailed it with these RS8s sized 10.5 (F) and 12.5 (R) on massive 275/315 width Nitto NT-01 tires.
While they look killer standing still, they are even sweeter in motion as seen in the video below:
Rob and owner James are proudly wearing Love20bee hoodies. We highly recommend Love20bee for your wheel needs. Check them out on Instagram and Hoonigan Autofocus.
