The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) is one of the oldest Z car clubs in the nation. In its prime they had over 600 members with close ties to Yutaka Katayama (“Mr. K”) and Nissan USA. We had a wonderful time attending their Meet and Greet event at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, Ca on June 11, 2023.
We left Z Car Garage in our 2023 Nissan Z, 1971 Datsun 510 Wagon and Randy’s 1972 Datsun 240Z (For Sale). Joining the caravan were Alex in his 1968 Datsun 510 Wagon and our friend Geoff in his BMW 2002. Despite some morning fog the turnout was impressive for a relaxed gathering. No judged car show or awards, just Z-Car fans catching up with old friends and meeting new enthusiasts.
Highlights from the show
Still to this day, 240Zs are the most represented model in the club. Expansion over time currently includes all recent Z models and the GT-R, but also reaches back in time to include the Datsun Roadsters and 510s. Both upper and lower parking areas were packed with cars and people having a great time.
The New Nissan Z!
Linda Williams’ proudly displayed her 1 of 240Z special edition Nissan Z “Proto Spec” in the upper Museum area. Our RZ34 was in the lower lot and we will have a full report on the recently installed Fast Intentions exhaust system!
Z’s, 510s, Roadsters and More!
Here are a few of my favorite S30 Z cars from the gathering, starting with this flared beauty on custom 17″ early S30 hubcap-inspired wheels. This is the creation of Hoover Chan from Turbohoses R&D and it sports an L28ET. Rob and Hoover go way back many years!
We were pleasantly surprised to see many Z Car Garage clients so let’s take a look at what they drove. Garrett drove his 1972 Datsun 240Z featuring our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles combined with a suspension rebuild improved the chassis. Power comes from a Rebello 3L with our Z Car Garage Heat Shield and in-house dyno tuning to make it sing. His latest addition are new Recaro leather seats!
It was great to see Steve and Kevin’s Nismo Z33s. Full reports on both coming to zcarblog.com!
Here is a video from the event, enjoy!
Blow-thru Fantasy
We met Francisco and his S30 had a really neat HKS blow-through turbo system. Rob was impressed with his enthusiasm and love for the Z!
Twice the Beauty
Joey Bautista drove two of his immaculate Z cars. The engine bay on this blue car looks factory right? A closer inspection reveals a bespoke factory-style triple carb air cleaner, complete with OEM-style emissions stickers! The B-speed “LY” vintage valve cover was a nice touch as well. Really love d the aesthetic.
The silver S30 also sported triple carbs with a vintage SK air box and “triple” emissions stickers:
Z32
The Z32 300ZX was out in full force with both NA and TT examples. We enjoyed seeing familiar faces like Kevin Neely’s TT with fresh TE37 wheels and Joe’s show-winning red Z32:
Z33 and Z34
Strong showing of Z34s including V1 and V2 Nismo models:
510s
We love to see Datsun 510s and there were many examples of both stock and modified. Andy’s SR20DET-powered 510 was my favorite with Gotti wheels and rear-mounted A/C system. This was another creation from Hoover at Turbohoses!
SSS Bluebird was the only RHD 510 model at the show:
Jay’s 510 Wagon on Longchamp XR-4 wheels. Jay also has a 510 2-door featuring our Z Car Garage CV Axles.
Alex’s 1968 Datsun 510 Wagon is a total sleeper with an LS3 V8 drivetrain!
Roadsters
The lone Datsun Roadster was John Baker’s ’69 2000. This is a Concours-level restoration with lots of rare, NOS Nissan Competition parts like passenger foot rest and oil cooler.
Rare Everwing fog lights and day/night mirror:
R32 Row
R32 Skyline GT-Rs in a variety of colors! Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou displayed his recently acquired Crystal White R32 on BBS LeMans wheels:
A familiar R34 GT-R also showed up!
R35
A handful of R35 GT-Rs
People
It’s why we keep coming back to ZONC events. Thank you to everyone that took the time to say hello!
Thank You ZONC!
We had a great time spending the day at the ZONC Meet and Greet. It reminded us to (in the words of the late Mr.K), ” Love cars. Love people. Love Life.” This is a club that keep the Z community together year-round and we are excited for their next events. Don’t forget to check out our picture gallery below!
Everything we know. Everything we love. Everything we live for. In one letter.
The New Z Car. By now many of you have seen Nissan’s Z Proto in the media or even in person as it tours the car show circuit. On May 2, Nissan invited us to their headquarters in Tennessee to get up close and personal with the Z Proto, still very much in pre-production form. After seeing, hearing and feeling this car in person we are thoroughly stoked for the new Nissan Z. Enjoy this report from our trip, complete with photos and video.
Nissan is Back
Z car enthusiasts worldwide have been awaiting a successor to the current Z and many were satisfied when Nissan officially unveiled the Z Proto on September 16, 2020. The live-streamed event featured Alfonso Albaisa (senior vice president of global design) and Hiroshi Tamura (chief product specialist of the Z Proto) both very enthusiastic and assuring that while the Z Proto is only a development model, we will get a new Nissan Z.
Fast forward almost six months after the unveiling…Nissan debuted this commercial that gave me chills. I immediately texted Rob that Nissan is back. This brilliantly-executed advertisement was exactly what we needed and shows a direction that we are totally on board with:
With our New Z car anticipation growing stronger we just had to see it for ourselves, in the metal. You can imagine how happy we were when Nissan Corporate reached out to Z Car Garage and invited us to their headquarters in Franklin to spend some quality time with the Z Proto. Rob and I hopped on a plane to Tennessee…
Arriving at Nissan HQ, our hosts were 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. The kind of minds you want at a car company, and very gracious. Rob and I were in for a treat, and and we were blown away. First order of business: see the Z Proto inside Nissan HQ…
The Nissan Z Proto:
We were given the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Z Proto. To be concise, this car has a presence that simply isn’t captured in photos. A small disclaimer: the details we admired and discovered on this car may not transfer to the production car, but based on leaked photos, and as mentioned in the unveiling by Alfonso the Z Proto’s design is extremely close to what consumers will be offered. After sitting in the car and taking in its design, both Rob and I were enthralled and eager for the new Nissan Z. Let’s take a closer look…
Exterior
The familiar silhouette of the Z Proto instantly caught our eyes when we first saw it inside Nissan’s light-box room. By design, nearly every element seems to have been inspired by previous generation Z cars. Front features help take you back to Japan-only models like the 240ZG of the 1970s with “sugar-scoop” style headlights. The LED lights cast a “Z” halo:
That front grille/bumper treatment everyone seems to be split on? The square-shaped grille comes off looking awkward in pictures, but it looks totally appropriate to the car in person. Eagle eyes will note that the grille’s rectangular details carry to the interior and rear end. It works really well.
While the front end is both familiar and striking, the rear end is even more intriguing. We can’t get over the fact that Nissan put their contemporary twist on the 300ZX (Z32) taillights! Their sharp, rectangular LED elements are perfectly executed.
Nissan incredibly managed to retain the iconic Z profile while updating the body surfaces to give a much needed styling refresh. Gone are the bulbous, over-flared and over-designed features of previous generation Z cars. No chunky door handles. No weirdly-shaped headlight/taillight treatments. The Z Proto manages to be understated, with elements familiar and welcomed by Z enthusiasts. Look at that mid-body character line that evokes the S30…only here it follows an almost Coke-bottle shape with strong shoulders over the rear wheel wells. We snapped a few outdoor shots to capture the surface details. It was hard to detect the hood lines, another S30-styling throwback!
We doubt the Fairlady Z badge on the hatch will see production (it never did for US-Market Z Cars!), but we sure hope the pillar Z emblems stay, along with the “Katana” silver rails. It will be interesting to see what the aftermarket holds styling-wise with front/rear fascia’s, side skirts and general aero. We give Nissan a huge Bravo! for the design of the Z Proto. More pictures in the gallery below!
Performance
Yes, that is Rob Fuller taking a peek under the Z Proto. No, we can’t tell you what the chassis looks like or what is even under the hood. Nissan has confirmed that the new Z will use a twin-turbocharged V6 engine. That alone makes us sing Hallelujah, for boost is always better! Internet sleuths hint that the VR30DDTT engine found in the Infiniti Q50 and Q60 would be the simple choice for Nissan. Rated at 300 or 400hp in those cars, we have dyno-tuned many with simple bolt-ons yielding 100hp+ over stock quite easily.
Rob and I were given permission to row through the gears. Yes the Z Proto has a real 6-speed manual transmission and the New Z will also offer one. No word on those sexy brakes and tire letters, but with Twin-turbos and a manual transmission sign us up!
Interior
Both Rob and I were impressed and satisfied with the exterior of the Z Proto, and the interior also did not disappoint. Remember, this is a no-frills sportscar, and it shows in the material choices, switchgear and overall design theme.
That being said, there is a great mix of digital and analog elements on the dash. We loved the large digital instrument cluster, central touchscreen and nostalgic triple gauge pods. Thanks to Jonathan for powering up the car so we could see all the digital features, a real treat not given to most journalists! He was eager to point out a few Nissan-placed Easter Eggs too…
Easter Eggs
Jonathan drew our attention to a few not-so-easy to catch details like the “Z” logo on headlights and “since 1969” text on hatch window. Dan Passe chimed in with the “Z” cut lines at the union of the A pillar, hood and leading edge of door (more of an intentional design detail). Then there’s the fairly gratuitous nods to the 370z, and 1969 240z on the dash display and center stack. Note radio station with song title and time 🙂
The Z Proto is a home run. This is a sports car Nissan should be proud of. Well done! We can’t wait to get the New Z at the shop. For an automaker to build something this special is risky but also speaks volumes as to how they value our input. Enthusiast’s input! It’s a bold move especially in this climate where sport cars are relying on electric powerplants and automatic transmissions. “The Z Proto represents a commitment to our fans, to our heritage, and staying true to Nissan’s DNA.” We couldn’t agree more after seeing it in person. Long Live The Z!
We couldn’t leave you with just pictures so here is an extended video of our personal visit to Nissan HQ to see the Z Proto. We were fortunate to not only see it, but take it for a spin around the campus and really absorb all of the design details…enjoy!
Our visit with Nissan only begun with the Z Proto. Before heading to our next destination we stopped by legendary Z shop Crawford Z Car Service in downtown Nashville. Owner Doug Stewart is an accomplished Z-car racer and you night remember the creator of the Crawford intake plenum for Nissan’s 350z VQ engine.
Nissan Heritage Collection
A visit to the Nissan Heritage collection was next on our tour. Nissan’s production plants in Smyrna and Dechard and HQ in Franklin, TN are pretty well-known but the Heritage Collection is hidden inside the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville. The museum itself is open to the general public and it’s a must see:
Undeground and beyond closed doors, we entered paradise. Both Jonathan and Dan have dedicated their time-on a volunteer basis to preserve, maintain and promote this vintage Nissan/Datsun collection. Without them it wouldn’t survive, and in part they rely on enthusiasts (like Randy Jaffe) to help carry the torch. These are cars that would have been scrapped by Nissan or left outside to rust. Rob and I were literally in heaven. So much history in one place with wicked metal at every turn. (Below) The actual Black Gold TV commercial 280ZX and 2021 TV commercial Z31 that actress Brie Larson was in:
Everywhere we looked there were”JOB #1″ vehicles, race cars, movie/commercial cars and even concept cars…we could have spent the night with the collection. What sets this collection apart from others is that all cars are accessible and drivable (or meant to be driven). No roped-off cars or locked doors. I even got to sit in the race car!
Forgotten concept cars. Some were old. Some were shockingly recent(See that Q50 Eau Rouge?!)
This 1200 truck needed some attention and this was recently shipped from the Heritage Collection to ZCG for some love!
There were way too many cool cars to mention so please check out the photo gallery and video below!
Here is a video of our visit to the Nissan Heritage Collection, enjoy!
Datsun Roadsters
The Datsun Sports (310/311) or affectionately known as “Datsun Roadsters” are some of our favorite models. We were both surprised and happy to find that Jonathan and Dan had recently rescued a few from a barn. All of the cars they recovered were interestingly “2000” models from 1968 to 1980. Thanks to their efforts these gems will be restored and driven!
Thank You
We thank Nissan, Dan Passe and Jonathan Buhler for the opportunity to visit. The Z Proto is a winner and we were throughly impressed with the Heritage Collection and your efforts to keep it alive. Looking forward to working with you in the future, LONG LIVE THE Z!
