Tyler has been in Rob’s life since he started working as a head engineer at Stoptech. He is behind Research and Development of our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, and we couldn’t have done it without his drive and passion. Our collaboration with Tyler always results in excellence, so when he mentioned bringing his Porsche 914 up from SoCal we happily obliged to work on it.

 

TYLER: “Rob Fuller/ZCG and I have known each other for a while now through my Engineering work at StopTech. We developed the Z Car Garage Big-Brakes for small wheels together. During the development of the BBK, Rob Fuller the man himself would constantly call me and leave hilarious singing voicemails, mostly him belting out hair-metal versus then saying “CALL ME BACK!”. We really hit it off during this time and grew to have a deep respect for one another.”

 

“I think we were able to really nail the final product after lots of tweaking and testing. ZCG was stoked with the BBK and I was stoked to work with such an amazing shop and crew. This project has always been a highlight for me. So when Rob asked me about my 914 and heard about my troubles with it he instantly offered to help out. This was definitely an offer I couldn’t refuse, so I brought my 914 to the shop.”

 

History

 

Before we go into the work ZCG performed let’s hear from Tyler about his 914…

TYLER:  “My first car was a 1973 914 2.0 my Dad, brothers, and I bought for $1200 ~25 years ago. We fixed it up and started to race it together, we still have it and plan to get back to racing it one day soon. Ever since then I wanted another 914 for myself. I just like the fact that 914s are mid engined, air cooled, and has a horizontally opposed engine, all of the coolest Racing Porsches are in this configuration. Also the 914 is three more than a 911, so there you go. When I saw the 914 on a Tucson AZ Craigslist post in 2015 I knew I had to snag it. The car was an old PCA/POC race car that raced in the 70s and 80s in AZ. I knew the car was a diamond in the rough even though it wasn’t running and had many problems to address.”

 

“I ended up buying it from someone in Tucson AZ for $3000 and towed it back home. Ever since then I have been fixing it up and getting it running well enough to enjoy classic rallies and some track days. I have been sort of converting it back into more of a streetable car but still keeping it raw and sort of rough that still gives you a feeling of a race car. My favorite thing to do is go for a drive down PCH with my wife and my dog squeezed in between us and stop at the beach for a walk and swim or rip the snot out of it on the track.”

Chassis and engine details on the 914 below:

Brakes

 

Custom designed StopTech big brake system. Front 2pc 282 x 28 rotors with STR42 calipers and rear 2pc 290 x 22 rotors STR42. Pads are StopTech SR33 front and SR33 rear with custom SS lines. Brakes are lighter weight than stock and with more thermal capacity!

 

Suspension

Race Bushings, Koni shocks,,22mm front sway bar, 150lb springs, 911 hubs, 5 lug conversion, 7×15″ Fuchs front wheels, 8×15″ Fuchs rear wheels, Toyo Proxes Ra1 225×50

Chassis and Safety

Roll Bar, 5 point belts, Frame reinforcements, door jam and chassis stiffening bars, dront fenders are rolled rear are fully flared, battery relocated to the front.

Engine & Transmission

 

2.0 Liter european pistons and sleeves 8.6 to 1 compression, Engine balanced and heads machined, Dual IDF44 Webbers, Mild race cam, High capacity oil pump with deep pickup, Dual rear mounted oil coolers, 4 into 1 exhaust with Supertrap muffler. 5 speed with shortened 3rd,4th, and 5th gears, Short shifter, OS Giken LSD. “Only 914 in the US to have an OS Giken LSD installed that I know of!”

The Z Car Garage Touch

 

ROB: “Tyler had his car dyno-tuned previously but it wasn’t running well. We like to make cars better, so we performed suspension work, adjusted the valves, sorted out his carb linkage, ignition system and made it awesome. Upon arrival it had a really bad front windshield install, so we replaced it and the stainless trim. New valve cover gaskets, cap and rotor, re-did the throttle-linkage return springs, serviced the air filter. Basically went through the Porsche like we do with our Z-car clients so he could enjoy driving it again.”

 

Dyno Tuning

With carb work, timing and linkage adjustments the 914 made 110hp/115tq at the wheels, gains of 18hp/15tq from baseline. Tyler was really happy with the results:

 

TYLER: “Rob gave my car some serious balls…I don’t have the official numbers of the final dyno run but the car feels like it’s been hitting the gym HARD. Engine runs super smooth, sounds like a completely different beast, starts without issue, is really responsive, runs a lot cooler, and has an overall boost in power! It has increased the enjoyment factor 100%.”

Enjoy this video of the dyno run and Tyler driving home from the shop down to SoCal:

After checking the suspension we mounted fresh Toyo RA1 tires followed by a full alignment in-house. Tyler was ready for the road trip home.

 

If it ain’t the Z-car, please let it be the P-Car!

 

Tyler shared a few photos from his roadtrip down to SoCal, catch his adventures on Instagram. Thank you Tyler for letting us work on your 914 and continued support for our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes. Stoptech or Don’t Stop At All!

TYLER: “ZCG is one of the top shops I ever had the pleasure of working with. As a customer, the experience was equally great. The team is really driven, they have expertise to really handle tricky stuff and strive for perfection with everything they do. I knew my 914 was in the best of hands even though ZCG specializes in Z-cars, their talent easily translated into P-cars.”

Shake and Brake! More photos in the gallery below

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Z Car Garage is excited to participate in the Velocity Invitational at Sonoma Raceway Starting tomorrow 11/10!. This is a must attend historic racing event for Nissan/Datsun fans with IMSA GTU Z cars, exotics and more to enjoy. Tickets are still available, to purchase simply on click HERE, and read below for a preview.

 

Z Car Garage Racers

Z Car Garage is excited to be racing in Group 6 (1968 – 1978 IMSA GT Cars), Group 9 (ALMS) and Group 10 (Mini vs Mustang Enduro). Here is a preview:

#49 IMSA Joel Anderson GTU Z

Rob Fuller will be driving the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z:

 

Porsche 997 GT3 Cup

 

This very special Porsche is the 2006 FIA European GT3 Championship winning car that was driven by Sean Edwards.  It is a 997 GT3 Cup S Prototype and Kenny Tse will be racing it in Group 9 (ALMS). Listen to this car on the Z Car Garage dyno below!

 

 

#78 IMSA Porsche 911

Z Car Garage is preparing and providing trackside race support for our client Kelvin Tse and his IMSA Porsche 911, running with the Z cars in Group 6:

 

Mini Vs Mustang Enduro

 

Rob Fuller will be racing a Mini Cooper against Mustangs in the Group 10: 1960’s Mini Vs Mustang Enduro

…this is an action-packed group don’t miss out!

 

Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou will be racing his FAR Performance 240Z. This Z has a very rich racing history, driven in the 70’s by Loren St. Lawrence in VIPS Restaurant livery.

 

Race schedule:

 

This is a wonderful event for the whole family, check out our report from last year’s 2022 Velocity Invitational. Z you at Sonoma Raceway November 10-12!

Join us for the 2023 Vintage Racing Season!

Z Car Garage is amped for more racing this year. Here is list of events we will be attending in 2023, including CSRG and SVRA . Please join us!

March

March  3^rd to the 5^th    SVRA  Thunderhill

March 24 to 26^th          CRSG   Sonoma

April

April 27^th to 30^th           SVRA   Sonoma

May

May 4^th   to 7^th               SVRA   Laguna Seca

June

June  23rd to 25^th           CSRG   Laguna Seca

August

August 12-13                    Monterey Pre-Reunion
August 16-19                    Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

September

Sept 8^th  to 10^th              CSRG   Sonoma

Sept 28- Oct. 1st.            Rennsport Reunion Laguna Seca

October

October 13-15                  CSRG Laps For Laguna

November

Nov  3^rd to 5^th                 CSRG   Thunder hill

Nov 10^th to 12^th              Velocity Invitational

 

“If it’s not the Z car, let it be the P car!”  It’s no secret that Z Car Garage is a big fan of Porsche and we are excited to attend Rennsport Reunion 7, taking place September 28th-October 1st, 2023 at Laguna Seca.

 

2023 marks the 75th anniversary of Porsche and we can’t wait to join the world’s largest gathering of Porsche fans as they celebrate their love for cars, music, culture and community in Monterey, California. Z Car Garage will be providing race support for our client Kelvin Tse’s IMSA Porsche 911, racing in Group 3: The Eifel Trophy.

 

Please stop by the paddock say hello, we will be there all weekend at the RENNSPORT REUNION 7!

 

Z Car Garage is excited to participate in the Velocity Invitational at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca October 14-16. This is a must attend historic racing event for any Nissan/Datsun fan with IMSA GTU Z cars, B-Sedan Datsun 510s and special guest appearances from John Morton and Pete Brock. Tickets are still available, to purchase simply on click on the flyer link below:

 

Z Car Garage Racers

Z Car Garage will be racing and providing support for several client cars. We are excited to be running in Group 5 (1972 – 1977 IMSA GT Cars) and Group 8 (1966 – 1979 Under 2-liter Trans-Am, SCCA B-Sedan, C-Sedan cars). Here is a preview:

#49 IMSA Joel Anderson GTU Z

Rob Fuller will be driving the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z:

 

Group 8 Trans Am B-Sedan Datsun 510s!

 

Historic B and C Sedan cars will get their own run group at the Velocity Invitational! Z Car Garage will be supporting the following Datsun 510s in this super exciting race:

The Corky Bell Trans Am 510

 

Famed engineer and race car driver Corky Bell ran this Datsun 510 in the early 70’s Trans Am series. Z Car Garage will restore it back to its former glory and Trans Am livery (to be documented in a dedicated blog post) and Corky will be driving it at the Velocity Invitational. Yes that’s Corky Bell at our shop, re-united with his race car at 82 years young!

 

Gordon McCall’s Datsun 510

 

Gordon McCall joins Z Car Garage for the first time at the Velocity Invitational with his vintage Datsun 510. He is the co-founder of The Quail- A Motorsports Gathering and “McCall’s Motorworks Revival” at the Monterey Jet Center, the “Kick-Off” party (which we attended) for the iconic August automotive week in Monterey, California. This 1972 Datsun 510 was first ordered from the Nissan Motor Corporation by Garrison Datsun of Florida and subsequently converted into a race car, and it was sponsored by the dealer and raced in SCCA competition through 1977. After 20 years it was returned to its original livery.

 

#72 Tom Dockery

Tom Dockery is driving the Ex-Norm Balzer 510. This car is making a triumphant return to racing after an incident at Sonoma Raceway. Stoked to see Tom back on the track!

  

Kelvin’s Ex-Ted Gruner TransAm 510

Kelvin Tse is a repeat ZCG trackside support client and he will be running the Ex-Ted Gruner Trans Am 510.

 

Glenn’s Ex-Finn/Harris Datsun 510

Glenn Chiou is running his Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510. He restored this 510 himself and ZCG will be dyno tuning it this week. Glenn builds some beautiful Datsun race cars and we will highlight this 510 soon.

 

Living Legends at the Velocity Invitational

 

Z Car Garage is really proud to announce special guests (and our heroes) John Morton and Pete Brock will be at the Velocity Invitational on Friday and Saturday. This is a rare opportunity to get an autograph and chat with these iconic gentlemen.

 

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Trans Am (under 2.5) racing series, Z Car Garage coordinated with Nissan Corporate to have the original BRE Datsun 510 displayed with the Horst Kwech Alfa Romeo at the Velocity Invitational. See the actual race cars in person, only at the Velocity event!

  

Z you there!

Photo by Larry Chen

To all automotive enthusiasts, Nissan/Datsun fans this an event you don’t want to miss. We encourage you to caravan to the Velocity Invitational and show your support for Datsun racing history. Together we can ensure that the Historic B and C sedan groups thrive and see more racing groups accepting Z cars and 510s. This is also a wonderful event for the whole family, check out our report from last year’s Velocity Invitational.

 

Enjoy this video we made showcasing the sights and sounds of the Velocity Invitational. Rob Fuller gets interviewed by the Goodwood Livestream just before the evening race, and I included the lineup from my favorite vintage race group (other than IMSA), the Trans Am cars!

 

Mark those calendars for October 14-16 and purchase tickets HERE. A full event schedule can be viewed HERE.

Thank you Velocity Invitational for an incredible event. We look forward to running with you again! LONG LIVE THE Z!

 

Since Nissan lent us the 2023 Z to enjoy during Monterey Car Week we have been attending events and sharing the Z with fellow enthusiasts. On 8/17 we started with the Motorlux kick-off celebration (formerly McCall’s Motorworks Revival). On Friday and Saturday we attended the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca. Finally on Sunday we closed with a visit to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Enjoy our report with photos video from Car Week in the new Z!

 

Vintage Racing at Laguna Seca

 

We love vintage racing and had a blast at this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. On Friday we parked the new Z in Row C of the paddock with our friends from Racecraft. Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula piloted the Greg Alderman 300ZX and a Nissan 240SX, both in IMSA trim. The Z31 features our ZCG CV Axles:

 

The new Z was well-received at the race track. We showed people around the car and let them check it out, always happy to share with enthusiasts! Many people shared their love for the Z and posted photos on social media (thank you!). Below L to R: Larry Oka displaying Gary Cooks’ Z, Rob showing the new Z in Racecraft paddock and Meghan Fuller with the legend Pete Brock:

 

Hanging out with the Breakfast Club

 

Before heading to the track on Saturday, just before the races we joined the Breakfast Club Rally at their pre-rally gathering in Carmel. The BCR organizers kindly gave us a spot to park the new Z during their social hour from 8-9am prior to the event start. It was a great time chatting with new and familiar enthusiasts. We loved seeing our client Jay W with family creating memories in his Datsun 510 featuring our Z Car Garage CV Axles:

 

BCR’s rallies always bring a variety of vintage and modern metal, more photos in the gallery below and don’t forget to join us for Breakfast Club’s upcoming Tokyo Calling2 event 9/24!

 

From Carmel we headed back to Laguna Seca with the new Z for even more racing action. It is worth noting the complete absence of any vintage Z cars Datsun 510s on track at this year’s reunion. Have no fear as the upcoming Velocity Invitational will have a dedicated B-Sedan race group and many Z cars racing! Despite the lack of Datsuns on track we enjoyed the Trans Am and other feature race groups.

 

We left RMMR happy and ready for more Monterey Car Week fun. As if we did not receive enough attention in the paddock, Rob and Meghan were flagged down by CHP– only to inquire about the new Z 🙂

 

Pebble Beach Concours

 

A spectacular ending to Monterey Car Week was Sunday’s visit to the 71st Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Rob and I drove the Z one last time back to Monterey and spotted our friend Tony on the road in his mint 13B-powered Mazda RX-2. Arriving in Pebble Beach, event parking along the famous 17-Mile Drive was a car show itself with cool cars lining the shore:

    

We were bussed into Concours Village and immediately greeted by the Japanese Automotive Invitational(JAI):

 

This display showcased 17 historically significant Japanese cars within several categories including: Concept Cars, “Kei” and Small Cars, Luxury Sedans, Sports Cars, Coupes/Hatchbacks, and Trucks/Utilities. Z Car Garage was proud to support and help prepare the iconic 2003 Infiniti FX45, owned by former INFINITI designer, Julien Thiebaud:

 

Our friend Sean Morris and his team at Toprank International Vehicle Importers showed two stunning Nissan Skylines: an R34 GT-R in rare Midnight Purple II (above) and Kenmeri C110 GT-R:

 

Daniel Song’s Datsun 240Z built by JDM Legends, a “Hakosuka” Skyline and Jun Imai ‘s (of Hot Wheels fame) Datsun 510 Wagon. As with previous JAI displays this was free and open to the general public, more photos in the gallery below!

 

From the JAI we walked past the Concours Village and entered the ticketed, official Pebble Beach Concours….or so I thought. Here, Mercedes Benz had their own display and so did Ferrari. Apparently this was “just a taste” of what lie ahead!

Ferrari display:

 

Mercedes display:

 

The Concept Lawn in front of the lodge was barely visible due to the crowds of photographers and admirers trying to get eyes on the latest dream machines from Koenigsegg, Genesis, Hennessey and Guntherwerks. Lincoln’s new L100 Concept stood out as did Czinger’s 21C hypercar.

 

The Lawn at Pebble Beach

 

The competition field awaited us and I was not prepared for what lie beyond the Lodge…over 200 automotive treasures lined the 17th and 18th holes of the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links. Nestled amid prewar classics were Alfa Romeos, Aston Martins, Packards, and Duesenbergs. We were among well-heeled car enthusiasts sharing similar interests in admiring ornate sculpted hood ornaments, gleaming art deco designs and distressed leather seats.

 

Making this experience even better were our longtime friends Jan Trondsen and Dave Sholz. In addition to being die-hard car enthusiasts and Datsun owners, they are both seasoned Pebble Beach attendees and gave us the royal tour. With MOET in hand, we embarked on a journey back in time to admire metal, leather and artistry. The 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans was celebrated this year at Pebble. Our favorites included the 1979 Porsche 935 K3 Coupe and 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti Berlinetta:

 

Many attendees at the Pebble Beach concours dressed like it was the Kentucky Derby of motorsport.  Party-style suits and dresses, bright colors, and feather-clad hats brightened the lawn during the morning fog along the bay. We had several celebrity sightings including Chip Foose, Wayne Carini and ex-Formula One driver David Coulthard!

 

The judging process at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has two parts: Class Judges focus on originality and authenticity, while Honorary Judges focus on attention to design, styling and elegance. Dave pointed out that none of the cars we saw are allowed to participate the following year…

 

This Duesenberg caught my attention as the judges scrutinized it. I was able to capture video of the straight-8 engine firing up as well it was beyond impressive:

 

Enjoy this video showing our time at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and Pebble Beach Concours!

 

After a few intense hours of geeking-out on the cars we took a break for a meal. Huge thanks to Infiniti and Jul Thiebaud for hosting us!

 

So who was the Best of Show winner? That fabulous 1932 Duesenberg Model J that I captured being scrutinized by the judges!  To be eligible to win Best of Show which is the event’s highest award a car must first win its class. What a machine!

 

With the show concluding we parted with our friends Jan and Dave. Rob and I headed home in the new Z. The bus ride back to the Z was again another car show along the 17-Mile Drive. We spotted an R34 Skyline GT-R and Z31:

   

 

Thank You!

 

We can’t thank Nissan and Infiniti enough for the opportunity to share the new Z and enjoy Monterey Car Week. Stay tuned for dyno testing, in-car and exhaust video for this 9-speed automatic Performance model. Enjoy the photo gallery below and Long Live The Z!

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