On August 7-9, the Historic Motorsports Association (HMSA) hosted Driver Appreciation Weekend at Laguna Seca. Z Car Garage was fortunate to participate and support several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 8. It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our report with exclusive in-car footage and photos from the ever-impressive paddock!

 

The Race Must Go On!

 

In the midst of this pandemic, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (RMMR) event was cancelled. More commonly known as the “historics” at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, this epic vintage race is part of several events occupying the week-long Monterey car festival leading up to the Pebble Beach Concours, which was also cancelled. So how were we able to race at Laguna Seca? Rob Fuller explains…

 

….”When HMSA announced a “Driver Appreciation Weekend” in August I immediately spoke with Barry at Laguna Seca to request a race group for B-Sedans. We made a case for the ask: our cars have raced with SVRA, CSRG and it’s a fun group to watch. Barry agreed. Glenn Chiou (racer and ambassador of vintage racing) put in hard work and rallied everyone he knew with a B-Sedan car, from both the John Morton Cup and the Historic B&C Sedan class. We had seventeen Datsun 510s plus a bunch of Alfas and BMWs.”

 

 

So despite the RMMR cancellation, on what would have been the “Pre-Historics” weekend we had an amazing time racing at Laguna Seca with HMSA. Troy Ermish transported our two customer cars and we towed our own car down Friday 8/7. Check-in and registration at the track was a breeze. Volunteers and workers from SCCA, HMSA, and ‘Seca did an incredible job making sure the event was safe. If you can imagine it, the Driver Appreciation weekend was very close to the past RMMR events, only with folks wearing masks and distancing. Make no mistake, there were clearly smiles behind those masks and joy visible in everyone’s eyes…this is the racing we all live for!

 

Z Car Garage Supports Four Datsun 510s!

 

It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Our services do include full race support and car-preparation to help make client’s race days seamless and worry-free so they can focus on driving. One of our specialties is dyno tuning. Before a race weekend we confirm that your car is running well and make necessary adjustments while on the chassis dyno. Below is a video of two Datsun 510 B-Sedans (Kelvin and Randy’s) on the dyno prior to the Driver Appreciation weekend. Enjoy the sweet L-series music!

 

510s Galore!

With seventeen Datsun 510s in Group 8 it was a Dime-lover’s dream to be in the paddock and watch the races. Although the event did not allow spectators, we’ve got you covered! Here is a video showing all the 510s running, with action from our paddock, starting grid and Turn 6. Turn those speakers up and enjoy!

 

Let’s take a look at the Datsun 510s that we supported:

#7 Kelvin

 

Beginning with our customers, Kelvin had a really successful race weekend at the CSRG David Love Vintqge Races in Sonoma back in July. Unfortunately at ‘Seca his engine failed after a short time on track.  Stay tuned for a full report and enjoy these closer shots of Kelvin’s beautiful 510:

 

#72 Tom Dockery

Tom Dockery drove his Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510. This car made its debut in May 2019 and we are excited to share its full story and profile Tom’s journey into racing soon.

Tom had a blast here are his thoughts on the race weekend:

“I would have NEVER imagined I would be so comfortable putting on my racing gear a long side John Morton let alone line up beside him on grid.  The man is a true steward of the game. The event bought me new comfort for Laguna Seca. The was part Rob coaching, part the caliber of the B-Sedan drivers and the bond between B-Sedan drivers. This was my first weekend on Fresh Hoosier R7 tires, what a difference! I am still not completely comfortable in the car. We have made changes at every race to get me there.  Every change and improvement. But I now need to make some big changes to get the seat in the right spot. The ZCar Garage Team was on top of everything. Thanks to Keith, Nick and Josh!”

 

“I was on my second outing with fresh R7’s …. what a difference. But the magic was the grid. The 5 five guys for the morning session which included Troy, Rob, Taz, Steve and the other BMW with Jim, got the organizers to grid them at the back. The resulting first two laps was nuts. So even though I was getting my butt kicked there was lots of action.”

 

 

#21 John Morton

Our hero John Morton drove Randy Jaffe’s Newport Datsun 510. This car was owned by Glenn Chiou (Ermish-built).

 

After Glenn sold the car we helped Randy ship it to his hometown in Georgia. Randy is a huge motorsports fan and really admires John Morton so he had the 510 shipped back to ZCG in July to run the Driver Appreciation event. At the shop we dyno’d and prepped the car for John Morton to race:

 

It was great to see Randy’s touches added to the 510. On race weekend John Morton, even at age 78, remained competitive in the Group 8 field.

      Here is in-car video of John Morton driving the #21 Newport Datsun 510:

#7 Rob Fuller

With the assistance of ZCG crew Josh, Nick and Keith we also supported ZCG owner Rob Fuller in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car:

 

Rob performed admirably with a fastest time of 1:44.6

    

You can see in-car footage of Rob below, and note the reverse-style starting grid where the front runners were placed in the back to begin!

Catch more of Rob’s sessions on his Youtube Channel and here is a great video with multiple angles showing Rob battling with Steve Walker (BMW 2002):

 

510 Friends!

Many notable Datsun 510 racers were in Group 8, all sharing the competitive spirit. On Saturday I had to arrange all the cars for a group photoshoot. Thanks to all that helped make this possible!

 

#33 Glenn Chiou

Directly across from us was our buddy Glenn Chiou, running his Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510. This car made its debut in May at the SVRA event at Laguna Seca.

 

It is also worth noting that Glenn is one of the few “privateer” racers in the field. He sets up his own race car in his garage and his crew are friends Erich and Lloyd. Glenn is currently performing a full restoration of this 510 and we know it will be #periodcorrect on top of being ultra-clean!

#91 Troy Ermish

Troy Ermish is a phenomenal driver and always fun to watch. We were fortunate to share our tent with him and his freshly restored “Penny” 510 that handily won the B-sedan race! Not only did he help transport our cars to RMMR, his rig also provided us room to park the ZCG race cars. Thanks Troy!

    

Troy at work. Penny’s chassis is just as beautiful as the body:

   

#52 Jim Froula

Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft in the Ex- Harry Stewart Datsun 510:

   

Jim pitted next to us, hosting Steve Walker and Adam Carolla with some really cool cars. Jim is also a fierce competitor:

 

#90 Adam Carolla

 

Adam Carolla raced his newly built Ex-Greg Sorrentino 510. The restoration by RacecraftNW was meticulous, right down to the Sterling wheels.

  

We are proud to see our Z Car Garage CV Axles on this expertly-prepared 510. As always, the media follows Adam and his racing adventures:)

 

Datsun Roadsters

The largest recent gathering of Datsun Roadsters at Laguna Seca was at the 2018 RMMR. At the Driver Appreciation event there was a lone roadster on the track; Michael Anderson and his Franklin/McDowell ’68 2000.

 

Mike was in Group 3 with high-power cars yet he still managed to advance with a great battle against Alan Terpin’s Porsche 911. Here is in-car video from Mike, enjoy!

Living my roadster dream

Thanks to ZCG, I was able to park my roadster in the paddock and roam around the track. With no spectators, many of the vantage points often crowded were vacant and peaceful:

 

Here is a video with Mike’s roadster in the paddock, and when I arrived at ‘Seca:

 

Paddock Finds

 

The best part of the RMMR has to be the paddock. Home to all the race cars and their teams, massive car transporters and an all-around pure sensory overload. At every corner there is wicked metal with history begging to be told. This year, the Driver Appreciation was just as great. I found this (AH3) R32 Skyline GT-R!

 

Wicked 2nd-gen Trans Am Camaro, 190E 2.3 EVO DTM (RacecraftNW), Testarossa, wild Monza and more in the gallery below!

 

This video will make you feel like you are in the paddock. Enjoy the sights and sounds including  favorite group, the Trans Am cars!

Camaraderie

A common love for racing and Datsuns, this was an event filled with helping teammates and enjoying company.

   

Living Legends

Special thanks to John Morton and Sylvia Wilkinson for joining us! It is an honor share the track with you.

 

Thank you!

We hope you have enjoyed our report from the 2020 Driver Appreciation Weekend! Please browse our mega-gallery of pictures from race weekend below. Big thanks to our friends and family members that helped us make this possible including Glenn Chiou, Troy and Ashley Ermish, Meghan Fuller, Keith Corwin, Larry Oka, Randy Jaffe, and ZCG Crew: Josh and Nick. We certainly enjoyed the company of friends and visitors in our paddock, here’s to another year of vintage racing in Monterey, California.

*See you in October for the CSRG Charity Challenge in Sonoma!*

 

…[read more]

Randy Jaffe is an avid car guy and Datsun enthusiast. Beyond his fanatic attention to detail and love for Nissan racing he’s excessive–in the best way possible and we love him for it.  Several years ago we teamed up with Randy to turn his BRE Datsun 240z show car into a competitive vintage road-race car.

 

He was impressed with our work on the BRE Z and told us about another Z project that he was working on but stalled out in Atlanta.  We decided it was time to finish this ultimate track/street car with a healthy dose of his personality. The highlight of this Series 1 240z is a full Rocketbunny body kit with plenty of Z Car Garage touches. Let’s take a closer look at the build:

 

Origins

The creation of the Rocketbunny Z changed courses many times as the build evolved, as Randy recalls:

“I wanted to build a series 1 Radical fun Street car with a completely different look. We started off thinking we would do conventional flares and conventional displacement for a 240 Z. Then my painter Bryson was doing the bodywork and had just installed a Rocketbunny kit on a 350Z and asked me to take a look at that particular body kit. I knew of the first one completed by Sung Kang and I think it was the second or third kit to come to the country when we ordered it from Japan directly.”

 

“The paint color which originally was going to be Porsche’s lava orange evolved because of Michael Eberhardt to Porsche‘s late 60s color called Tangerine. Tangerine painted with a white sub-coat pops where Helen Keller could see the color! Since I am color blind, the brighter the color the better I can see it.  Bryson welded an amazing full roll cage as I decided to create the car as a street and track beast.”

The body was amazingly painted and caged by Bryson of Classic Livery of Atlanta. They are known for many high-end commissions including several RWB Porsche’s for Akira Nakai. Randy’s transporter trekked from Atlanta to drop off this gorgeous chassis at ZCG and our work began.

Assembly Required: Race Chassis Prep

 

The chassis was temporarily mounted on rollers while we prepped suspension pieces. Following the “race-car for the street” theme, we re-created the entire front and rear BRE 240z suspension setup. Everything that the #46 race car has is on this street car from DP racing front/rear struts, koni shocks, identical spring rates, sway bar, adjustable end links, plated finish…all of it. More pictures in the gallery below!

Front and rear:

 

Z Car Garage Big-Brakes

There are two versions of our ZCG Big Brakes  and the only three “racing” setups on are on the BRE car, Alex’s Hako and the Rocketbunny Z:

 

Stay tuned for our latest big-brake upgrade from the minds of ZCG and Stoptech!

 

Back to the chassis, the entire hydraulic system was installed starting with freshly plated lines.

 

DP remote reservoir and plated pedal box:

 

Z Car Garage CV Axles

Z Car Garage is proud to offer a CV axle conversion kit for Datsun S30 and 510 cars. We run these on our race cars and the Rocketbunny Z also got a set.

 

Helping put the power down effectively is an OS Giken limited-slip R180 diff properly set up in-house by Joshua Corwin.

 

Wheels Make The Car

 

The biggest hurdle on this car was wheel choice.  Wheels can make or break the car and they had to befit the “KAMIKAZ” nickname.  There was no way we would have a car with massive flares and not use every single square inch of real estate available to fill with wheel and tire.

 

We sourced some Panasport C8 centers and began a custom build with MemoryFab who was instrumental in helping us with fitment/barrel sizing. Up front are 17×10 with a 275/35/17 tire and 17×12 rear with 335/35/17 tire (NT-01R). At the time there were no other RB cars running a 335 in back! .

 

We spent many hours making the kit fit around these wheels/tires so there was no rubbing:

 

Everyone was pleased with wheel choice for KAMIKAZ, especially Randy:

“I had already ordered and received a set of Watanabe wheels from Japan however they would not work with the rocket bunny kit so when I sent the car to Rob Fuller at Z car garage he did his magic and created a set of custom wheels using a set of Panasport racing C8 NOS wheels. 10 inch wheels on the front 12 inch wheels on the back by 17s gives the car and unreal stance.”

 

Race Engine

 

We had Rebello build a nasty 3.2L for the Z running triple-Mikuni’s, 12:5:1 compression (110 leaded fuel) backed by a 280zx 5-speed. Randy gave us a blank canvas to assemble the entire car but ZCG touches really shine in the engine bay.

“I basically wanted my 46Z race car for the street and asked Rob Fuller to further tap into his magic box so we built a 3.2 race motor full race suspension and the whole 9 yards! Rob and his guys built an amazing car using special finishes on some of the metal work under the hood and the car is just insane to drive.”

Here are a few pictures of the assembly with many more in the gallery. Aluminum flywheel with twin-plate setup and comp oil pan just like BRE car:

   

Triple Mikuni induction:

 

Engine going in and detail work beginning. We re-created the cooling system from the BRE car and ran all of the chassis wiring.

 

The catch can, radiator and Datsun roadster overflow are all period parts that BRE used and duplicated for the Rocketbunny:

 

 

Interior

With drivetrain and chassis sorted we moved to the interior. Continuing the race car theme is a stripped (but pretty) body-color interior with that beautiful roll cage from Bryson.

The dash was covered in Alcantara. We installed and wired it up with period gauges. All switch gear similar to the BRE car:

 

A few more detail shots:

 

A Braille battery from our friend Gary Savage sits behind the passenger seat:

 

Sparco Pro 2000 seats:

 

Chassis wiring for Euro-spec lights:

 

ZCG door seal upgrade with sound deadening panels. The Z was nearing completion.

 

Enter the JGRBOMB

 

This was our quickest build to date so we could make a debut at the 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, CA. The night before our roadtrip down to SoCal we applied a Jagermeister livery to the car. Randy’s inspiration came from his obsession with Porsche, and the Max Moritz Racing Porsche 934:

 

“I love race liveries and told the guys at the car garage I wanted to do the Jagermeister racing package on this car and they were not really hip to it but Bryson and I discussed it several times and we both thought it would take the car to the next level.  However I stuck with my gut and flew out to San Jose with the livery kit a few days before JCCS and after the first hood decal Rob and his guys were scratching their head thinking hmmm – This may not be a bad idea LOL.”

 

Rob and I finished applying the decals late in the night before going to Long Beach and we received a lot of positive feedback at that show and then the car came back to ZCon in Atlanta and won a Gold Cup award. The car was also shown at SEMA in 2018 where again the car received an immense amount of positive feedback.”

Indeed, the livery on the Rocketbunny (KAMIKAZ) Z looked fantastic and Randy eventually affixed the JGRBOMB license plate to match. We are happy to report that while at JCCS  Randy’s Z won 1st place, Best 240z in a class filled with incredible Z cars!

 

It was also well-received at Z Con and the SEMA show (thanks to Gary and Braille!). That’s BRE front-man Peter Brock and the designer of the Rocketbunny body kit, Kei Miura both signing the Z:

 

 

That BRE Exhaust

We wanted to do a BRE exhaust so we used the Fujitsubo headers and a straight twin-exit with megaphones exactly like the BRE original set up, Randy notes the white color:

 

“Of course BRE had theirs painted yellow from day one and still are but I wanted to do the rocket bunny exhaust megaphones in white to play off the livery. Many vintage race cars have white headers and exhaust so it made sense to me. So the audio level is the same as the 46Z and will wake up the dead.”

  

How does it sound? Check out this short video with a dyno run, enjoy!

 

 

Details

It would take multiple blog posts to cover all the special details throughout this build. Some highlights include fully polishing all trim pieces like quarters, drip rails, etc. Re-keying locks. Even the mirror was done to Randy’s liking.

Things like the differential temperature gauge behind the old gas fill door have a purpose and pay homage to the Datsun vintage race cars. Contrastingly, there are small modern updates like vintage H4 headlights retrofitted with HID units.

We asked Randy what’s it like to drive:

“To me there’s no difference in driving this and the 46Z it’s almost the same build except more rubber on this one!”

To us that is a great compliment because we set out to finish Randy’s vision of the ultimate street/track BRE-flavored Z.

“I find myself several nights a week just walking around the car in my shop and admiring the build that Rob, Josh and the crew at Z Car Garage created.”

We thank Randy for letting us be creative on this Z and it’s been rewarding to see his taste reflected in other builds. This was a fun project and we enjoyed every moment of it. Browse the extensive photo gallery and LONG LIVE THE Z!

 

…[read more]

 Dear Zcarblog readers, this is our belated race report from the 2019 Rolex event. Long overdue but a good reminder of the 2020 Rolex coming this August! Enjoy the picture gallery, paddock finds and our video footage with in-car action…

We had a tremendous week racing at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 14-16.  More commonly known as the “historics” at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, this epic vintage race is part of several events occupying the week-long Monterey car festival leading up to the Pebble Beach Concours. Every year the RMMR highlights a featured marque but for 2019 the International Motor Sports Association, better known as IMSA , was celebrated.

 

Typically we would be joining a large group of fellow Nissan/Datsun owners on the race track but it was a bit different this year. Despite IMSA being the featured marque many of us did not gain admission.  Fortunately, our customer Alex McDowell got his Nissan Bluebird and Datsun 280ZX accepted along with newcomer Doug and his DeKon Monza. As a service offered to our customers, we provided full trackside support in addition to race preparation/tuning for the RMMR event.

Serious recognition for Japanese Classics

 

The Reunion is a highlight for race fans, but it is also part of Monterey Car Week which is filled with classy events like auctions and the famous Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance.  The Japanese Automotive Invitational hosted by Infiniti returned since its inaugural event last year. While I did not have a chance to visit the JAI, our friends at Japanese Nostalgic Car did. We are proud of several Datsuns displayed:  Steve Tetreault’s  stunning ’64 Datsun 1500 (from Florida!), John Baker’s 1969 Datsun 2000,  Brian Kippen’s 1972 Datsun 240z and Nissan Patrol and the Jim Froula-restored Ex-Greg Sorrentino 510 B-sedan:

Epic racing

The IMSA GT group (5A) was a fantastic mix of our favorite cars like the Z car, Porsche 911, BMW CSL and American muscle like the DeKon Monza and Corvette.  Z Car Garage supported Alex McDowell in the 1979 Datsun 280zx and Doug Stevens’ in the 1976 DeKon Monza.

 

Alex McDowell in the Jim Fitzgerald Datsun 280zx

 

Alex did really well this year, having run the RMMR a few times now. The Fitzy 280zx received a fresh engine with more power and performed flawlessly.

 

It was unfortunate that our familiar Datsun buddies were not on track with us:  only Alex and David Martin in the Friselle 240Z were out there repping Datsun.  The two had a great battle with Alex eventually pulling away from David, enjoy the in-car footage from the 280zx below.

 

The DeKon Monza

 

Z Car Garage supported three race cars at the 2019 RMMR and the biggest challenge was a new kid in town…Doug Stevens and his DeKon Monza. He hails out of Bakersfield, CA and came to ZCG for a dyno session on referral from Chad Raynall of Impeccable Inc..  Doug wanted to get the DeKon dialed in after it been mothballed for years. It’s always been a goal of his to run the RMMR, so we fully prepared this car, having to change many parts.

 

Our first race was at the Sonoma Historics where Doug lost a wheel causing him to go off track. The left rear flare and bumper/taillight were damaged. So there we were in late June with the Rolex approaching in August. Doug sourced a fender flare and we called upon our man William to fuse it into the existing bodywork…the damage was undetectable and patina retained!

 

At RMMR, more problems arose. Rob recounts the events at the Pre-Historics (a “practice” weekend proceeding RMMR):

“The way the rear suspension is designed it loads rear wheel bearings heavily. The combination of a wide 15″ tire, high power and grip allows the seal to wallow out. A few hot-rod fixes were not applied to this car b/c it has a real vintage setup, yet to be updated. We fought that over the weekend, sorted it out and Doug was able to finish the session.”

Then, in the last practice session of Pre-Historics weekend we lost a brake line and caliper which resulted in a fire in both front wheels.

  

We were stranded without a wheel or replacement front brake setup. Missing the big show was becoming a possibility. We towed car back to the shop Sunday afternoon. Josh and the ZCG team helped sort the front braking system with new brackets fabricated and last minute work from Brian Kippen.  By 9pm the car was back together and now the backup wheels won’t fit over the new brakes. We looked all over for a replacement wheel including racers and the BBS factory with no luck. Success: Chad Raynall called us with old wheel centers and Larry Oka had the old hardware.

 

Doug finished the final Group 5A race at the RMMR, Rob:

“After sorting issues the Monza ran wonderfully at RMMR. Doug’s family and parents came out and it reminded me of when Joel Anderson first went out. We are lucky to help someone realize their goal, a shared dream that we also have. It was rewarding to be with his family with hugs all around, so gracious. Doug will return this winter for a full teardown/inspections.”

 

We will have a zcarblog full feature on the Monza, for now here is a nice one from Stanceworks

Alex McDowell in the Bluebird

The Group 4B (GT cars under 2.5L) had some heated battles between Alex in the Bluebird and John Wilkins in the Ex-Bob Studdard Datsun 2000. Watch them mix it up with Porsche 911s and an Alfa GTZ piloted by Gunnar Jeaneatte in the video below:

   

Notes from Rob:

 “Alex and Bluebird really work well together. That car finished 5th in the race. We had a few issues with a hit and the right front strut got damaged. With help from Jim Froula we were able to weld it in their bay and get Alex back on the track. Adding to the drama was more car contact as got bumped a little.”

Watch this extended in-car video below of Alex piloting the 280zx with extra footage of the Bluebird and DeKon Monza:

 

 

You can see more IMSA race coverage on Speedhunters.

 

Paddock Highlights

The best part of the RMMR has to be the paddock. Home to all the race cars and their teams, massive car transporters and an all-around pure sensory overload. At every corner there is wicked metal with history begging to be told.

 

Rob displayed his 1967 Datsun 2000. Everyone loved it:

Bring a Trailer

Our friends from Bring a Trailer hosted a really cool car corral near turn 3. Filled with cars won through BaT, this was so much fun to walk through. We hope they do it yearly!

 

A few S30s including our customer Jim H’s 1971 240z

 

Paddock finds

 

From massive transporters, to exotics and downright crazy vehicles the paddock never disappoints. Here’s a few of my favorites, more in the gallery!

   

Sights and Sounds!

Enjoy this video from the paddock and starting grid

 

 

People

Contributing to the fun were family and friends. Our customer Jim H got acquainted with the previous owner of his Z, Les Cannaday:

 

We were humbled by the number of people that stopped by including fellow Datsun owners and Randy Jaffe, Kurt Hafer and Jan Trondsen:

 

   Ace photographers Naveed and Courtney:

 

Thank you!

We hope you have enjoyed our recap of the 2019 Monterey Historics! Please browse our mega-gallery of pictures from race weekend below. Big thanks to our friends and family members that helped us make this possible including Larry Oka, Chad Raynall, Brian Kippen, Jim Froula and the ZCG Crew: Josh, Nick, Keith, Cory and Meghan Fuller. We certainly enjoyed the company of friends and visitors in our paddock, here’s to another year of vintage racing in Monterey, California.

 

Long Live The Z!

Z CARS RULE ONCE AGAIN at Laguna Seca at the next RMMR! That’s right we have submitted our race car applications for RMMR 2020, featured marque announced soon! …[read more]

 

Yesterday we attended the DrivingWhileAwesome (DWA) Cars & Coffee event in Santa Cruz, CA. The event impressed us again with a fun vibe and superb variety of cars. Before the 9am meeting our group of enthusiasts enjoyed a brisk driving session en route to Santa Cruz. I was lucky to drive the ZCG shop car, a 1970 Datsun 240z. We started at the junction of HWY 92 and Skyline with a nice gathering:

 

Leading the pack was Naveed in his Hot Rod Porsche 912. You can follow the build of this 911 6-cylinder powered rocket over on Speedhunters.

 

Pall’s R32 Skyline in (AH3) Pearl Red. Pall K acquired this Pearl Red (AH3) R32 from our friend Sean and his team at Toprank International Vehicle Importers.  We love the gorgeous paint color and Volk TE37SLs. He is also a ZCG customer!

 

Jeremy’s BMW 5-series Touring with a GM LS3 E-rod crate engine:

 

Matt’s G-body 911 with 17″ Fuchs and center exit exhaust…my newest P-car crush?

 

Andrei’s E36 M3

 

One of the many perks of DWA Morning Motors is its location surrounded by the best driving roads. Leaving the 92/35 junction we headed towards Alice’s Restaurant and HWY 84. Down to Stage through Cloverdale and finally Gazos Creek carrying us to HWY1 along the coastline to our destination. We arrived at 9am on the dot, thanks Naveed!

 

Mandatory Nissan/Datsun

I was happy to see a few more Nissans and Datsuns at MorningMotors. 260z!

 

There were a three Datsun 510s! Mark’s has been at the shop so stay tuned for a full report:

 

 

Dustin Frisk’s KA24-powered 510 on Longchamp XR-4 wheels:

 

A nearly-stock appearing 4-door 510:

 

Another ZCG customer, Eric’s FX sporting suspension and R35 GT-R wheels. Full report soon!

 

Two 300zx (Z32) NAs and G37 Sedan:

 

R32 Skyline 4-door, 350z, R35 and Infiniti Q45:

 

In Search of J-Tin

Morning Motors did not disappoint if you are Japanese Classic fans. Looking splendid were these white, boosted 80’s Hero’s: a DSM Conquest and Isuzu Impulse with snazzy interiors!

 

NA Miatas!

 

 

Turbo B-series DC2 Integra and a pair of EM1 Civic Si’s!

  

Honda S600 with a Motocompo!

Mazda FC RX-7 Turbo sitting on rad Panasport G7 wheels:

 

RHD, turbo diesel Land Cruiser!

 

So much variety! Enjoy this short video:

Euro Classics

 

Gen’s 911 Turbo S2 (964)

 

Outlaw 356 and lots of BMW 2002s:

 

Retro Sporting’s Mk2 Escort with tons of fab work. They are hosting a vintage car-only track day April 10th, check it out HERE

 

 

British

 

 

American Muscle

From 60’s to 80’s

 

This G-body Monte Carlo SS was badass!

 

Vette’s:

Eclectic

 

DWA CnC is definitely my kind of cars and coffee. It’s a great venue with amazing driving roads nearby and the cars were so diverse. We highly recommend checking it out! Thanks to the DWA crew for hosting. If you haven’t already, listen to their podcast and make sure you give them a follow on Instagram.
More pictures in the gallery below!

LONG LIVE THE Z!

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Last Sunday we attended the DrivingWhileAwesome (DWA) Cars & Coffee event in Santa Cruz, CA. Our group of friends left from San Jose and headed up HWY 17 on a chilly morning with myself, Rob and Meghan in our Datsun Roadsters, Geoff in his BMW 2002 and Ty in the 991 Porsche:

 

We were stoked to see Rob’s Datsun 2000 on the road with refreshed Mikuni-Solex carbs and it sounded wonderful. Full report soon!

 

In Search of J-Tin

The venue has moved since we last caught the DWA gathering in Davenport.  Sunday’s event was held at the new location across from the Old Wrigley Building in Santa Cruz. By 9am the parking lot filled rapidly with a great diversity in marque and era.

 

Although attendance was mostly Euro/Italian, many Japanese gems showed up. Let’s start with the Nissan/Datsun showing. Ray’s Hakosuka Skyline was a pleasant surprise.

 

The last time we saw Ray was at the Golden Week Kyusha Festival where I learned that this Hako was from our friends at JDM Legends! We look forward to seeing Ray for some upgrades on this already stunning Skyline.

 

Happy to see Courtney and her 1973 240z.

 

VQ-powered S30, R32 Skyline, S14 240sx and Infiniti Q45:

   

More J-tin goodness! Lloyd’s Corolla was a crowd favorite (mine as well) sporting a 4AGE fed by ITBs, Levin front end and perfect Volk TE37s. This AE86 coupe complements his F20C powered AE86 Hatch.

 

Glenn’s sexy FD RX-7:

 

Two black NSXs

 

Making our Datsun Roadsters look big was this Honda TN7 “Kei” pickup:

  

Euro Classics

Yearning for Porsche’s? Or something a bit less “mainstream”? DWA CnC did not disappoint.

 

Two Panteras:

  

Geoff’s 2002 and an E28 M5:

 

 

Pretty Alfas:

 

VWs: Scirocco and a LSx-swapped Caddy!

 

Austin Healey:

 

Porsche Galore:  914s, 944s, swb 911s, 991s

 

American classics as well! Here is a Plymouth Belvedere and International Harvester Travelall:

 

DWA CnC was definitely my kind of cars and coffee. It’s a great venue with amazing driving roads nearby and the cars were so diverse. We highly recommend checking it out! Thanks to the DWA crew for hosting. If you haven’t already, listen to their podcast and make sure you give them a follow on Instagram.
More pictures in the gallery below!

 

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