Dear Zcarblog readers, it’s been a busy year and we are catching up on blog posts. Please enjoy our belated race reports from October and November.

WE LOVE RACING! Z Car Garage attended two events with Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG): the Charity Challenge at Sonoma Raceway 10/2 and the CSRG Finale at Thunderhill Raceway 11/4. We raced and supported several client’s Datsun 510s running in the B-Sedan Group (John Morton Cup). Everyone had a blast, enjoy our race report with in-car video and photos below.

  

CSRG Charity Challenge

Z Car Garage Supports Six Datsun 510s!

 

The 19th Annual CSRG Charity Challenge was held on October 1-2 and we had one of our largest ZCG client groups with 6 B-Sedan 510 race cars. It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Z Car Garage trackside services include full race support and car-preparation to make client’s race days seamless and worry-free so they can focus on driving. Before a race weekend we confirm that your car is running well and make necessary adjustments while on the chassis dyno:

 

#88 Todd Rueppel

Todd had his first Z Car Garage trackside support experience with us at the Laps For Laguna event!

 

#7 Kelvin Tse

Kelvin and his brother Kenny are regular ZCG trackside support clients…

  

#71 Ed M

Ed M is also a regular ZCG trackside support client, we also prepare his Porsche 911 for vintage events!

  

Gabe’s B-Sedan. Full report on our race preparation of this 510 soon!

  

Kelvin’s Ex-Ted Gruner TransAm 510, driven by his brother Kenny:

 

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car

     

Enjoy this video of the B-Sedan Datsuns in action at the Charity Challenge with photos and race recap from Rob below:

 

Rob recaps the Charity Challenge B-Sedan races:

“Everyone had a great time at the Charity Challenge. Gabe unfortunately had an engine failure, but before that he was putting down some good times. The Tse brothers Kelvin and Kenny did really well and Ed was rocking and rolling. In the B-Sedan class I had really good racing with Parker McKean in his Alfa Romeo. The group wasn’t as large as it usually is, but still fun!”

 

“Another mechanical was in the afternoon race where Parker got a really good start but I noticed my 510 was down on power. Coming out of Turn 10 I noticed my temperature gauge was higher than I’d ever seen it. Pulled in and unfortunately I had a failed head gasket. So, double mechanicals (IMSA Z, below) for me. Very rare but still had a great time racing with the group.”

Photo by Kevin Gray

The 2023 Nissan Z as Pace Car!

 

Z Car Garage has been fortunate to spend some time with the 2023 Nissan Z prior to its public reveal. We asked Nissan if they would lend us the New Z for a good cause at the Charity Challenge and they happily obliged with a Performance model in Two-Tone Ikazuchi Yellow TriCoat / Super Black:

Photo by Josel Cobangbang

Rob was happy to wheel the New Z around the track:

“One of the coolest things about this years’s Charity Challenge was that Nissan lent us the new Z for a pace car and charity rides. We loved seeing Nissan’s new sports car before its release leading the field of vintage cars in every run group. Even the pace car driver was super stoked. In its 19th year the Charity Challenge has raised millions for children’s charities and they allowed me to be a driver on Sat/Sun to give 4-5 rides which included a warm-up lap, race lap and cool-down lap.”

Photo by Bryan Delohery

 

“I really enjoyed driving the new Nissan Z at speed, granted it certainly wasn’t at 10/10ths but I was to able entertain riders that donated for charity. It did really well and it is powerful, and I gotta tell you all weekend long there was crowd around that new Z car. I really appreciate Nissan believing in us..bringing both the new and old sports cars together and thank them for their support. Can’t wait to have our own 2023 Z at Z Car Garage.”

 

Enjoy this video with in-car action from the New Z with Rob Fuller giving charity rides around Sonoma Raceway:

 

The #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU 240Z

 

Rob also raced the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z for the first time at Sonoma Raceway:

“My IMSA car has pretty good history at Sears Point (now Sonoma Raceway); it came from the Bondurant School and actually held a record there. This was my first time behind the wheel of the Z at this track and unfortunately we had transmission issues. On Sunday’s race I was 3rd in Group 8 against an IMSA Z and 911. Both drivers were fast. We had made some changes to our Z between Sat/Sunday so I was excited for the big feature race. On lap 3 I had sheared the roll pin in 3rd gear so it would no longer go in to 3rd. Exited at the carousel, to avoid contact with other racers. We look forward to developing the IMSA car further.”

 

The Charity Challenge was fun with the usual group of folks, Tank, Meghan, lots of snacks and good times. We are excited for next year’s event!

 

The CSRG Finale

On November 4-6, Classic Sport Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the finale of The John Morton Cup. The 3-race series, named after legendary Datsun racer John Morton features the Historic B&C Sedan class battling at Thunderhill Raceway.

 

Every year CSRG ends with the finale event at Thunderhill and it’s frequently missed due weather/rain conditions. We always try to make it out for the club. It’s a fun-filled weekend that is super laid-back with a great dinner party at the end.

The Return of #72 Tom Dockery

 

We have helped Tom build and prepare his Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510 for several years. Unfortunately the car was wrecked at Sonoma Raceway back in March from oil on the track. Z Car Garage rebuilt the 510, making a triumphant return to last year’s Velocity Invitational event with Rob Fuller as driver. For the CSRG Finale however, it would be Tom’s first time back at the helm of his very own B-Sedan 510:

   

“I came into the race weekend with a lot of apprehension. Rob had shown the Vintage world what the car can do in the right hands and now it was my turn to put up or shut up, at least that was part of what was playing in my head. Also playing the background was my fear of damaging the car. So many people had given so much time, priority and resources, I had a lot of angst around preserving its current condition.”

 

“But what really played out once behind the wheel was the loss of Race mentally/conditioning. Physically I was all there and even though there was some proper racing line adjustment needed, the biggest issue was getting comfortable with the car’s REAL limits. It was a head game for sure. I spent Friday and Saturday working with Rob to better understand this and by Sunday, I could start to see a difference. On Sunday I was able to trim 4-5 seconds off my lap times from the previous days. I am still a little off and like getting fit again on my bike, I have to continue to get fit behind the wheel. It took me almost 3 three years to get to the front half of the racing pack, now I have to accelerate that level of conditioning in 2023.”

  

“As always, the ZCG team support at the event went well beyond just the car. Had a blast throughout the 3-day event.”

Thanks Tom, we were proud to see you back on the track! Enjoy this video with in-car action from Tom’s Ex-Balzer/Koobation Datsun 510:

Gabe’s Datsun 510

Gabe R. has been an avid track day weekend warrior for five years and we will highlight our preparation of his B-Sedan 510 soon. Let’s hear his race report from the CSRG Finale:

“I was beyond excited to get some legitimate wheel to wheel action after acquiring a Datsun 510 last September. Unfortunately, mine is a chapter in the long and storied history of the “race ready” race car. In my first event at last year’s Charity Challenge I found the car to be extremely driver friendly, and was even able to put down a few pretty quick laps. That pretty much sums up the good parts. On the not so good side, in my second session of the weekend, the gearshift lever broke off in my hand going into turn seven. In my third session, a spark plug wire popped off the distributor and ended my session prematurely. And immediately before my last session of the weekend my starter motor died, causing me to miss it entirely.”

 

“Fortunately for me, the vintage racing community is a wonderful group of friendly, helpful people. Over the course of the weekend, I was lent a hand by the likes of Larry Oka, Jim Froula, and the Z-Car Garage crew. My second weekend out was at this year’s David Love Memorial, and my fortunes did not improve. Not realizing how quickly Hoosiers wear out, combined with my car’s unfortunately welded diff, I spent the majority of my time on track over the weekend just trying to prevent the car from snap oversteering into a wall. Even worse, I blew a head gasket in the first session on Saturday, At that point, I sent the car down to Z Car Garage to have Rob’s team transform it into a proper competitive car. Engine rebuild, limited-slip differential, suspension overhaul, new clutch, new transmission, as well as a slew of other upgrades and improvements have transformed the car into a beast.”

 

“Finally equipped with a seaworthy vessel, I spent the last two CSRG events — the Charity Challenge, and the season Finale, being supported by the Z Car Garage guys, culminating in a fantastic weekend at the season finale. With the support of Rob and his crew I ran the 4th fastest time of the weekend – behind only Troy Ermish, Rob Fuller, and Jim Froula, and finished 3rd in the Sunday feature race despite starting in 7th due to a spin in the Saturday feature race. Most of all, I had an absolute blast hanging with Rob and his entourage. Rob’s infectious positive attitude makes it impossible to have anything but a good time.”

Enjoy this video of Gabe putting in work at Thunderhill and achieving a personal record!

 

“From their impeccable car preparation standards, to their attention to every detail, to helping their drivers get prepared to head out on track, as well as Rob‘s exceptionally helpful driving tips Z-Car Garage consistently exceeds my expectations in every way. I absolutely cannot wait to get back out on track with Z-Car Garage in 2023!”

Privateer Spirit

 

Special shoutout to our friend and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou raced his Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510. It’s worth noting that not unlike privateers of the period, Glenn builds his race cars, maintains and manages racing efforts himself. Not an easy task so we applaud his work ethic. Glenn builds some beautiful Datsuns and we will highlight this 510 soon as it features our  Z Car Garage CV Axles and dyno tuning.

 

Rob in the BADD 510

For the CSRG finale the ZCG crew included Rob, Tom Dockery and Gabe R:

“Both Gabe and I had mechanical failures in last event’s Chartiy Challenge. My engine lasted two seasons at full-tilt boogie and it had a compromised head gasket so my friends at Rebello Racing were able to refresh it in between events so the BADD car was ready to rock. Gabe’s engine had a pretty horrific failure and Rebello was also able ot get him back on the track too. Special thanks to the team at Rebello Racing including Dave, Mark and Brian for giving us the best hp/tq that we could ask for and keeping us on the track. I was driving the Miata in vintage Spec- Miata group and BADD car in Group 9 John Morton group B-sedan.”

 

“Tom and Gabe were doing great. Gabe is really picking up the pace. We did some downloads and he is getting fast, finishing on podium in the feature race. Tom was just getting reacquainted with the car and he was really stoked to be able to do well at the end of the season. Unfortunately Josh and Troy Ermish were not in the run group so there were not many people to run with. I started in the back it was a challenge and also fun to go through traffic. Another highlight was being in group 8 with my Miata amongst the big-boy v8 cars it was an awesome vintage race in the rain.” 

Enjoy this in-car video of Rob in the BADD 510 at Thunderhill:

A different perspective: Steve Walker also posted this cool in-car video of Rob and the from his BMW 2002:

 

CSRG hosted a Saturday night night banquet and it did not disappoint. They had folks dress up in costumes since it was close to halloween. Ross Lindell dressed up as Rob Fuller and it was quite funny. Side note: Rob actually did SCCA drivers school in the Randy Pobst Miata that Ross brought to race. The evening included  awards, and great conversations recalling the highs and lows of another year of vintage racing gone by. Can’t wait for next year!

 

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

Novemeber

Nov  3^rd to 5^th                 CSRG   Thunder hill

Nov 10^th to 12^th              Velocity Invitational

 

More photos in the gallery below and special thanks to contributing photographers Meghan Fuller, Josel Cobangbang, Bryan Delohery, Blaine Olguin, Ann Devor, and Linda Williams. We can’t forget to thank the ZCG crew for keeping us safe for both events: Joshua Corwin, Meghan Fuller, Nick Filip, The Corwins we couldn’t have done it without you!

 

…[read more]

 

Dear Zcarblog readers, it’s been a busy year and we are catching up on blog posts, so please enjoy our belated race report from May.

WE LOVE RACING! Z Car Garage went vintage racing two weekends in a row. On April 21-24, Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) hosted the Trans Am SpeedFest at Laguna Seca. On April 28 to May 1, SVRA hosted the Sonoma Speed Tour at Sonoma Raceway. Enjoy our race report with exciting B-Sedan Trans Am race action!

Z Car Garage Race Preparation

 

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. Here is a video of the race cars we prepared this week with dyno passes and a walk around the shop. Enjoy!

 

Z Car Garage Racers

 

Z Car Garage supported the following race cars for the SVRA double-header, more photos in the gallery below.

Kelvin’ Datsun 510

 

This 510 features our Z Car Garage CV Axles:

  

Kelvin’s Ex-Ted Gruner Datsun 510

  

This 510 features our Z Car Garage CV Axles :

   

Ed’s Ex-Walt Mass 1965 Porsche 911

 

Rob Fuller in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers Datsun 510

 

 

The Laguna Seca Race 4/21

 

SVRA is an East-coast based group coming out once a year to host back-to-back race weekends in the Bay Area. It’s really fun and allows us roll with East-coast guys we don’t normally run with. Fantastic operation: they do live-streaming of the races, awards with podiums. ZCG was out in full force this year at Laguna with Ed’s 911, Kelvin’s Pacific Datsun 510. New to the gang was Kelvin’s historic 510 (Dragonetti Racing, ex-Ted Gruner) 510, driven by his brother Kenny.

 

This was our first weekend with both Tse brothers and it was absolutely fantastic.

 

As with any race event we had some car issues. On the day it rained heavily we had a transmission problem and ZCG Crew member Nick saved the day, changing a transmission on the wet ground. ZCG even made a guest appearance working on Larry Oka’s 510 (The Mike Bell car) with Greg Hoff driving (of SCCA Miata fame). Greg did really well and he wants a vintage 510 now:)

 

Historic B and C Sedan had a great race where Troy and Steve Link put on a show mixing it up with Mini’s.

 

Rob enjoyed racing, especially chasing Troy. Track photos by Kurt Boden:

“The 4-days at Laguna I was able to finish 2nd in all three feature races right behind Troy Ermish. I was able to out qualify him in one race. It’s really cool to battle back and forth with Troy as he is a phenomenal driver. People came over to say it’s so great to see someone rocking it out with him.” 

 

Enjoy this in-car video from Rob’s Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute 510 as he battles with Troy Ermish:

You can also catch the SVRA Livestream morning session on YouTube and the afternoon race also on YouTube.

 

 

The Laguna Seca event with SVRA was a success. We towed the cars back to the shop and made sure everything was good to go for the following weekend’s Sonoma race. We miss you Tom Dockery. He had an incident last year but rest assured his 510 will be back in fighting form soon. Super cool that despite is race car not ready he still came out to cheer us on.

 

Special shoutout to Glenn Chiou. He raced his 1973 IMSA GTU 260Z and we are really stoked for Glenn as he cracked off his best lap time of 1:40. He’s one of the youngest “privateer” competitors out there, building beautiful cars. Whenever he needs the assist from the pros at ZCG we are always there to help him.

 

The Sonoma Race

 

We have never attended both SVRA weekends. At Sonoma we had an incredible pit location across from Garage 10 with RacecraftNW and Jim Froula’s band of clients. With Nick and Keith not able to crew were down to Josh, Rob and RN Meghan Fuller:

“Meghan has been my partner in crime for 16 years and this was her first time stepping in…she did all the fueling for cars, learned how to install and torque wheels, work the checklists, vacuum out the cars and confirm GoPros…the feedback from us was awesome.”

 

On Saturday Kelvin broke his transmission so we swapped in one of Rob’s backup gearboxes in at their shop (F7) at Sears Point. He was able to race the rest of the weekend,  and he was in the middl of the field. On Sunday am Troy and Rob battled yet again:

“I was able to beat Troy finally, with quicker lap times. After all the podiums these last weekends it was cool to get that gold trophy from SVRA. Lots of hugs and emotions. Guys in the Ermish camp like Rick Sheldon were congratulatory…nice to be competitors but also share the same love of vintage racing. Two weekends of absolute magic.”

 

Rob Fuller taking P1 at the Sonoma Speed Tour hosted by SVRA.

   

 

Watch the epic battle between Rob and Troy in the in-car video from Rob’s Bay Area Datsun Dealers 510:

You can also catch the Livestream of B-Sedan on YouTube  from Sonoma Raceway.

Big thanks to Meghan for taking photos and video around the paddock. Here is a highlight reel of what it’s like at a vintage race…you should join us next time!

There were cool cars everywhere in the paddock:

   

We hope you enjoyed our race report from the SVRA double-header. Join us next weekend at Sonoma Raceway for the CSRG Charity Challenge!

Racing into 2022!

 

Z Car Garage is amped for this year’s race season. Here is list of events we will be attending. Please join us!

April

4/1-3  Sonoma with CSRG (Finished, REPORT HERE)

4/21-24 Laguna with SVRA

4/28-5/2 Sonoma with SVRA

May

5/21-22  Laps for Laguna with CSRG (Finished, REPORT HERE)

August

8/13-14  Laguna with HSR Pre Reunion

8/17-20 Laguna  with HSR  Reunion

October

9/30-10/2 Sonoma with CSRG Charity Challenge!

9/13-16 Laguna   Velocity Invitational

November

11/4-6   Thunderhill with CSRG

…[read more]

 

WE LOVE RACING!  Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) is hosting the 19th Charity Challenge at Sonoma Raceway, September 30 to October 2. Z Car Garage is participating and supporting several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group (John Morton Cup). This vintage racing event is totally FREE to spectators so please join us! Bring the family, enjoy cool cars and even charity rides around the track.

 

See the 2023 Nissan Z as Pace Car!

 

Z Car Garage is happy to announce the 2023 Nissan Z will be on Pace Car duty at the Charity Challenge. Big thanks to Nissan for giving us the opportunity to share the new Z with enthusiasts for a good cause. Again, admission is FREE for this event and you will have access to all spectator areas on track. Parking is in Lot 2 overlooking the paddock.

Z Car Garage Supports Six 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:

 

#88 Todd Rueppel

Todd had his first Z Car Garage trackside support experience with us at the SVRA event, full report soon!

#7 Kelvin Tse

  

#72 Tom Dockery

Tom Dockery in his  Ex-Norm Balzer 510.

  

#71 Ed M

  

 

Gabe’s B-Sedan:

  

Kelvin’s Ex-Ted Gruner TransAm 510

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car

 

     

Rob will also be racing the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z for the first time at Sonoma Raceway.

 

We look forward to seeing you at the races. Stay tuned for the race schedule and a full report coming to zcarblog.com. Do It In A Datsun!

 

 

 

 

Z Car Garage is excited to go vintage racing two weekends in a row! On April 21-24, Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) will host the Trans Am SpeedFest at Laguna Seca. On April 28 to May 1, SVRA will host the Sonoma Speed Tour at Sonoma Raceway.

Details for the Trans Am SpeedFest at Laguna Seca are HERE.

 

Details for the Sonoma SpeedTour at Sonoma Raceway are HERE.

 

Z Car Garage Racers

 

Z Car Garage will be racing and supporting several client cars at both events:

Kelvin’ Datsun 510

 

Gabe’s Datsun 510

 

Ed’s Ex-Walt Mass 1965 Porsche 911

 

Rob Fuller in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers Datsun 510

 

Racing into 2022!

 

Z Car Garage is amped for this year’s race season. Here is list of events we will be attending. Please join us!

April

4/1-3  Sonoma with CSRG (Finished, report soon!)

4/21-24 Laguna with SVRA

4/28-5/2 Sonoma with SVRA

May

5/21-22  Laps for Laguna with CSRG

August

8/13-14  Laguna with HSR Pre Reunion ( NOT CONFIRMED)

8/17-20 Laguna  with HSR  Reunion ( NOT CONFIRMED)

October

9/30-10/2 Sonoma with CSRG Charity Challenge

9/13-16 Laguna   VI

November

11/4-6   Thunderhill with CSRG

 

 

 

On Saturday, March 19 we attended the Tokyo Calling event hosted by Breakfast Club Rally. Z Car Garage participated with a group of client cars and enjoyed a wonderful day of driving through the foothills of Sonoma, Ca. The event also featured 200 Japanese classics and 90’s-era wonders to appreciate during the morning social gathering and rest stops. Enjoy our report with mega-photo gallery and video!

 

Breakfast Club Rally

 

The Breakfast Club Rally (BCR) started almost 2 years ago, now running its 27th rally event. What started out as a small group enjoying weekend drives blossomed into a full-on Cars and Coffee (still unofficial) meet just before rally participants head out according to run group (rally map available to pre-registrants only). The monthly BCR is always free/open to all makes and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to enjoy the beautiful Northern California roads and scenery. You can see my previous BCR reports HERE!

 

The BCR: Tokyo Calling event was a little different: this was an all-Japanese, mostly-vintage rally and we did not want to miss it. I assembled a group of Z Car Garage clients to participate and we left the shop at 5:45am to make the 7am starting point in Sonoma. Our cars:

 

Rob and Nick drove Mrs. Butters, our Series 1 shop 240z. This Series 1 S30 features a 3.2L with triple-Mikuni induction, Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, ZCG Heat Shield, 6-speed transmission and full KW suspension (releasing soon).

 

Dirk’s 1973 Datsun 240z is back on the road with a fresh engine,  Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles and Silvia 6-speed transmission. Full report coming to zcarblog.com

 

Linda’s 1972 Official OMS Pace Car Duplicate. Fifty were originally produced by Nissan Motors to commemorate the DATSUN 240Z being selected by the Ontario Motor Speedway to Pace the 1972 “U.S.A.C. California 500 Championship”. ZCG made it a runner, full report soon!

 

Felix’s 1996 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo representing Z32s!

 

We had 4 Nissan R32 Skyline GT-Rs! Above, from L to R with more photos in the gallery below: Mike’s R32 (TE37 wheels), Lee’s R32 (BBS wheels), Pall’s AH3 R32 and Miles’ R32 on Ray’s wheels. Andreas’ R30 Skyline was also present!

 

The Bring a Trailer Datsun 240Z was driven by Robert of BaT!

 

Our guest Jonathan Buhler (Sr. Specialist Corporate Communications at Nissan) piloted “Mr. C”, our stock, one-owner Series 1 Z.

Leading the caravan to Sonoma was yours truly in this 1965 Nissan Silvia. Huge thanks to our client Rick K for giving us the opportunity to enjoy this gorgeous (and rare) specimen. Full update on this Datsun Roadster-based gem soon!

Tokyo is Calling before the Rally!

 

Our crew arrived at the rally start in Sonoma and it was already filled with fabulous J-Tin. BCR hosted a “social gathering” from 7-9am (usually 1 hr) so we could take in all the glorious cars. The vibe was tremendous, despite a 5-minute drizzle and cloudy sky.

I am always on the lookout for Nissans and Datsuns:

 

First up, this 1967 Datsun 2000, owned by Ian S. One of the most sought after Datsuns, these “half-year” models were introduced mid-1967 offering a 5-speed transmission and 150hp twin-Mikuni carb’d 2L engine…hot stuff for the era. This is SRL #601 (out of ~1000 cars) and it was fully restored years ago by Les Cannaday in San Diego. Ian is meticulous about maintaining this car, but it is no garage queen. The (655) Off-white paint with red interior is one of my favorites. Yes, it even sports a factory Nissan hardtop with all the stainless trim!

 

I counted 6 roadsters. Pat S. owns this 1970 Datsun 2000. He had it dyno tuned at Z Car Garage, full report soon!

  

Alex’s Datsun 510 Wagon (LS-powered!), 520 and 620 trucks:

  

So many cool cars please check the gallery for more photos! Next, let’s check out some non-Nissan/Datsun action…

Honda

Honda was well-represented from Kei cars to late model DC2 Integras and S2000s. A few NSXs, CRXs and EF hatches rounded out the display:

  

Will’s clean EF hatch:

Toyota

 

Supra (A60 and A80) and even first gen MR2s, a lone Celica and AE86s!

Trucks and Vans

 

Mitsubishi and Toyota 4×4 vans galore! Let’s not forget everyone’s favorite little red firetruck: Todd Lapin’s Daihatsu Hijet

 

This was the wildest truck….2JZ-powered and S550 IRS:

Rally On!

The rally started at 9am and I was tasked with leading our group. There was no cell phone reception but I was armed with a turn-by-turn rallye printout. I managed to hustle the little Silvia through the vineyards and foothills to our half way point of Calistoga…RHD and rarity aside this thing was a blast to drive.

  

One of the perks of BCR events is their team of professional photographers at various stages capturing epic rolling and detail shots so people can focus on enjoying the drive. I encourage you to visit each of these photographer’s photo albums to see shots of your rides :Alex Nibyt, Gregory Veizades, Blaine Olguin, and Vijay Sankar.

 

Arriving at Calistoga was another opportunity to see cars I missed at the starting point. The sky cleared and it was sunny. Folks took a snack/coffee break here in the quaint town. I was just admiring each vintage ride cruise by…like this FD RX-7 with Greddy AeroHatch!

 

Caught up with our friend and fellow racer Glenn Chiou who chose to drive his FD RX-7 with co-pilot Ricky Silverio of Japanese Nostalgic Car magazine. Spotted our client Mark  in his Z32TT as well:

 

It was JDM overload at this halfway resting point…Ricky helped me spot a Lancer EVO 2!

 

After chatting with folks we resumed the rallye. This final stage was mostly forested ending with a cruise through vineyards. Jonathan managed to drive a “D” hubcap off the Mr. C 240z…he heroically recovered it mountain side…a picture captured the proud moment!

 

The rally concluded at renown Sonoma Raceway. Total mileage for our San Jose crew thus far was 220miles. BCR arranged parking for participants in the paddock right next to the cafe for lunch, as their clever motto is #DoneByNoon. Even better: we were treated to live drifting and road-course action. It was a superb venue to enjoy cool cars and great company.

 

I could not resist to get a Z Car Garage client group photo:

 

Here is a video we captured from the day, enjoy!

 

Thanks BCR!

 

Many thanks to the organizers, we had a blast and I urge you to register for their next event, especially if you are in the South Bay area like me and want to see what driving bliss lies North.  Here are a few thoughts from Rob re-capping the Tokyo Calling event:

“With the shop so busy it good to be out to enjoy Bay Area car events like DrivingWhileAwesome (DWA) Cars & Coffee and now BCR. I had a blast. Great organization of the event and some of friendliest people. Exceeded my expectations. Jonathan Buhler from Nissan came out to enjoy the rallye with us. We put him behind the wheel of Mr. C, our one-owner Series 1 Z.  It was fun to have both Safari Gold cars together. I loved the vibe at all of the rally stops and seeing the non-Nissans….super cool. MR2s, Subarus, CRXs, just so much good stuff, Happy I went and will make it out to another BCR event.”

The Drive Home

Our adventure was not over as we had to travel another 90 miles South to the shop. We caravanned back, traveling through the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and through San Francisco. I’m sure traffic had a field day with our group of Datsuns/Nissans:

 

 

At the shop, Jonathan took Mrs. Butters for a test drive and he had a great time before catching his flight back to Nashville. Below (right) is the GO Green RB25DET-powered 240Z that inspired Jonathan to build one of his own…we had to grab a shot with the model I made 🙂

    

Rick’s Silvia is safe and sound after completing the 300+ mile road trip. Thank you to all of the Z Car Garage clients that made the journey with us. Huge thanks to BCR for extending their hospitality to our crew, everyone was thrilled. Here’s to the next rally and always, always #DoitInADatsun!

  

More pics in the gallery!

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