Datsun West Coast Z Car Nationals 2012

150+ Z cars were on display at the 2012 West Coast Z Car Nationals.

On April 29th, many Datsun Z car enthusiasts converged to a small street in Orange County, California to celebrate the 15th annual West Coast Z car Nationals held by Motorsport Auto.  The Datsun Z specialists sponsored the event, and the gathering was open to any generation of Z car, from the early S30Z chassis Datsun 240Z, to the latest Z34 chassis Nissan 370Z.

This Z was one of the many nice examples on display.

This custom Z was powered by a Hemi engine.  The front end reminded us of a modified SRL311 Roadster's just widened to fit the Z. 

From further away, it might be easier to see what we are talking about.

A clean Datsun Roadster which is currently available via raffle tickets.  We give our best wishes to Victor Laury.

From stock to full blown race car, there was a huge variety of Z cars on display.  Some of the interesting swaps done in the early S30Z chassis cars were a V8 Hemi engine, complete with the column shifter and gauge cluster, a full 350Z engine swap including the dashboard and gauges, and there were plenty of RB powered Z cars too.

The Motul team had this sweet Z on display with unique wheels they obtained from Australia.

It wasn't all about just seeing cars though, as plenty of vendors were on hand to display their latest items for the Z cars.  Motul, Schneider camshafts, Eibach, and even the guys from the Japanese Nostalgic Car site were present. 

Throughout the day, various prizes were raffled off, and bellies were filled by the delicious food offered by the catering trucks.  A few people did start up their cars and rev them a bit too, giving attendees some additional music to listen to. =)

This Z sported a Kaminari body kit with period correct wheels, from Enkei if we're not mistaken.

This year's show was also a lot larger than the previous 2 shows we went to.  We hope that means the event will continue to expand.  We can't wait to go again next year and see what other Z cars will show up!

This Z31 used to be pink, and now sports a matte black paint job.  It was one of our favorite 1st gen 300zxs in attendance.

One of the many RB powered early Z cars.  We like the ZG flares and clear timing belt cover.

A 370Z with the front "fangs" removed.  Think the fangless look is better?

PowerTrix displayed their Z32 300ZX.  This car is extremely quick.

This 240Z was powered by a triple carburetor turbo setup.  Very vintage, but seriously cool!

Carburetor turbo setups are rare these days, and to see one up close an awesome treat.

This S30Z received a thorough redesign of its suspension setup and also a supercharger for added power.  We liked the owner's ingenuity.

Another clean RB powered Z with a MSA front air dam.

A clean S130Z 280ZX.

This Z had an enormous amount of work done to it.

Here you can see how the engine has been pushed back and lowered, along with the dual oil filter and custom supercharger setup.

The engine of the Hemi powered Z.

The owner also swapped in a complete Dodge dash setup too.

A pair of Z32 Z cars.

We have to give credit to this owner.  Not many are willing to make a convertible out of a Z, and fewer are done this well!

This was probably our favorite Z.  Clean, simple mods and nice wheels.  Looks like something we'd find back in Japan.

This Z was rocking period correct wheels (Longchamp XR-4) and looked great.

This Z received custom square headlights, and the owner took the extra step to mold the headlight bucket to fit the light.  Nicely done!

The later Z31s (1987-89) remind us of the 180SX a bit.

Enkei 92 wheels are classic.

This was an interesting use of an old school HKS surge tank originally meant for carburetors being used for an EFI setup. 

This custom front end reminded us a bit of a Lamborghini's front ducts.

Although this was a Datsun event, we spotted this very nice C6 Corvette in a parking lot adjacent to the show.

Looks like such a fun car to drive on the track!

We're sure many more people would say the same of their Zs. =)

This flared Z31 was spotted on the streets outside of the show.

Seems like the Z31 platform is gaining in popularity gauging from the numbers we are seeing modified on the streets now.