Just a quick reminder for those of you from or visiting NorCal this weekend. Be sure to check out the Z Owners of Northern California’s Blackhawk Datsun/Nissan Extravaganza in San Ramon on June 28. All manner of Datsuns are welcome - 510s, Zs, and Roadsters. Doors open at 10 AM. For more information, check out the ZONC website.

DMP’s Project X: Datsun Fairlady Z, tells the story of the iconic Japanese sports car in graphic form. Unlike Wangan Midnight, this is non-fiction and  has characters like Mr. K and Yoshihiko Matsuo. The description goes like this.

In 1960s America, the Japanese automobile was seen as a “second-class” inferior. In spite of it all, men dared to dream of building a world beating Japanese sports car. Through the innovative zeal of Yutaka Katayama (now reverently known as “Mr. K”) and the genius of designer Yoshihiko Matsuo, this dream became reality in the form of the legendary sports car, the Nissan Fairlady Z. Known as the Datsun 240z in America, this automobile was an unprecedented success and is still beloved today. The dramatic story of these men who refused to be beaten by the hardships they encountered will inspire all who read it.

It’s been around for a while but we’re not really hip to the whole manga scene. At least now we can sleep better knowing that the Z-car is among other hallowed cultural landmarks covered in the Project X series such as, um, 7-11 and Cup Noodle.

We dream of one day becoming as important enough so that Nissan will invite us to exotic, faraway locales and give us cars to test drive while showing us sneak peeks of upcoming releases. Kinda like they did with the writers at Inside Line when they took them to Portugal and let them see the upcoming Nissan Silvia successor. (more…)

This JDM Fairlady Z is a total track monster, built by a Mr. Kuni of Gunma Prefecture. The L-series motor has been stroked to 3.1L and puts out 337ps, which gets channeled through an R32 Skyline GT-R transmission to motivate the car and its 23-point rollcage and FRP doors around Tsukuba circuit in 1:02.911. Check out the details on Speedhunters.

The town of Carlisle in southeastern Pennsylvania is synonymous with mega car gatherings. A few summers ago, we went to the All Ford Nationals and there were probably more Boss Mustangs at that one event than all the surviving Toyotas Coronas in the country put together. These shows are huge. Traditionally, Japanese cars have been bunched together with European imports, kit cars, and replicas, making them seem like part of the category marked “other.” But finally, in 2009, they’ll have their day in the sun.

According to a recent press release, cars from Japan will take center stage at the 2009 import/kit/replica show. Say the organizers, “Although there were relatively few Japanese cars in the US in the 60s, by the 70s Americans had come to recognize the fun and excitement of these cars.” The event will be May 15-17, 2009. Mark your calendars to remind yourself to buy a 2009 calendar so you can mark that.

UPDATE: Here are some pictures from this year’s event posted in our forum courtesy of oleyline.

Thanks to Toyotageek for the tip!

[Cars at Carlisle via Toy700and800 Group]

As you probably know, FR is coming back in a big way. Nissan, Toyota and Subaru (having joined forces with the Big T), all have lightweight RWD coupes in the pipelines.

First, let’s check in with the Toyobaru joint venture that we’ve been following since last year. This Subaru Legacy-lookin’ test mule was spotted by spy photographers in da UK wearing a lot of camouflage and a Toyota badge. All signs point to this being the much ballyhooed AE86 (and possibly Celica) successor. Sorry, Toyota fans, Latest rumors swirling around the interwebs say that it will be sold as a Toyota only in Japan and as a Subie elsewhere in the world. Maybe that’s just as well since by all accounts it’ll be powered by Subaru’s flat four, which many swear will not make it a true Toyota.

As for Nissan, (more…)

From the Disco Ain’t Dead Bureau comes this video clip from devout reader SR-Fairlady Z. It’s part of a 1979 made-for-TV movie called Death Car on the Freeway in which a guy who looks like someone Chris Hansen might confront on Dateline: To Catch a Predator uses a van to run innocent motorists off the road.

We’ll overlook its obvious flaws - such as how a Datsun 240Z is unable to outrun a 1977 Dodge Tradesman - because of the rockin’ 70s soundtrack and the fact that any nostalgic car, especially one in manual shift, has the power to make the woman driving it instantly ten times as hot. Instructional video after the jump. (more…)