{"version":"1.1.0","producer":"fm.getcarcurious","layer":"official","episode":{"title":"040 | Built to Race: Jeffrey Willerth's Datsun 240Z & 260Z Journey | Z Club of America","url":"http://getcarcurious.com/episodes/040-built-to-race-jeffrey-willerth-s-datsun-240z-260z-journey-z-club-of-america","audioUrl":"https://anchor.fm/s/1091187bc/podcast/play/121447529/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-14%2F426099464-44100-2-4182f04fd8212.mp3","description":"On this episode of Cool Cars With Chris, we're joined by Jeffrey Willerth of the Z Club of America at the legendary Willow Springs Raceway for a conversation about Datsun heritage, vintage racing, and the passion that keeps classic Z cars alive.Jeffrey shares the story of his beloved Datsun 260Z that was stolen and recovered, how it sat in storage for nearly 30 years before finally returning to the track, and what it takes to build and maintain race-ready classic Japanese sports cars. We also dive into the origins of the Z Club of America, the growth of the All Japan Showdown, track days at Willow Springs, and why the Datsun Z remains one of the most beloved enthusiast cars ever built.Whether you're a Nissan Z owner, Datsun enthusiast, racer, collector, or simply a fan of automotive history, this episode is packed with stories, insights, and motorsports passion.Topics discussed in this episode:• The history of Z Club of America• Racing at Willow Springs Raceway• Datsun 240Z and 260Z ownership• Vintage racing and track days• Restoring classic Japanese sports cars• The All Japan Showdown event• Building a dedicated race car• The Nissan Z community• Motorsport culture and driver education• Jeffrey's journey through seven different Z carsLinks & Resources🌐 Cool Cars With Chrishttps://coolcarswithchris.com/📺 Cool Cars With Chris YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@CoolCarswithChris619📸 Cool Cars With Chris Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/cool_cars_with_chris619/🏁 Z Club of Americahttps://zclubofamerica.com/📺 Courage YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@TheDriveNDad22📸 Courage Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/thedrivendad22/If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, and leave a review. Your support helps us continue bringing you conversations with enthusiasts, racers, builders, collectors, and automotive personalities from across the automotive world.00:00 Introduction00:24 Meet Jeffrey Willerth of Z Club of America01:25 First Impressions of Willow Springs Raceway02:10 Driving Willow Springs During Parade Laps03:54 The Origins of Z Club of America05:04 How the Z Community Evolved06:28 The Story Behind All Japan Showdown08:35 Building Southern California's Z Community09:38 Jeffrey's Datsun Collection10:23 The Stolen and Recovered 260Z11:22 A Z Car Stored for Nearly 30 Years12:02 First Track Day After Restoration12:56 Building a Full Race 240Z14:04 Life With a Dedicated Race Car14:47 Owning Seven Different Nissan Z Cars15:25 Favorite Cars at Willow Springs16:31 Race Cars vs Street Cars17:36 Dream Cars to Drive on Track17:58 Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up#CoolCarsWithChris #Datsun240Z #Datsun260Z #ZClubOfAmerica #WillowSprings\n"},"annotations":[{"id":455305,"startTime":12.2,"endTime":17.1,"type":"place","title":"Willow Springs","url":"/glossary/willow-springs","quote":"on today's fantastic episode, they were heading back over to Willow Springs to have a conversation with the head honcho himself, Jeffrey Willard of Z club of America.","canonicalId":"place:willow-springs","priority":0.8,"confidence":1.0,"source":"gemini-3.5-flash","data":{"explanation":"Willow Springs International Raceway is a historic 600-acre racing complex located in Willow Springs, California, near Lancaster. Opened in 1953, its main 2.5-mile track, \"Big Willow,\" is famous for its high-speed, sweeping corners and significant elevation changes.","simplifiedExplanation":"A famous, historic race track in the California desert. It is known for being incredibly fast and has been featured in many movies, video games, and car TV shows.","sourceStartTime":12.2,"sourceEndTime":17.1}},{"id":455306,"startTime":17.1,"endTime":24.5,"type":"person","title":"Jeffrey Willerth","url":"/glossary/jeffrey-willerth","quote":"heading back over to Willow Springs to have a conversation with the head honcho himself, Jeffrey Willard of Z club of America.","canonicalId":"person:jeffrey-willerth","priority":0.9,"confidence":0.95,"source":"gemini-3.5-flash","data":{"explanation":"Jeffrey Willerth is a prominent figure in the Datsun/Nissan enthusiast community and a key leader of the Z Club of America. 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It revolutionized the sports car market by offering European style and performance at an affordable Japanese price point.","simplifiedExplanation":"A classic Japanese sports car from the 1970s that looked like an expensive European sports car but was reliable and affordable. It is widely credited with changing how the world viewed Japanese cars.","imageAttribution":"Charles from Port Chester, New York (CC BY 2.0)","imageLicense":"CC BY 2.0","imageSourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Datsun_240Z_(1972)_(53770441694).jpg","sourceStartTime":61.4,"sourceEndTime":68.3}},{"id":455308,"startTime":61.4,"endTime":68.3,"type":"car","title":"Datsun 260Z","url":"/cars/datsun/260z","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/1974-1978_Datsun_260Z_coupe_in_the_SunRice_Festival_parade_in_Pine_Ave.jpg","quote":"We're talking about racing, his race cars, his Dotson to 60 Z's and his 240 Z, which is a full blown race car.","canonicalId":"car:datsun:260z","priority":0.8,"confidence":1.0,"source":"gemini-3.5-flash","data":{"explanation":"The Datsun 260Z was a transitional model sold in the US for the 1974 model year, featuring a larger 2.6-liter inline-six engine to combat tightening emissions regulations. 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It had a slightly larger engine but struggled with early emissions control systems.","imageAttribution":"Bidgee (CC BY-SA 3.0 au)","imageLicense":"CC BY-SA 3.0 au","imageSourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1974-1978_Datsun_260Z_coupe_in_the_SunRice_Festival_parade_in_Pine_Ave.jpg","sourceStartTime":61.4,"sourceEndTime":68.3}},{"id":455309,"startTime":216.7,"endTime":220.7,"type":"place","title":"Laguna Seca","url":"/glossary/laguna-seca","quote":"I feel like, you know, Laguna Seca always gets credited with the corkscrew and everything, but that, that, you know, elevation change going up and then down there is, I mean, it's just as like, was that your first time?","canonicalId":"place:laguna-seca","priority":0.6,"confidence":1.0,"source":"gemini-3.5-flash","data":{"explanation":"WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is a paved road racing track in central California, built in 1957. 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It is designed to go very fast, look sleek, and be fun to drive on both regular roads and racetracks.","imageAttribution":"Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0","imageLicense":"CC BY 2.0","imageSourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chevrolet_Corvette_Stingray_C8_(49566950713).jpg","sourceStartTime":297.7,"sourceEndTime":301.18}},{"id":455314,"startTime":323.8,"endTime":331.1,"type":"car","title":"Nissan 300ZX (Z31)","url":"/cars/nissan/300-zx","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/1990_Nissan_300_ZX_%2827761871174%29.jpg","quote":"I know that the 300, the Z31, the like the 85, 84, you know, 300 ZX, it went full blown like out of Star Trek mode with like digital everything...","canonicalId":"car:nissan:300zx","priority":0.7,"confidence":1.0,"source":"gemini-3.5-flash","data":{"explanation":"The Z31-generation Nissan 300ZX, produced from 1983 to 1989, marked a shift toward luxury and high-tech features, famously offering a digital instrument cluster and voice warnings. 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