Greetings!   

It's been a busy summer.  Some plans have been interrupted by the loss of good friends and other projects have come to fruition.  Travel has been steady. With discontinuing our photojournalism coverage of road racing we thought our travel would diminish.  Lots of other interesting activities have filled the void however, even though we didn't really consider being in NV a void! 

The shop has also been kept busy with some interesting projects.  Getting you the details always seems to take longer than we'd like via the newsletter.  We do however post news in a timely manner on our facebook page here.  Be sure to check there on a regular basis for updates.  In the meantime, we've enjoyed seeing many of you these last few months and we catch up on those activities below as well as share some "new" news.

Enjoy!  

Gayle and Peter Brock

BRE

Brock met George in 1956 when they both attended the Art Center College of Design.  While working at Shelby American and wanting to find a unique way to market the new Cobras, Brock came up with the idea of using illustrative art rather than photographs.  He contacted George.  Bartell also brought his amazing art and style to BRE when Brock created his own team.

Over almost 60 years they shared joyous, and the most tragic of, events creating a bond like no other.  With George's passing, the plans we shared in the last newsletter to release a limited number of Peter Brock Lifetime Achievement Award prints was put on hold (to be resurrected sometime in the future). Instead we have focused our attention on the needs of George's family. The bottom line is George's widow needs financial help. 

There is a treasure trove of George's original art which we have now posted for sale here (including this oil of Ayrton Senna), at well below market value. Each comes with a certificate of authenticity signed and dated by Peter Brock stating that he was handed the piece by George out of his personal archives.  The plan is that whatever doesn't sell by August will go to an auction house (a place where few of us will have access to it).  This is a rare opportunity to possess some of the most amazing automotive art ever created... and proceeds go to a great cause.  Take a look, while you can.

BRE gets a "new" Z

We've been wanting an original condition Z around the shop for a while.  Brock would create a new product for the early Zs (like the BRE side view mirrors which look great and provide for incredible visibility) and we'd have to find a Z to put them on, create installation instructions from a borrowed car and take photos. Or you may have had a question about a Z and it would have been handy to go out to the shop to check it out.   

A few months ago a one-owner, original condition '71 240Z came to our attention. Gayle closed the deal and took BRE's Aerovault trailer up to Sacramento to pick it up.  Being original condition it needs restoration even though all the parts are there. Brian has dissembled the car and has found it a delight to work on, commenting: "I love this car. It's so simple, well thought out and logical."  Certain parts are out at restoration shops now while we work on the rest of the car here. There's no estimate on when it will be comp-leted.  As you can tell we're enjoying the process and not so concerned about the destination (-:

Carlisle Kit and Import Show

Brock joins in with East Coast Z Nationals

Never having been to a Carlisle event before, we were doubly excited not only to be going to the their Kit and Import Show this year but also to be able to attend the East Coast Z Nationals put on there by the Maryland 'Z Club (thanks go to Mark Lambert for inviting us).  No less than 50 great looking Zs were there.  Also in attendance at the show was the BRE Championship #46 Datsun 510, brought out by Nissan from their heritage collection.  We hope we saw you there! 

Models, Models, Models

Late in 2011 Truescale came out with 1:43rd scale die-cast models of the BRE Datsun 510s as part of their signature series.  They went fast (we only have two 3-car sets left and four single-car models left here). 

 

Due to popular request (primarily from the Japanese market!), Truescale is now offering the #46 John Morton and #85 Bobby Allison BRE Datsun 510s as single car models with a beautiful white base and clear case.  It's a handsome combination and the models contain the same accuracy as the signature series cars only at a much lesser price. Most of these models were distributed to the Asian market but we have 46 of each model (actually less due to sales we've gotten since posting on our facebook page yesterday).  Go here to get them while they last (they'd be great holiday gifts. Plan ahead though as they should be sold out by then).

 

We can't share details right now but look forward to sharing more news with you in the future from Hot Wheels.  AND.... could it be true?  A 1:18 scale model of the #46 BRE Datsun 510?  Not this year, but maybe next?  We've never given up on your requests and the future is looking better than ever.

Bigger and better than ever, don't miss it next April 26, 2014

Just a few wheels short of 100! Datsun Roadsters made this year the best roadster show ever.  Even if you don't have a roadster, you can tell from the numerous photos here it's a fun place to be late April in Solvang, CA. Congratulations to Andrew Whiteford whose roadster won Best of Show (the red car with black stripes prominently displayed in front).  Two raffle winners won the impressive BRE History t-shirts.  All winners and other interesting information can be found here.  We need to make it there next year ourselves! (do you think it would be okay to drive there in the new BRE 240Z?)

 

Chris Breyer runs the show and also somehow finds the energy to put on the Multi-State Datsun Classic in October along Route 66 in Williams, AZ (think Grand Canyon country).  ALL Datsuns are welcome.  Find more info on this Oct 4th-5th event here.