About Z Club

Z Club of America exists to serve the Datsun/Nissan Z-series owners with a community of like-minded enthusiasts who appreciate the Z legacy and Z culture.

Our Motto and Hashtag: #ZOwnersUnite

When

Z Club of America was formed in 1971

Where

ZCoA is based in CA, NJ, NV, FL, CT, OH

Social

@zclubofamerica

Motto

Z Owners Unite

Who

The global community of Z owners

Why

To define the Z culture

Joe Casella

Founder & President

In 1971 I founded the Z Club of America, in New Jersey as an international club for the owners of the Datsun 240Z cars. The club grew to a total 29,000 members when it was sold in 1990. In the time the club was active it spawned formation of another business – Z Accessory Products, Inc.that became the largest supplier of aftermarket parts for the Datsun/Nissan Z cars in the ’70’s and ’80’s. Along with the parts sales came the opening of a full service facility that employed 18 well trained technitions and staff.

In 1973 we formed the Z Club Driving School that taught drivers of the Z Car how to drive/handle their cars at speed. The schools started at Lime Rock Park, CT and at Bridgehampton, LI, NY.

The schools were renamed in 1990 to The Performance Drivers Association (PDA) as the students were now bringing all types of vehicles to the events. The growth demanded adding more tracks to conduct the schools and we now have events in all the major Northeast tracks.

2004 was the year that we took over the Northeast Region of NASA (National Auto Sport Association) and added road racing to the schedule.

Jeffrey Willerth

Vice President

I’ve raced, built, collected and adored cars for most of my life. Going fast started as bicycle and minibike races against the neighborhood kids. I bought my first chevy at 15 years old and entered my first drag race 48 hours after receiving my student driver license.

3 years later I began my broadcasting career and conducted my very first radio interview was with Shirley Muldowny, the legendary “First Lady of Drag Racing”.

I joined the Z Club of America in 1983 with a 240z. As I racked up mileage on the track and in life, I continually created opportunities for myself to blend motorsports and media. For example:

Marketing Manager for Skip Barber Racing and Jim Hall racing schools, Wilwood Brakes and Saleen Autosports.
Racing and High performance driving instructor for Jim Hall Karting and Z Club of America schools.
Contributing writer to National Speed Sport News, Circle Track, HotRod and MotorTrend.
Published the Racing School Directory for 7 years distributed through Amazon.com~ Coordinated media relations opportunities for race teams and motorsport manufacturers on the SCCA, IMSA, NASCAR and INDYCAR tours.
Producer of motorsport & automotive tv programming for SPEED, ESPN, Discovery, A&E, BBC, ABC, PBS, LUXETV

Brett Bohn

President DZCoA

Brett Bohn is President of Dayton Z Club of America, representing the Mid West Chapter of ZCoA.

Born and raised in Ohio, Brett has a passionate heart for Z Owners and an unlimited commitment to the Z community that goes beyond the typical car club. He thrives on emphasizing camaraderie, respect, and a positive image for the DZCoA Membership. One of the group’s standout accomplishments was securing a spot for Z Owners at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course during a major IMSA endurance race.

This opportunity allowed the group to host a parade lap during , showcasing their commitment and unity. Despite the short notice and the challenge of coordinating a group, Brett managed to rally not just the required number of cars, but even exceeded expectations.

Brett’s dedication goes beyond the digital realm. He has personally connected with a vast majority of members in person, reinforcing that sense of family and trust. This personal touch is what truly sets the DZCoA Chapter apart and makes it special.

Michael Castro Garcia

SoCal ZCoA President

Michael Castro Garcia joined the ZCoA team in the fall of 2024 and demonstrated his Z enthusiasm to produce monthy Car Meets at Team Nissan Oxnard California, where he works as a Lube Technician.

Michael is genuinely involved in the SoCal Car Show scene and applied his honest charm to attract a variety of car owners from other clubs and groups to participate in the Z Club of America events. His 2005 Nissan “Charge Speed” 350z 35th Anniversary Edition is what drives his passion, styling and performance past time, when not working at the Nissan dealership.

In addition to the monthly meets, Michael brings his talent to help ZCoA’s planning & management for the annual All Japan Showdown JDM motorsports event at Willow Springs International Raceway and the DZCoA annual Carillon Historical Park Car Show event.

Mark Begonia

President FLAZCoA

Grew up in Maine, I made the move to Florida in 2007 and have called the Orlando area home ever since. My journey into the automotive world started early; I spent my teenage years and early 20s detailing cars, a period where I truly discovered my passion for the craft and developed a deep appreciation for Nissan and JDM culture.

Professionally, I bring over 15 years of experience in sports broadcasting, video production, and digital media. This technical background fueled the launch of my media company, Begonia Creative, where I specialize in automotive branding and digital content.
On the weekends, you’ll almost always find me at local car meets across Central Florida, camera in hand. I am a regular participant in charity rallies with the Velocity Rally group in Orlando, and I love capturing the energy of the community through my photography.

Kyle Schmidt

Las Vegas ZCOA Co-President

Cars have been in my life since before I could walk – I was the only kid in my first grade class that spent most Saturday eveings on a car lot with my family looking at the new models. It was a bit of an obsession for my dad and as they say, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

While others were taking family trips to beaches and theme parks, I was riding across the country to attend Bloomington Gold, visit auto museums, and take pictures… so many pictures… of cars of all sizes and shapes.

Well, turns out that never left me and I have been finding ways to be around and in cars my whole life. Then I saw the first promotion for the “New Z” back in 2022 – I was sold. I have long loved Z’s (from Datsun to now) – pure sports cars made for driving – plain and simple – they also just happened to be among the most beautiful ever design queues from across the generations (B pillar of 240Z, taillights of a 300ZX – what isn’t to love). The time from test drive to purchase in late 2024 was not long and I was finally in the community – and fortunately for me, I was in Las Vegas!

The car had captured my heart and the car scene in the city had captured my mind – ZCoA was my next stop. Now we are here to help elevate and promote the Z Community across Sin City – in the true spirit of the Z Club of America – Z Owners Unite!

Membership

Its FREE to join! Membership includes a monthly newsletter.