On April 26 we attended the 27th Annual Datsun Roadster Show in Solvang, CA. Traditionally we drive our Datsuns under their own power for the 300-mile trek down south but this year I wanted to bring my family too. With a little help from Z Car Garage, the roadster was loaded on a trailer behind Joe E’s 342whp Titan. The modified Nissan truck towed the roadster effortlessly while keeping the family comfortable–Thanks guys! Another tradition for us is camping in nearby Buellton, where several fellow roadster owners also set up their tents:

 

Just across the street from our campsite was the Friday night meet & greet at Mendenhall’s Museum of gas station pumps. This venue is quite amazing and a surprising number of roadsters made a showing despite the rain showers.

 

The Saturday morning car show of course is the main attraction. This is the largest gathering of Datsun Roadsters in the US with this year’s unofficial count of 102 cars on display in beautiful downtown Solvang. The show itself is open to the public so tourists, shoppers, adventurers etc. can all enjoy the weather and good times.

 

On to the cars! Here are some highlights from the day…there were only a handful of 1967 2000 roadsters this year. Some of these cars are considered the “cream of the crop” with full restorations or OEM levels of detail like Mike Young’s SRL #266. Ted H fullfilled his dream of owning a restored 1967 2000 and recently acquired #585 from Socal. His purchase included a road trip that looped through Arizona and Solvang before heading home in Seattle… this is one 2000 that will be driven!

 

Speaking of attention to detail, Bob C’s SRL #218 was exactly how we would build my dream 2000. Bob came all the way from Arkansas to show off his restoration, proudly completed by himself! We love the “little” touches like chrome-ringed gauges and rear surround,  authentic ARE LeMans wheels, and EMPi steering wheel. Black on red is a sweet combo:

 

A variety of wheels could be found including the ubiquitous Rota Rb and Panasport designs. Several cars sported Watanabes and WORKs. Jeff T’s 1600 had some bright red z32 calipers nicely framed by VTO LeMans tributes.

 

Solvang showcases everything from highly modified  to pristine stock examples of roadsters.  Alvin R’s 1965 SPL and a similar red interior’d ’66 SPL were great examples of stock roadsters, right down to their stock steel wheels:

Several engine swaps caught my eye this year. Mike A’s ’68 SPL won 1st place in modified 1600s. Mike did an S14 SR20DE swap last year and put over 50k miles of hard driving including drift/grip sessions and long road trips. He even came up from Socal several times for shows and a Fun Run! Pics from last Solvang:

 

Looking for more power but wanting to stay NA he created an SR20VE by using a FWD head from a Nissan Primera. Using Nissan’s version of VTEC, this VVL combination is good for 200hp NA. Here she is now!

 

He even took it up a notch by adding ITBs, a gorgeous S20-style exhaust header and that super exotic 20V valve cover. The sound once VVL hits is sweet!

 

I keep coming back to Marshal S’ GM 3.4L V6 powered roadster. It sports custom headers and Megasquirt EFI. The WORK Equip wheels complement the self-sprayed paint and the interior has nice touches like CF trim. Look for dyno numbers soon as we tune his roadster!

 

This bezerk low-windsheild and super-flared roadster had an insane 370whp turbocharged single cam KA24 drivetrain. The entire car was modified for road racing with a custom front splitter and massive flares housing 17×9.5 wide Rota RB-Rs in back:

 

Best paint would be hard to decide but I really liked Ken P’s BMW Technoviolet, Shannon D’s Estoril Blue, and Kyle’s Audi silver:

 

Our friend Ron Carter won 1st place in the Race Car class with his red ’67 2000 (#305). Ron reports that he continues to compete actively this year with an appearance at the Coronado Speed Festival. Chuck G from Las Vegas scored the ultimate “barn” find:  a historically significant race roadster with extensive spares. He plans to restore it to its former glory:

 

The Solvang show also welcomes Japanese classics that are not roadsters. Lots of cool trucks, Z-cars and 510s joined in on the fun:

 

Roadster Ambassador Scott Fisher showed his ’67 SPL. Scott’s 30k mile road trip started just before Solvang 2013 and captivated audiences with his photo-documentary of the adventure. He also has a great sense of humor:

 

Pete Brock even made an appearance and presented his choice for the Best of Show award! Just hearing him say that “Mr. K would love to see these cars” definitely stirred some emotions for all of us.

 

Big thanks to the SOCAL roadster owners club for hosting the 27th Annual show, we had a blast!
Lots of pictures in the gallery after the jump!

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Last year our friend Victor Laury had a stroke and could not enjoy driving his collection of Datsuns. With the help of the very tight-knit Datsun Roadster community we helped auction his 1970 Datsun 2000 Roadster…and the winner was from Australia!

Victor’s roadster was on display at the 2012 Solvang Datsun Roadster Show where people could purchase tickets to enter the raffle in person or online. The winner was to be selected from a bowl of tickets by Victor himself.

Congratulations to winner Robert P. of New South Wales, Australia!  He is now the proud owner of a very special SRL. Rob also happens to be a true “Z” fanatic, owning a boosted VQ-swapped S30. Check out the custom fabricated intake manifold he artfully made!

 

The roadster was shipped from SoCal overseas to it’s new home:

 

Though Rob had never owned a roadster before, he immediately started making the roadster his own while keeping the spirit of Victor’s aesthetics/modifications intact. His choice of copper finished SSR Mk IIr’s carry on Victor’s appreciation of  JDM wheels.

 

Rob worked diligently to get the car roadworthy for Australian motoring and started enjoying the ride! Imagine driving a LHD vehicle down under…

 

He even visited expert Datsun Roadster specialist Lou Mondello for a dyno tune! The Solex-equipped U20 put down a healthy 79KW to the wheels:

Rob’s roadster was even featured in a recent TV commercial! When Victor owned this car it was featured in many JDM magazines…it appears that the limelight he enjoyed is strong. Here is the TV Commercial

If you want to see Rob’s transformation of his newest Datsun, follow the build on the world’s best Datsun Roadster website:
www.311s.org
Congrats again to Rob and our heart goes out to Victor who we hear is doing much better now. At the time of this post a Datsun Fun Run was being organized at his request!

 

 

Summer is here and we all know that Datsuns Are Driven! I’ve been seeing more classic cars on the road in this beautiful weather and it feels like Datsun owners are coming out of the woodwork. I drove my Datsun to work the other day and on the way home spotted this tennis ball green 240z:

I took some local roads to avoid traffic and I was at a stoplight when a Datsun roadster drove right past me! I crossed three lanes to catch up and got behind  it at the light. I was very excited to stop and chat with the owner. I assumed he’d pull over but he didn’t so I followed him thinking how terrible am I for being a stalker . That roadster scooted! I had to know what was under the hood.
I followed him all the way to his home and turns out it’s his grandfather’s roadster. He said it’s the only car that made him enjoy driving! It is a ’66 SPL.

He popped the hood open and there was a 1600 engine with dual Mikuni 40’s!!! He made the linkage himself and also fabricated a nifty cold air intake/airbox!

Then I started noticing little details here and there like this oil cooler, elcctronic distributor, water tower conversion, Auto-Meter gauges and split-bumpers!

So get out there and drive your Datsun, you never know what other Datsun owners you may find on the road!

The 24th Annual Solvang Datsun Roadster Classic will be held in beautiful downtown Solvang CA. This year we will once again be showcasing some of the most beautiful and rare Datsun Roadsters around, along with classic JDM’s from the 60’s and 70’s. We plan on having as usual, attendees from around the world, along with Classic Datsun Rides from across the country! Admission is free to the general public. Car Registration and information can be found on our website located at www.solvangshow.com

When: Saturday, April 30 2011
Where: Downtown Park – Solvang CA
Time: 9am-3pm
Car Classes: Datsun Roadster, 510’s, Z’s, JDM’s

For the last few years I have been organizing “Fun Runs” throughout the Bay Area. A fun run consists of  several Datsuns/Nissans getting together simply to enjoy driving on twisty roads. Pretty scenery, good food and company follow. Events typically last about 3-4 hrs and mileage can be anywhere from 90-200miles roundtrip. We went on a fun run last Saturday, and it was a blast!

We had 5 Datsun Roadsters, 1 RHD Datsun 510, a 350z, and a Miata(more the merrier!) show up in the morning in San Jose, CA.  Our driving route (see map ) took us through the Uvas and Calero Reservoirs, a brief stop at Mt. Madonna Inn, then down to Capitola for lunch, through Santa Cruz, and back up the twisty HW9 up to Skyline Blvd(35), and finally down 9 to Downtown Saratoga.

One of the roadsters had a supercharged KA24DE drivetrain, listen to the blower whine below:

More pictures below
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