The Solvang Datsun Roadster show took place last weekend. Now in its 28th year, this gathering continues a tradition of uniting owners from all parts of the world in a little town just outside of Santa Barbara.  I drove my roadster down from San Jose and arrived Saturday morning to a very wet downtown Solvang. Despite the showers we had 77 Datsuns in attendance and eventual sunshine.

 

For the last 3 years The Solvang Roadster Show has been organized by the great folks of SoCal Roadster Owners Club. They have carried the torch well, providing a fun time for all and keeping things interesting like creating show categories with sponsors. This year the new “race” class was sponsored by the popular historic driving group SVRA, and the display was pretty epic!

 

This 1962 Fairlady SPL212 was given a full transformation into a road-racing beast. The man behind this one-off roadster is Jeff Silvey, a long-time Solvang show attendee and talented fabricator. He’s known for his bright red, L-series powered hot-rod SPL212 and sweet turbo-diesel powered NL320 truck. The latter was actually the tow rig for the racecar, how cool is that?!

 

Back to the racecar…from the outside there are a few subtle mods like the front air dam, “gills” and speedster cover that catch the eye. Add the 16″ vintage Volk GT-U wheels and you know this isn’t the stock, 48hp Fairlady from the factory. With red/white paint somehow it all works very well. Then you peek underneath that tiny hood and see an S15 SR20DET sitting almost a foot back and a myriad of custom fabrication takes over.  From the full Silvia rear suspension to custom a-arm setup up front Jeff went bezerk with this build. We dig it, see more detailed shots in the gallery:

 

Other notable race cars included our friend Ron Carter with his 1967 2000 race car and Gary Wasserman’s factory lightweight SRL.  Ron recently got accepted to run at the Monterey Historic Races coming in August!

 

The show brings roadsters lovers from all over the world including British Columbia and Mexico.  For those hardcore Datsun enthusiasts that insist on Enjoying The Ride this means towing a small trailer!

 

 

I have a soft spot for Datsun 1500s (I have a 1500 grille on mine), especially these ’63-64 3-seat models. This year we had four beautiful examples, including an original owner who was a Solvang resident. He even showed me the original purchase order spec’d with the factory hardtop!

 

 

Solvang showcases everything from highly modified to pristine stock examples of roadsters. John Baker’s ’69 2000 and this ’67 SPL were great examples of stock roadsters, right down to their stock steel wheels:

 

Speaking of stock, Mike Young brought this fantastic 67 2000 for display showcasing his great restorative skills. White/red is one of my favorite combinations and really got the stance right on this SRL with the slightly larger Libra-style wheels:

A few more 1600s, including Mike’s stroked and Mikuni-carb’d hot rod.  Watanabe wheels, EMPI steering wheel and red/black interior are great choices.  Eagle eyes may notice the 2L gauges, shift plate and trim ring. Watch the video to hear it run!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJIVRqm8Pfo
 

A pleasant surprise was this “short-nose” Skyline coupe or “hakosuka”. These cars were powered by G-series 4-cylinder engines unlike their larger L-series 6 cylinder brothers that we are starting to see stateside. Sitting nicely on Hayashi Techno Phantoms this classic J-tin ticked all the right boxes with pillar-less windows and a proper surf line left intact! Check the gallery for other “non-roadster JDM” finds.

 

An incredible amount of high windshield 2000’s inhabited the show this year with very diverse examples. Solex, SU and even motorcycle quad-carb induction setups hooked up to U20s. Scoville/BRE stripes, fresh paint jobs and custom interiors worthy of Pro-Touring muscle cars were also seen:

 

A properly executed engine swap into a Datsun Roadster is always nice to see as the bar increases each year.  These (for lack of a better word)  “resto-modded” roadsters blend modern drivetrains with vintage lines while adding personal touches from the builder/owners.  Here are three examples that stood out:

Looking for more power but wanting to stay NA, Mike Anderson’s ’68 SPL sports an SR20VE. Using Nissan’s version of VTEC, this VVL combination is good for 200hp NA. With help from Kevin Desirello of KRD it dyno’d at 215wrhp! Limited production Volk TE37v SL wheels are one of my all-time favorites.  Mike took me for a spin and this engine in such a light car is phenomenal.

 

Jon Frampton’s 1967.5 SPL stole the show with a total frame-off restoration and SR20VE-T/6-speed drivetrain. That’s right, a turbo was added to an already ballistic engine! Another one of Kevin Desirello’s creations, this roadster came to him needing only transmission work and suffered an extreme case of “Hey, while we’re there”…

 

It’s hard to believe this car was once candy red and decked out in 90’s era style. Beautifully applied #531 Beige Grey Metallic paint and a very subtle but custom interior by Bill Dunn (Overhaulin’) helped win Best of Show.  Jon himself is famous for restoring and “modernizing” roadster gauges…his work is sensational!  Check the gallery for more shots…there are plenty of neat details to see!

 

Finally, Ted’s 1966 SPL is a familiar, though still impressive roadster. Built by Michael Spreadbury of
Spriso Motorsports, this S15 SR20DET powered beauty glistens with Plymouth Prowler paint:

 

Sitting perfectly atop 16″ Watanabe RS-8 wheels with a massive dish out back on a 225-width tire, this one oozes cool. Ted is currently driving her thousands of miles on a Southwest tour!

 

We had a blast at Solvang and always look forward to next year. Big thanks again to SoCalROC for putting on another wonderful show!

 

If you didn’t attend please watch this excellent drone footage of the show from fellow roadster owner Mike Anderson. Don’t forget the picture gallery after the jump and…

Enjoy The Ride!

 

…[read more]

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!

…[read more]

***ATTENTION DATSUN FANS***
There are TWO exciting Datsun events this weekend!
Saturday, 4/30    
The Solvang Datsun Roadster Show is being held in beautiful downtown Solvang, CA.

Sunday, 5/1
A record number of Datsuns will be racing at Laguna Seca with HSR on Sunday, 5/1

If you are a Datsun fan and love vintage racing come out to Laguna Seca this weekend! On  5/1 the Historic Sportscar Racing group is bringing an exciting event with plenty of historic race cars and several notable Datsun racers! If you can’t make the Solvang Datsun Roadster Show (held on Saturday) this is another way to get your Datsun fix! We will do our best to attend on Sunday afternoon where the Datsuns are running in group 3. We also want to be there to cheer on our favorite Datsun Roadster racer, Ron Carter!

So just how strong will the Datsun showing be? At least TWENTY 510s, Zs, and Roadsters! Come on out to ‘Seca and watch these Datsun vintage racers mix it up with exotics and other wicked metal 🙂

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

The drive from Solvang to our hotel in the LA area was fairly uneventful except for the hour of inexplicable traffic that we sat in for no apparent reason on a Saturday afternoon.  After we checked into the hotel we went out for some dinner at a sports bar so that we could watch the San Jose Sharks game, they won in OT.  Most of us then decided to turn in so that we could be rested for the show on Sunday.

We checked out bright and early and made our way to one of the quaint little towns that speckle the LA area, if you know where to look, to get some breakfast.  With our tanks full we venture on.  When we finally arrive at the venue we are not surprised to see what seems like hundreds of cars in line waiting to get in.  Good thing we ate.  After a good forty-five minutes of inching forward (some of it just coasting down hill with the cars off) we arrived at the front gate.  Every car in sight was a Z.  All years, every possible combination of mods, mild to wild paint jobs, you name it and a Z had it.  This was like a pilgrimage that had reached its destination.

The entire event report and a ton of photos are after the “read more.”  So click and read more.

…[read more]