All SL's cars of ever - celebrating 30 years behind the wheel (Pt 9)

[Spottedlaurel]

It was the 30th anniversary of me passing my driving test sometime in late February. Thought I'd assemble photos of the stuff I've been driving over that time - I should have a photo of everything I've owned. Warning to anyone who doesn't much care for Japanese cars - you won't find much of interest here (but there might be a few surprises to those who think I've had nothing else).

 

Very young Spottedlaurel in pedal car #1 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Young Spottedlaurel in Team Raleigh pedal car #2 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Early stuff, less rust issues with these (but I think I'd struggle to fit myself and the family in them).

 

1978 Renault 5GTL + Mini + Manta (May 1985) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

First real car I drove, if only for a just few yards into the garage.

 

1981 Datsun Cherry 1.2GL 3dr (N10) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

This is where it all started. My mum bought it to replace the 5 in about 1986, which was starting to jump out of gear every so often. Early in 1988 my aunt won a Mini Mayfair in a Daily Mail competition, but she didn't want it so mum bought that from her and in turn I bought the Cherry. I'd been using it quite bit for driving lessons and passed my test in it. Back then most of my peers were getting Mk1 Fiesta 1.1s so this made a bit of a change. As an avid magazine reader I'd had all sorts of thoughts about getting a 'classic' (Herald, Beetle etc) but in those pre-internet days there wasn't the support network available and I took the sensible option.

 

Being a Datsun it was already going rusty, despite its relatively low mileage - I had to spend £150 getting the door bottoms and arches filled and sprayed when it was just seven years old. The guy did a good job and it remains probably the only car I made money on (bought for £500, sold for £1000).

 

At work I was driving 1.6 Maestros and Rover 800s every so often, just everyday stuff back then. The first time I drove an 820 with its PAS was a bit of an eye-opener and an 827 remained the fastest car I'd driven for some time.

 

Here's mum's Mini, which I regularly drove myself:

 

1988 Mini Mayfair + 1971 Triumph Toledo by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

The Toledo belonged to a neighbour.

 

A year is a long time in the life of an 18-year old car enthusiast and I was soon wanting to move on. I was after something like a Mazda 323 GT or a Golf GLS but I made a natural progression onto this beige beauty......

 

1983 Datsun Sunny 1.5GL Coupe (B11) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

My 1983 Sunny + 1986 309, Ipswich 1990 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Bought for £2250 from a garage in Sudbury in 1989, complete with the decadence of five gears, sunroof and a quiet OHC engine. The clutch went on it once and another time it popped a core plug but luckily for a model prone to HGF and warped/cracked cylinder heads it survived OK. Sold for about £1500 IIRC.

 

After another year I was again getting itchy feet and mistakenly thought I should get myself into a gradually newer car each time. £2500 in April 1990 bought this 309 - yes, something non-Japanese.

 

Peugeot 309 GR at Surrey Road, Ipswich 1990 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Peugeot 309 1.6GR by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

In hindsight I think it was that cheap for a reason, it had possibly had quite significant damage at some point? The boot let water in and when it was loaded-up with a lot of people/stuff the handbrake came on and the car wouldn't move - maybe routed incorrectly, or just because French? Still it was reliable enough and like the Sunny it did a fair few trips down to London and around the country to see bands play (lots of indie/grunge stuff and most of my friends didn't have their own cars).

 

It'd be interesting to know where I'd have ended up if this hadn't happened one evening:

 

1986 Peugeot 309 1.6GR (1991) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Managed to plant it upside-down in a hole beside the road. A proper bit of lorryshite was required to extract it:

 

1986 Peugeot 309 1.6GR + Ford Transcontinental (John Grose) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1986 Peugeot 309 1.6GR (1991) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1986 Peugeot 309 1.6GR (1991) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Peugeot 309 1.6GR crash by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Little surprise that it was written-off. Luckily I wasn't and fortunately I didn't have any passengers with me. My insurance company were possibly a bit sceptical as it was on the very first day of a new fully comp policy rather than TPFT that I'd had until that day......

 

Cheap wheels were required to keep me mobile until I got paid out and my mum knew someone selling this without an MoT for £150:

 

1975 Mini Clubman Estate by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Somehow a garage got an MoT on it for £150 but it was as rubbish as you might expect. It overheated and above 55mph the non-sealing rear doors let in an unhealthy amount of exhaust fumes and smoke (solved by driving at no more than 55). I managed to find someone willing to buy it off me and with the insurance payout I decided to indulge myself in a 'proper' classic:

 

1971 Opel Manta A 1.9 Rallye by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1971 Opel Manta A 1.9SR Rallye by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Wonder what happened to that 604 in the ad? I think the Capri behind it might have been a power-packed 1.3.....

 

1971 Opel Manta A 1.9SR Rallye by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

For some reason I appear to be proud of it here. It did look fantastic in its non-original black, but it was somewhat bodged and I paid far more than it was worth. Sometimes it had no electrics at all, eventually traced to a duff ammeter, and the brakes had a savage pull to one side. The fuel tank was holed at the top meaning I could never fill it right up, but as I was doing a fair few miles for work at the time in rather rural areas I would often run out of fuel so had to permanently keep a spare can with me.

 

1971 Opel Manta A 1.9 Rallye by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Most of the time it looked like this as the few months I owned it for were during the winter. Sold it at something of a loss (£1450 down to £750) but it did go to an enthusiast. Saw it again at a Billing show a year or so later, and was then very surprised to see it on RR more recently. Turned out to be little more than its tax-exempt ID and a few parts on another A.

 

1984 Ford Fiesta 950 Popular Plus (1992) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

On the day it was due to be collected I managed to bump into the back of someone else, oops. Fortunately the Manta was undamaged so the new owner didn't need to know and I just had the Fiesta owner to deal with. They turned out to be very trusting people, letting me source a secondhand bumper myself (£6) and handing me the keys so I could drive it to my garage to get it fitted for £24.

 

Despite this sorry tale the Manta A remains one of my favourite cars and I'd love to have another one someday, but I suspect I'd need to find a bit more spare cash than I have right now.

 

With a sub-£1000 budget I had to subject myself to the delights of Auto Trader and local paper classified ad's. With the relative ease of viewing stuff on Gumtree, eBay, Car & Classic etc it's easy to forget what it used to be like in those pre-WWW days. I considered a 305 estate, Visa Super X, RWD Starlet 1.0 and Mk1 Cavalier 2000 GLS - I test drove the latter two but decided the Cavalier wouldn't be much cheaper to run than the Manta and wanted to go for the Starlet. However that had already sold and I had to scratch around for something else.

 

This is where the predictable thing really starts, as I ended up with another FWD Sunny:

 

1982 Datsun Sunny 1.3DX (B11) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1982 Datsun Sunny 1.3DX (B11), Ipswich 1992 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

By this time I'd become self-employed and ended up doing around 20k a year for work and trips down to Bath to see Mrs SL-to-be so it was probably the best choice. A 4-speed, 1-litre Starlet might have been hard work up and down the M4 every 3-4 weeks......

 

1982 Datsun Sunny 1.3DX (B11) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1982 Datsun Sunny 1.3DX (B11) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

As it was already a bit tatty I decided to try a bit of an experiment on it. I was curious as to how dirty a car would get if it was only washed once a year and the answer was "very". It was already going rusty when I bought it (I didn't look in the boot when I viewed it and discovered the classic rear inner arch rot first time I put something in there) and after a couple of years the door bottoms were held on with self-tappers.

 

A quick sale was required when the time came for a change in 1994 and I punted it on through the excellent/awful Ipswich Car Auctions, where I'd seen many other miserable delights pass through. I think it made £175 and I saw it around town on at least one occasion - surprisingly it lasted until 1996 so the new owner(s) managed to get another couple of years out of it.

 

The next car is the beginning of a new chapter, to be told in the next exciting installment......

[mercrocker]

Great thread!   Extra points for documenting your shite past so fully, I have hardly any photos of stuff I have owned and destroyed.

[bramz7]

Great thread. Interesting to see the could have beens too, like the 305 estate for example.

I wonder if one day I'll post the same sort of thread. Would be far too long of course.

 

 

Looking forward to the next part.

[Scruffy Bodger]

Good write up

 

I can tell you for definite that a 309 when fully loaded should not apply the handbrake, something was wrong with it. I know a man who has totally and utterly abused 2 309's with ridiculous amounts of weight  and never, ever had a problem.

[dollywobbler]

Great stuff. I'm sure I have photos of all of my cars, I'm just not sure where they are...

[SierraMikeHotel]

Good stuff! Looking back I'm surprised at how photos I have of some of my old cars, but then we did have to pay for each exposure back then.

 

My mum had a 309 so although I never owned it I drove it a lot - a 1.3 GR. I was never especially fond of it at the time but many nostalgia when I see one now.

[Datsuncog]

Loving these threads - fascinating to see which vehicles we've loved/endured to get us to where we are today. Keep going!

[RoadworkUK]

This is brilliant. Up with this kind of thing.

[Split_Pin]

I started reading this and thought "no, I need to make another cup of tea before continuing", such was my anticipation of a great read, and I was not disappointed.

 

In particular I love the photo of the then new Mini and the Toledo. You may already know but the Mini appears to be still cherished, SORN'ed but MOTd until June. The Toledo also lasted right up until July 1994 which indidentally was 2 months after I last recall seeing one on the road myself.

 

Can't wait for part 2!

[RobT]

There you go.  The 309 is proof that old cars are safe...

[overrun]

FURTHER STORY PLZ

[wuvvum]

Excellent stuff!  I wish I'd been that conscientious about documenting my vehicles in my early days of driving...

[Spottedlaurel]

Thanks all. I might have done something similar 9-10 years ago but there's only a handful of us knocking around from those olden days (and there have been a few more cars since). I've tried to pick photos that show other stuff in the background, to give a bit of context.

 

I can tell you for definite that a 309 when fully loaded should not apply the handbrake, something was wrong with it. I know a man who has totally and utterly abused 2 309's with ridiculous amounts of weight  and never, ever had a problem.

 

It didn't seem quite right at the time. I wonder if it contributed to my accident, with suspension travel causing the handbrake to start applying mid-bend? Or perhaps it was just me driving like a 21-year old twerp?

 

Things will start getting more complicated from now, with multiple/overlapping car ownership happening....

 

By 1994 I had started taking an increasing interest in older Japanese cars. I happened to meet a Toyota Crown owner at a show in Ipswich and went to the second JAE show at Aintree in 1993, then later that year read of the Datsun Owners Club being set-up. The cars were relatively cheap, distinctive and reliable.

 

As mentioned, in 1994 the silver Sunny had to go and I was looking for something else. I considered an M-reg Celica that was about £1500 in the Auto Trader but I think everyday use would have been unkind to it (someone I got to know bought it instead, it was a lovely example). I joined the DOC and ended up buying this for £1200:

 

1980 Datsun 160J SSS (A10) 1 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1980 Datsun 160J SSS (A10) 2 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

These shots were from my very first weekend with it, having collected it from East Grinstead then driven it down to Bath. It remains one of my favourite Datsuns (and I've had quite a few) and I went all over the place in it, again doing a high mileage for a car of that age. SSS-spec meant it had twin carb's and a mildly higher state of tune than the saloon, along with a dogleg shift 5-speed 'box (with buzzer on reverse).

 

It became the first car I took to shows, with several trips to Bromley and the Billing JAEs:

 

Bromley Pageant Datsun OC 1995 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Went on holiday to Holland/Belgium/Germany in it one year:

 

Datsun 160J SSS, somewhere in Germany 1995 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

By which time I had a pukka set of works rally Enkei wheels fitted.

 

1979 Datsun 160J SSS (A10), Kent 12/94 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

A Toyota-owning friend found me its twin, at the time I had mine running on excessively low springs which gave me rather a generous amount of negative camber - I used to fit part-worn tyres as the inside edges would get worn away in no time.

 

1980 Datsun 160J SSS (A10) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

It got used in all weathers, in the days when snow was just snow and didn't need a dramatic name.

 

How embarrassing... by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

It let me down once when the water pump went, but that was fixed the next day as I had a spare engine in the garden.

 

1979 Datsun 160J (A10) in 1994 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1979-80 Datsun 160J SSS (A10) x2 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

I'd moved to another rented house which had a double garage (albeit a slightly rubbish one) and space for an extra car so I could start buying cheap ones for spares. The T-reg one in the garage was another SSS and I got it for £35-40 from a chap with the splendid name of Mr Snowball. As well as this rust heap he had other previous stuff which he'd never sold including a first-gen Camry and a Citroen DS.

 

I had also started leaving notes on other cars. This didn't always lead to anything as back then the export trade was picking-up (literally) and a lot of stuff was going that way (legally or not, sadly quite a lot of RWD Japanese stuff got stolen then). I did end up with this one, sold me to by a bloke who told the most preposterous lies:

 

1973 Datsun 140J (710) c.1994/95 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1973 Datsun 140J (710) c.1994/95 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1973 Datsun 140J (710) in 1995 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Early 140J bought for £50. I vaguely tried selling it, but this sort of thing had very little appeal back then and anything needing much work was readily dismissed as good examples could still be found. I took as much as I could off it and the rolling shells of this and the T-reg SSS were picked up by Whip Street Motors for export/scrap. I still have a few bits of both of those cars (and that dented silver saloon a bit further up) even now.

 

Lots more to come, but not tonight.

[Datsuncog]

*Faints*

[Tadhg Tiogar]

I can sort of remember the 180B Violets, but not the 160Js.

[Spottedlaurel]

God, this is dragging on a bit isn't it? Best crack on.......

 

Recording of "Driven" feature on Datsun c.1996 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

The SSS made a brief appearance on TV. I've said Driven in the caption above, but I think it pre-dates that. The show was hosted by Mark Walton, can anyone remember what it was called?

 

1972 Datsun 1200 (B110) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

In 1995 the DOC got offered this beauty for free, from the widow of its long-time owner. I volunteered to take it on and Datman collected it for me, welded it up and did whatever else was necessary to get it an MoT. Luckily work took me on a course down that way so I got dropped off by my colleague and drove it home. Probably my first experience of acquiring an unseen car - it was a bit of a shed but quite an endearing thing to drive and I regularly used it as a second car. When the future Mrs SL and I moved into a place together she took it on as her car, lucky lady.

 

1971 Datsun 1200 (B110) + my 1200, 1995 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

I found its twin in Ipswich one day.

 

After less than a year I sold it onto a friend and he managed to keep it going for another year or so before it was moved-on again and eventually got banger raced.

 

1974 Datsun 120Y 2dr (B210) c.1996 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

This heap made a brief appearance on the driveway. I'd already seen it elsewhere and the girl who owned it contacted the DOC when she needed to get rid of it. I paid £25 and she even delivered it to me. Same engine as the 1200 but heavier and not as much fun to drive IMO. Quickly moved it on, I suspect it got exported.

 

My stepdad's father died in 1996 and his low mileage Acclaim became available. We were the obvious candidates for that one and it proved to be an ideal replacement for the 1200. It was something of a revelation to drive after that thing, I'd always had a bit of respect for the Acclaim, much more so than Maestros and the other stuff ARG were churning out at the time, so was pleased we had one.

 

Our fleet at Oxer Close, Elmswell c.1996 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Triumph Acclaim HL by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

It was used as daily transport for a few years and got taken to France a couple of times:

 

1983 Triumph Acclaim HL in Southern France, 1996 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Owning the 1200 alongside the 160J had given me the taste (and insurance policy) for a second car. I looked at some possibilities:

 

1974 Datsun Laurel 200L Coupe (C130) c.1995 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1974 Datsun Skyline 240K GT (C110) c.1995 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Sadly neither worked out. They'd both been off the road for a while and the work needed was beyond my meagre skills. The super-rare Laurel is now in Holland and the Skyline seems to have been exported as well (maybe Kuwait, if not then Holland).

 

I saw an ad in Practical Classic for a guy up in Leicester selling a pair of Laurels. Having gone through a few of the smaller Datsuns I was keen to sample something bigger. I wasn't so excited about this one that he had:

 

1978 Datsun 200L (C230), c.1996 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

But I ended up having this one off him for £200:

 

1976 Datsun Laurel 200L (C130) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Datsun 160J SSS (A10) + Laurel Six 200L (C130) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

It had the straight-six 2-litre engine and a 4-speed manual 'box. Drove well, although there was some sort of ignition fault as it had been fitted with a starter button (which foxed me when I first collected it). The friend who'd bought the 1200 off me took me to collect it in that. We left the 1200 parked in Leicester than drove the Laurel to Hednesford Hills Raceway, watched some banger racing than drove back to Leicester, picked up the 1200 and I had a very enjoyable drive home on a warm summer evening with the straight-six singing away. Just as importantly it looked great, despite having been fitted with GRP front wings. These are one of the best looking saloons ever and if I could only have two cars in my dream garage then it'd be one of these alongside a Manta A.

 

I kept it for a year or so, but it woudn't be my first Laurel..........

 

By 1997 the 160J was getting a bit tired and I fancied a change, ideally a six-pot model again. As a young(ish) chap with no children I'd set my heart on a 240K Skyline. I'd already been to view this later Laurel but it seemed a bit too modern:

 

1987 Nissan Laurel (C32), Ipswich Car Auctions c. 1996/97 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

What happens next?.........

[Spottedlaurel]

I recall going on several long journeys to look at prospective Skylines, including Hastings and somewhere like Maidstone. Both of them were rubbish, but determined not to have a wasted trip again I picked up the Auto Trader for Kent when I was on the way home and found an ad for a 180B. Went to see it in the dark, seemed tidy so bought that instead.

 

1978-79 Datsun 180B saloons c.1996 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1978 Datsun 180B (810), 1996/97 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

As bought, on steel wheels and some missing trim around the front end - it'd been in an accident and the wings, bonnet etc had been replaced. It was otherwise a very solid and tidy car and did me well as everyday transport.

 

1978 Datsun 180B in Medler's Scrapyard (1997?) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

I missed having a 5-speed 'box, so I spent a weekend in Medler's liberating one from this later Bluebird SSS:

 

1980 Datsun Bluebird SSS Coupe by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Datman managed to source all the missing trims for me, and I couldn't resist a set of NOS Laurel alloys to bling it up a bit:

 

1978 Datsun 180B 4dr (810) YPK525T by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1978 Datsun 180B (810), Enfield Pageant 1997 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

This was another local car I got a call about. I didn't go for it at the time, but did consider having a bid when it turned up at the auctions (and was sold for £35).

 

1979 Datsun 180B (810), c.1996 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

The 160J SSS was still around for some of this time but I think I stopped using it due to skintness and eventually it was sold to a chap from Guernsey. No MoTs there, which was good for him but I believe the 160J rotted away and only its rare wheels survived.

 

The 180B was a decent car but for some reason I never really gelled with it. Being patient paid off, as the DOC was contacted by someone looking to sell a 240K down on the south coast. Ratdat went to view it for me, we agreed a price of £750 over the phone and a few days later I jumped on a train to go and collect it.

 

Datsun 180B and 240K GT by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Having just bought our first house I couldn't afford to keep both cars and the 180B was sold to another DOC member. It disappeared a few years later, but eventually resurfaced and was sold to an enthusiastic guy who has painted it white, fitted Wolfrace alloys and given it a few mod's - I think it's been at one or two of the RR Gatherings in recent years.

 

Anyway, more about the Skyline (AKA 240K GT) will follow. I need to severely edit what I could say about this one, I ended up keeping it for nine years and I was very fond of it.

[Shep Shepherd]

1970s Japanese cars are seriously stylish 

[dollywobbler]

Indeed. I love 1970s Datsuns. Enjoying this very much.

[BorniteIdentity]

Really can't wait to read this properly later on.  10/10

[406V6]

What a superb write-up. The pics brought back many memories. When these cars were new I was growing up about a mile from one of the biggest Datsun dealers in the area (and maybe in the country). All models of Datsun were common around the place, except the 240Z. They looked bizarre to my eyes at the time and all rusted away quickly. I hated them as a fan of British cars because so many local owners replaced their Austins, Singers or Vauxhalls with one of these dreadful (so I thought at the time) things. Forty years on the styling still looks weird but I can see what they were trying to achieve. In the mid-80s I hired a B reg FWD Sunny which had the 1.5 litre engine and was really impressed by its smooth engine and overall performance compared to what I was driving at the time. The Datsun really did have some redeeming features.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I worked for a Fiat Alfa dealer in Cambridge in the mid 1990's that started around 1973 as Datsun. Trouble is, the warranty work was non existent so they took on Fiat. Problem solved. 

[DVee8]

Excellent stuff!  I wish I'd been that conscientious about documenting my vehicles in my early days of driving...

Same here,I can remember the cars maybe dates but I have no photos.

[Skizzer]

Seriously enjoying this

[HMC]

Is it too early to decide this is my thread of the year? Love the content, thanks for taking the time to post up, here's to another 30/ as long as fossil fuel lasts out!

[overrun]

Loving this. RIght up my street and kudos to you for keeping such a meticulous record!

[Six-cylinder]

Great thread.

 

Showing an unnatural liking for Japanese so far, what is to come!

[chaseracer]

This place... 

[Spottedlaurel]

Thanks all.

 

Difficult to say exactly why I ended up being so keen on Japanese cars. As a kid in the '70s I had the usual formative influences of Cortina, Capri, Marina etc within the family and a BL dealer in the village meaning that lots of the locals bought whatever bilge they had on offer. I remember going to look at a 140J with my dad in about 1976, probably inspired by his employer having a Datsun pickup, but I don't think he was impressed. Otherwise they were just street furniture and I'm ashamed to admit the different models blurred into one although eventually I sussed them out with help from the Classic & Sportscar A-Z series.

 

Daking Avenue, Boxford c.1985 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

I sometimes used to get a lift in that Sunny to my part-time job at Tesco. Brown & Geeson wheeltrims on it for added period charm. The beige 120Y started off orange/red but I vaguely recall it being resprayed on their driveway, something I remember happening to another local Datsun and the sort of thing people did back then. The white Violet to the left of the Viva HC was pretty tidy, I think it belonged to a lorry driver. A bit further up the road some people had a Coke-bottle 280C estate which they part-ex'd for a Skoda 120.

 

My stepdad actually went through a whole series of Datsuns, all bought brand new from the local dealer who he did a bit of building work for, but that was before he and my mum got together so other than the fact he only lived a few doors down the road and I recall some of them on his driveway they didn't really influence me.

 

1977 Datsun 120A FII coupe (F10) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1980-ish Datsun Bluebird 1.8GL 4dr (910) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

I've always liked to be a little bit awkward and going for the usual Ford was never going to happen. For whatever reason French/Italian stuff didn't appeal to me (given my lack of mechanical skills this is probably just as well). By the time I was 17-18 I was daydreaming about the likes of an early '80s Bluebird SSS Coupe (like that white one I took the gearbox from), Celica or Mazda 323 GT. Even then they were had to find in the local papers and it wasn't until the club and show scene took off for them in the early-mid '90s that I had the opportunity to learn more about the mad/wonderful models available and get to own some of them myself. There was a bit of a voyage of discovery to be undertaken and it was good to be part of it.

 

As a contrast to what I owned at the time, and to give this a bit of context, at work I was driving a series of the usual repmobiles. For most of that particular job in the late '90s I didn't have my own company car so I just borrowed whatever was available (between sales rep's, at the end of its lease etc). There are no photos of these but it was the usual list of various Mondeos (mostly Mk1), Cavalier, Rover 400, Laguna, Xantia, Peugeot 405/406, Rover 820 and SAAB 900 plus the odd smiley Transit. I liked the latter, and the Laguna, Xantia and 900 were comfortable cruisers, but most of those cars left me cold - I'd already been influenced by 1970s/80s stuff and to me they were just dull, modern cars. It seems like I might be the only one on AS to think as much, but I really didn't like the Mondeos - so many of them had drab colours and interiors and I didn't enjoy spending time in them or seeing so many out and about.

 

For about six months I had a company car of my own, starting off with a Passat 1.8 20v. Really disliked that one, with its gutless engine and short gearing. Its replacement was rather more amusing, a 5-pot Fiat Marea saloon. I'm glad I didn't have to pay the fuel/maintenance bills but it was a fun thing to drive. Had I stayed there I'd have chosen something myself and I would have gone for a P11 Primera estate or Civic Aerodeck, but I moved elsewhere and was just left with the tax bill.

 

So, back to the Datsuns. This is the 240K when it was in its prime with the previous owner who'd bought it new:

 

1979 Datsun Skyline 240K GT (C210) c.1990 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Sadly by the time I got it there was evidence of accident repair work, with somewhat mismatched paintwork, and the inevitable rot. I just lived with that, it was a lovely thing to drive. It had IRS, lots of toys, pillarless side windows which were all electrically operated, an injected 2.4-litre straight-six and a 5-speed manual 'box. Nowehere near as quick as stuff like Capri V6, BMW 323i etc but it made for a fine cruiser.

 

1979 Datsun 240K GT (C210) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Over much of the nine years of my ownership it was a second car and as well as numerous shows it went to Norway a couple of times. First time was to a show which I went to with three others from the DOC via Holland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden, then the second time on our honeymoon.

 

1979 Datsun 240K GT (C210) on Dalsnibba, Norway 2002 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

I managed to acquire some JDM round rear lights and non-European headlight surrounds and recessed brackets which improved its looks (but obviously didn't address any of its more fundamental issues).

 

1979 Datsun Skyline 240K GT (C210) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Did a few laps around Goodwood on one occasion, but I never managed to look as cool as this guy:

 

1979 Datsun 240K GT (C210) postcard by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Inevitably spares cars happened:

 

1979 Datsun 240K GT (c.2002) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1979 Datsun 240K GT (C210) c.2002 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1979 Datsun 240K GT spares car by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

But this is the one I should have kept, a genuine barnfind purchased for £50:

 

1979 Datsun 240K GT barn find by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1979 Datsun Skyline 240K GT (C210) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

It was far more solid than the maroon car and I should have got it back on the road and used my original one for spares, but sentimentality/stupidity took over and I sold it far too cheaply. It did get sorted and, I think, ended up in Ireland.

 

1979 Datsun Skyline 240K GT (C210) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

This is what the poor thing looked like just before I sold it in 2007. I had to swap the bonnet when the original skin started detaching itself from the frame. The new owner had good intentions but I don't think he ever did what he planned and eventually the shell was put up for sale separate to the engine and 'box which he'd removed. I ended up getting the latter for a rather bargainous £51 and they now sit in my garage alongside the engine from the green one pictured above.

 

Datsun L24E engine + gearbox haul by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Are you keeping up with this?.......

 

I've fast-forwarded quite a bit so now we have to go back to 1999. A job change meant I no longer had the company car and rather than use the 240K as my only transport I 'needed' to get something else. This 300C estate cropped-up locally and after getting the price down from £900 to £500 it became mine:

 

1986 Nissan 300C estate (Y30) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

These things are very amusing. Nissan UK only sold about 300 of them here as estates and they came as a 5-speed manual with a smooth 3-litre V6 which was a brand new design back then. It made for a deceptively quick car, but one also capable of carrying seven people or a fairly substantial load. I had it for a year or so, suffering the same holed fuel tank issue as the Manta A, but something else turned-up so it got sold to a chap up north and I went back to one of my favourites.

 

To be continued........

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Fantastic, I have always been fascinated by 1970s Japanese cars but my knowledge was pretty much limited to early Cherries and 120ys due to their distinctive rear side windows. This thread has been a great education to me as well as a brilliant story!