What It's Like To Drive A Datsun Z Turned Drift Machine With A Skyline Engine
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Andrew P Collins
From Jalopnik
You’ve heard “millennials don’t like to get their hands dirty” and “kids aren’t into cars anymore.” But don’t worry—hot rod culture is still alive, but today the greasy tattooed Danny Zuko types build stuff like this 1975 Datsun 280Z with a Nissan Skyline engine swap. And it’s fast, difficult to drive, and just the right amount of janky.
(Full disclosure: Professional drifter Chris Forsberg works with the car audio company Clarion and Donut Media to sell stuff. He built this car himself, for himself, and had it out on the Streets Of Willow track at Willow Springs for a video shoot. While that was going down, he let me take a couple laps before the throttle got stuck, the car overheated, and everyone ran away screaming.)
The 1970s were tough for car enthusiasts. Engines were choked in begrudging compliance with emissions rules and parched by stratospheric gas prices And oh, god, those early low-speed bumpers. Those things were so ugly it’s almost like automakers were intentionally flipping off the American people for demanding safer cars.
In retrospect, diving board bumpers aside, this era looks like a clear transitional phase between the rounded eggshell corners of the ’60s and severe angles of the ’80s.
Forsberg’s custom build accentuates that blended look even further.
[image_gallery images="2063:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/xr0mqsf5looewjugzvtq.jpg,2064:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/g2dejzhknobfewwhrdux.jpg,2065:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/r72jpfxb4sck3kq2dxxz.jpg,2066:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/luuef1xnthb1goxjyptk.jpg,2067:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/b1grq9hjk9gwemdmeruh.jpg,2068:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/yluskz6vgo7ahiiu91ne.jpg,2069:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/q1ofwqgpo3zevjdkptcj.jpg,2070:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/hfdy660klsxpstrwucsn.jpg,2071:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/szmiea7gxzwvy6ry1ya3.jpg,2072:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/uhhpwlslqk6by3udtr5n.jpg,2073:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/jk9jadnhq41expmhao1e.jpg," ][/image_gallery]
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The 1970s were tough for car enthusiasts. Engines were choked in begrudging compliance with emissions rules and parched by stratospheric gas prices And oh, god, those early low-speed bumpers. Those things were so ugly it’s almost like automakers were intentionally flipping off the American people for demanding safer cars.
In retrospect, diving board bumpers aside, this era looks like a clear transitional phase between the rounded eggshell corners of the ’60s and severe angles of the ’80s.
Forsberg’s custom build accentuates that blended look even further.
[image_gallery images="2063:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/xr0mqsf5looewjugzvtq.jpg,2064:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/g2dejzhknobfewwhrdux.jpg,2065:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/r72jpfxb4sck3kq2dxxz.jpg,2066:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/luuef1xnthb1goxjyptk.jpg,2067:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/b1grq9hjk9gwemdmeruh.jpg,2068:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/yluskz6vgo7ahiiu91ne.jpg,2069:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/q1ofwqgpo3zevjdkptcj.jpg,2070:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/hfdy660klsxpstrwucsn.jpg,2071:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/szmiea7gxzwvy6ry1ya3.jpg,2072:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/uhhpwlslqk6by3udtr5n.jpg,2073:http://www.datsun-garage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/jk9jadnhq41expmhao1e.jpg," ][/image_gallery]
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