Yesterday was a great day for carspotting. It started off a bit slow but by the end of the day I was quite pleased with the assortment I captured.
First up, the title car: a K20 swapped Nissan 510 Bluebird SSS (trim level). You heard that right, not a Datsun 510. This is a RHD import recently converted. I talked to the owner and he said he’s only owned it a week.
Please forgive the blurry photos; my camera doesn’t do well in low light and the sun was rapidly retreating at the time.
I took these photos with the full permission of the owner of course. He was pretty chill. One interesting part of the build he highlighted was that it used to be a three speed column shift but now it is a five speed floor shift. The “Whitebird” logos are just a stylistic touch to set it apart from the other Nissan Bluebirds out there.
There is a 0% chance that these two CTS-V owners don’t know each other. V models are really rare and I haven’t seen one in a while.
The rarest thing I saw all day though had to be a Plymouth Superbird. Yes, the Stock Car inspired Plymouth Road Runner hotted up to look like an oval racer.
Unfortunately I was too late with the camera and it got away, but here’s what they look like. The one I saw had a “Superbird” script on the front fender and didn’t have a matte decal on the nose cone but in every other respect it was identical. Less than 3,000 were produced so I’m not sure that it was a real one, but if not, it was a pretty good replica.
But that’s not all:
A local munitions company keeps this M35 “Deuce and a Half” outside to attract customers. I doubt it moves but it is in better shape than the other promotional car behind it. More on that later.
Cool vehicle but maybe a bit overblown. Looks mostly unrestored other than the bench seat, canvas, and maybe an older paint job. I wouldn’t want to wrangle it out onto the fast, busy road behind it (the only way out).
About that step van behind it. . .
It’s a Chevy step van made in the 1960s. Specifically a P20 van, probably with some anemic and long disused straight six in the doghouse between the seats.
It’s in pretty rough shape all around. Flat tires, terrible paint, numerous dents, and signs of one final accident that should have sent it to the scrap heap.
There appeared to be actual rust on the inside of the window there. This angle also shows off the gnarly bite a collision took out of the front.
Yeah, this thing will never move again. It’s sat here for years and years and, if I am being honest, isn’t in much better shape than the cars down in Old Car City USA.
The color is quite unusual. Perfect for attracting attention but it has clearly seen much better days.
And the interior? So much worse than the exterior.
Yikes. That’s quite bad. As you can see, the window has begun to rust.
Neat triangular speedo though. Looks like the driver didn’t get a rev counter. You can’t even see the needle anymore from the caked on filth.
It did go out with a bang, though, reflecting the sunset through the grimy windows in a peculiarly eerie way.
Sure it’s a Datsun 280SX but it’s still a beautiful classic sports coupe resplendent in bright bonze paint that you rarely see on the streets, much less in this condition. Sadly, it is saddled with a slushbox. But just look at it! Imagine it with covered headlights and chrome bumpers. This car has a lot of potential.
Of course, while I was there I couldn’t not check out a whole bunch of W123 Mercedes outside a specialty shop nearby.
The people working on them were very amicable and I took them for a father son team. Not sure but the cars were cool.
That’s quite a haul for only two days on the road. Which would you take home?