Purpose Built Motors’ Datsun 1600 Restomod | Jay Leno's Garage
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- Опубликовано: 8 май 2022
- Mike Spagnola tastefully restored and modified this Datsun 1600 which makes 300 horsepower to the wheels!
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A new video every Monday! Visit Jay Leno's Garage, the Emmy-winning series where Jay Leno gives car reviews, motorcycle reviews, compares cars, and shares his passion and expertise on anything that rolls, explodes, and makes noise. Classic cars, restomods, super cars like the McLaren P1, sports cars like Porsche 918 Spyder and Camaro Z28, cafe racers, vintage cars, and much, much more.
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Хобби
Great rapport between you, a friendly conversation rather than an interview. Great car too, of course.
"How do you know what's behind you?"......"The shine of the chrome". Best answer ever. 😀👍👍
12:50 That glove compartment door covered with race badges increased Jay's interest 100x. Jay loves a car with a story, and those badges tell a wonderful story of this sports car's life.
Yes, every car has a story. Nice to know this ones. Cool he kept it.
I enjoyed that as well! Smart guy to save that history!!
Think I would’ve left it on the dash though…personal opinion. 😎
@@harryballzack Yeah, I think that's a great idea, but it probably would have got stolen in LA.
100%!
I love when you give younger people to shine with their builds. Like the kid with the Model T. Thanks.
I to enjoy watching Jay bring the younger crowd. Especially the kid with the Mustang he had on a few months ago.
That episode is one of my favourite! I think he knew more about T's than Jay, and that's saying something :)
Love these!
Awesome watch forsure smart young man
I like that Mike was interviewing Jay. Love this type of video. Jay is just a genuine car guy.
Jay's a great guy, I always like how humble he is and the variety of cars he has on the show. He can appreciate all the hard work the owners put into restoring these different cars and talking to the enthusiastic owners like this man. He's appreciates all types of cars from different era's and is very knowledgeable on their technologies. I'm glad to see most owners let him drive their cars, as he seems to be a expert driver. A excellent show Jay, keep up the great work on your channel.
He is a total treasure!
As a luxury car collector. This one was nice
Beautiful. Well done. Restore our faith in the future of car enthusiasts, and builders. Maybe it is me, but I see a Zappa resemblance in his appearance, and personality. Wisdom beyond his years.
That’s a beauty! Takes me back to the dreams I had for a ‘70 1600 that I bought for $150 in the late ‘80s and did a low-budget fix-up on the body and got it running. Wanted to do something like this but lacked the money and time. It was one of my favorite cars along with a ‘03 Mazda Protege5 hatchback. So much fun in the canyons!
that is a rare car today- most roadster owners opted for the 2000 in 1970
As the owner of a Datsun 1600 sports which is in bits in the garage, this is the episode I’ve been waiting for. Love the car!!
God I loved this segment. I owned a 68 Datsun 2000. It was Canary yellow and had a hard top that creak like crazy. To this day I would love to have that car and do what Mike did to his 1600. I have to say his swap makes so much sense and would love to do something like that. Great show Jay.
If you had a 2000--that was power enough!...those engines were very lively!
Back in the day here in CT. Bob Sharpe Racing had Paul Newman driving for him. They had Datsun 2000s that they ran on the track. I owned one of their 2000s that they sold thru their Datsun dealership. What a great car.
I loved the show featuring a 1600 Datsun sports car. It is the era of the car my wife and I rented during my R&R from Vietnam in early 1968. We had little money so did not visit other islands. We spent much time on the roads in Oahu completely exploring nearly every road and location. eating in inexpensive places and getting the full pleasure of driving that car until it was time for me to go back.
Welcome home!
Really relate to that little slice of life. Simple and rings so true for many who where young and in that part of the world. Glad you made it back!
This is one of my favorite Jay Leno episodes
02:30 Somehow even before he answered the question, I knew he was going to say “SR20DET.” One of those engines that has its own fan club!
That’s about the nicest 1600 I’ve ever seen . Just a perfect stance and the right amount of power. Absolutely love the lines of these and everything he’s done accents them . So nice
Jay is an American treasure, so knowledgeable of the auto industry, and industrial era. I love how he talks with his guests never acting like he knows more or is better. He has great car stories. I wish his car collection open to the public, maybe one day one could hope. He will be sorely missed when he's gone. We love you Jay!
first you have to out-live him.....then you can make that comment.
As a kid from Lynn, MA (graduated in '67) I can completely relate to the line: "...anything with less than four doors might as well have been a Farrari." This young man is right in the spirit of the restomod hobby. Great video!
Back in the 70's and 80's we used to call Japanese cars: "British cars built correctly". I think the 1600 Datsun Roadster is what the MGB should have been.
It's still true looking back at these cars today.
+++ + +++
Amen !!! :-)
For the record, my comments are not "off-the-cuff" observations. I bought my first MGB in 1976 ... It was a 68 roadster, which I LOVED. I have owned over 60 of them (yes, over 60 ... I owned a shop) and raced them for about 12 years. Since 1976 I have always had at least one parked in the garage. The one I own now is a 1970 GT. And every time I see the Datsun Roadster, I shake my head for what could (should) have been.
Wow! Over 60 of them?!. That's time well spent. I've only owned one of each in my 50 years. Both of them I drove stock for a few years before I modified them. (Younger me is still apologizing to older me for cutting them up). As I recall, the MG suffered from a very poor electrical system and a straight cut first gear. That made the Datsun more desirable to me. Plus it had disc brakes. In the end both cars got GM drivetrains. The Datsun was a Buick aluminum 215 V8 with a 5 speed. The MGB received a Chevy 2.8 V6 with a 5 speed. Both worked well, but I've always regretted not keeping the British car British, and the Japanese car Japanese. Live and learn.
I'm a Brit and I agree with this.
It was cool that he kept it Nissan as much as possible, keeping it true to it's origins. And it looked like he did real good work. Congratulations on an excellent restoration. And no mention of the McLaren P1 by Mr. Leno.
Nice thing about Datsuns is a lot of Nissan parts from other vehicles will bolt right in, they have a lot of interchangeably.
I was surprised we didn't mention the F1 when they showed the gold hood lineing
@@toyotanerd2269 On the McLaren it's an actual sheet of real gold.
The SR 20 is a great engine. I had a 1992 Sentra SER with that engine. Absolutely bulletproof.
yes!
Mike Spagnola is a gent. Really knows these cars and great to see this.
OMG I am IN LOVE with that sports car ! Datsun FTW !
As somebody who is restoring a 73 Opel GT I appreciate these odd little sports cars of that era. This is a great example with a cool owner.
My dad had a red Opal GT in the '70s when I was a kid with slotted wheels and fat tires, it was the coolest thing in the world to me, he had trouble with the motor though had to rebuild it twice and then gave up. I have a red C6 Z06 now thats ok but it would be way cooler if it had a headlight flipping handle :)
great looking cars did you see when gas monkey crushed two of them cause he couldnt give them away? broke my heart
what SWAPS have been done to the GT's ?
boy, if that ain't the pot calling the kettle 'black'
Jay really likes this build doesn’t he.
Jay..you have it , sir..The young man in this show is all about things that tick all the boxes you talk about..Congrats for finding this young man and showcasing everything that he stands for..honesty, perseverence, dedication..all great tags for a good life.
Amen :-)
This vid brought lots of memories of my 2000 back. drove it 129 mph which almost unseated the convertible top. Took some hair pin turns at hair raising speed on the way to Toad Hall. Fortunately my Angels kept me safe. Had the 2000 for a year and then the head got warped and an episode of daffy exploits ended with no casualties. Now I play vid games and see how far I can go with terminal cancer. Thanks very much for your beautiful presentation. The adventure never ends...
Sorry, brother. I can’t imagine going though that. God bless you.
Datsun 1600...my first car! Incredible car...was very "used" when I got it, but stood up very well for a teenager learning to drive, and putting it through the paces. The car was so light, it was very quick with only about 100hp. I can't imagine 300hp in this baby beast!
Thank you for the video, brought back so many memories.
I had a 1968 Datsun 2000 back in 1973 when I was going to college always loved it wish I'd kept it.
I had a ‘68 Datsun Roadster. Was great fun. Nice to see young people enjoying it too.
Always liked the Datsun roadsters and I like that Spagnola kept is all Datsun/Nissan components. Spagnola seems like a genuinely nice guy. Enjoyed his questions to Jay about Jay's roadster back in the day.
Same!
do you suppose the guy who designed the front of the datsun roadster actually knew the guy who designed the rear??
best conversation so far
Thanks Jay experience commenting of youthful exuberance and the results are great.
The old Datsun roadsters are quite possibly my favorite chassis that one day I hope to own
+++
:-)
who will be the first to build a roadster EV?!
@@tommurphy4307 it will not be me I don’t have anything against that but part of the experience for me is the sound and manners of a combustion engine.
My second car was a 1967 Datsun 1600 short windshield roadster. I loved it, and wish I still had it. Lots of fun in that little rig!
I'm just now looking into TSD rallying in southern Arizona (if I could only find others who are interested.) The Braille Rallies are something I hadn't heard about before. My neighbor is a deaf/hearing translator at the local blind/deaf school. I'll have to talk to her about them! Love the car stories Jay! Keep inviting (young) everyday owners to the show. These are the best episodes!!
These are the presentations I appreciate from Jay. A young man with a knowledgeable passion about four wheels and an internal combustion engine.
I can kinda feel in my bones that Jay wants to work with him in the future. Tightly.
Agreed!
You have to admire the enthusiasm that Jay gets from the younger guys he has on the show. I feel like he’s always willing to share his experiences and provide some history. He never comes across as knowing everything and isn’t afraid to admit his mistakes, class act.
gift-of-gab = good bullshitter
easy when you're born into it.
Jay is always giving back and helping support car people. Absolutely love this.
Great humanitarian, doesn't go looking for a cameran when helping us folk out.
Agreed!
kid grew up racing, and already owns a car business, and Jay knows his father, i'm sure he'll be just fine..
So well put together. I love that he kept the chrome and styling almost stock, everything he added fits well with the aesthetic of the original car. I would absolutely buy one of these in this configuration.
Amennn !!! ! !!! :-) :-) :-)
I agree, very clean car.
a real datsun roadster fan wouldn't even give it a second look- the roadster to have is the '67 SRL311- with a complete dealer-installed solex kit.
had both 1600 and 2000.. they handled well for sure. Still love these Fairlady's
Beautiful car. I loved the originals but this is a fabulous looking restomod. Preservation in any format is to be encouraged. This chap saved a shell from the wreckers and brought it back to a wonderful new life. Much respect.
people STILL throw these things away building race cars out of em. i used to have parts scavengers grab the all the 2000 body stuff i used to leave out for the trash man when i used to build DP cars for nelson or summit point.
Yes Mike! This is so awesome 👏
It's great to see someone asking Jay the questions for once
I had a '69 Datsun 2000 Roadster back in '74. I loved that car. Thanks for this episode. 👍
I really enjoyed this video, especially when Jay tells the story of the brand and what experience he had. I feel those are more value added stories than just talking about the car and how it rides.
Also big shoutout to asking more about Jay and what he drove vs talking about the car.
Unfortunately, Jay's story about the brand is not accurate, from what I could discern.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datsun#Datsun_in_the_American_market
Love that too!
@@OMGWTFLOLSMH its got to be hard to know a lot about every marque in the world, but Jay does a good job of faking it....
I love these old Datsun roadsters. I can remember the motorcycle shop I worked at becoming the Datsun dealership around 1969. We got in a Datsun 1600 and a Datsun 2000S and as much as I liked the 240 z. , I wish I would have bought that 2000S. Those were great days. Jay Leno came to our small town to open up a restore movie theater a couple years ago. There are many fine Italian restaurants here, but Jay wanted to go to a Hardee's. He let people take their pictures with him, and everyone who was there said Jay is the real deal. Great video !!
Its awesome to see a Datsun on Jay Leno Garage again thanks Jay :)
My college roommate had a Datsun 2000 - I've loved them now for more than 40 years. This episode was a fun watch.
Being up in years, it's so refreshing to see the younger generations getting into the "hobby" and doing it so well. The fact that my first "new" car I bought was a '76 280Z doesn't hurt either. Great job Mike! 👏
yes!
It looks great, I see a lot of future here! Thks for masify it Mr Leno!
Great guy, it’s great to see young guys like myself really spreading all over the car community! Keep the hobby growing..no matter what you drive!
It's great to see young guys (unlike myself) spreading all over the car community. The love of "all things cars" brings people of all ages together. 😇
I'm 60 years old remember an old hot rod and popular mechanics magazines I think it's great that younger people are taking an interest!
Had in 1974 to 1976 a used stock 1969 SPL311 1600cc 14 inch wheels Datsun Roadster. It could eat MGB's 1800 cc and 1500cc Spitfires all day long. That motor was really strong and tight having an aluminum head twin SU carbs four bolt main carried crank that would torque up or drag down gearing relentlessly to your flavors of performance. It always made me think of the Triumph Harold front end having a Mercedes back end with those tail lights, it was like me a mutt breed with heart. Sure glad I have a collection of pictures of it right up to totaling it by a 1 and half barrow roll starting from the driver side and resting on a collapsed windshield. It dump me on the first half of the roll never used the stock seat belts "fools sometimes pull it off" which was more like a flip when snapping off the rear wheel at the axle from drifting into a curb. It continued on until rest only knocking the wind out of me and a bruised inner leg from the large steering dragging over it as I separated from the car. One of many cars that made memories for me still rolling but a little slower, Ha!
Wow you could see the excitement in his face great car.👍
When you pulled out of the garage, the back of the car (with the flares) almost looked like a Cobra! I love this thing! It looks super go-carty and fun to drive. Kudos to the sound guys for making this episode listenable! That must've been a hassle!
Thank you to Jay for featuring another really cool vehicle, and thanks to the crew for another great episode! As good (if not better) than what you get on cable!✌️❤️🙂🇨🇦
A fun car for sure!
A friend of mine had 1 in the late 70's.It was a blast to drive.
Glad to see Nicolas Cages, cousin is reviving this classic,great color,great handling and awesome fun
Another great episode Mr.Leno.,Thank you for some COVID relief,🕯️🙏🕊️👍
Mike does a good job of engaging Jay in Dialogue.
I really enjoyed this test drive. The car owner was really present and realized that Jay was a source of info that he may not get a chance to tap into again.
Amazing, that’s a ton of work literally
Kind of miss my 73 Datsun 510 2 door sedan I sold 10 years ago.
Gosh that is beautiful, wish I could turn my beater datsun to look like that.
Thanks Mike and Jay!
This a great build and I love that Jay is willing to show all and any cars.
I bought one in 1976 and have been working on them ever since. I build engines for them as well as do mechanical and electrical repairs and mods. Have built a couple with KA 24 engines for customers. I have a 2000 Roadster coming in for electrical work in a couple weeks a 1600 for brakes and a 2000 Solex engine build as well. They just keep coming and it it keeps me young.
For those that don’t know, the 2000 came with either a 130 hp or the 150 hp Solex engine 5 speed trans and front disc brakes. All that starting in 19 67 1/2 thru to 70.
Pretty well equipped.
Yup...those Solex carbs really set that engine off!...A friend of mine had b ought one of those cars, and when I went for a ride, the acceleration pushed me back in the seat!...I thought it was a small-block V8!
As an MGB owner, I approve of this video. I love the center rod holding the windshield frame together. The Japanese did a wonderful job of improving the British roadster.
Surprisingly the Datsun Roadster came out a few months before the MGB.
Yeah and more dependable
Nissan and Austin were kind of related back in the day. When Nissan joined with Prince, then we started seeing light, overhead cam cars like the 510 and the 240Z.
@@dlittlester the 510 and the 240Z car body structures were nissan innovations and had nothing to do with prince motor- the only descendants in that regard would be the L-series engines...and nissan didn't 'join' with prince motor- they acquired them....
@@jamiekasza62 nope- the mgb came out in '62 and the first datsun 310 roadsters were unveiled a year later.
When I was first in college (1967) I belonged to the sports car club. And we did AutoX and Gymkhana in the upper lot about once a month. Two cars that stole the show: 1.) 327 FI 4-speed split window Vette (yellow w white walls), and 2.) new with the paper dealer plate baby blue Fairlady that just ripped the course. That Fairlady made everyone of us a believer !!
Great car....and what a likeable lad
Absolute beauty with a proper engine package
Aaammmeeennn !!! ! !!! :-))
Great video, and I think that's the earliest I've ever heard Jay say "pulls very nicely..." right after he fires it up in the garage and eases off the clutch😄
I'm just glad he didn't put an electric motor in it! My friend still has his 2000 Datsun Roadster in storage.
Jay always features the most unique and the most beautiful cars. This Datsun is very pretty.
Great Build, I'm a big fan of older sports cars, had a 61 MGA-1600, 72 MG Midget, 73 240Z Datsun
They were all fun cars, and with a little work, great cars. Really well done video, covered it all.Thanks
I had a 1964 Datsun 1500 (Fairlady) back in the late '60s and ran sports car rallies in SoCal too! Eventually, I replaced the 1500 with a 1600 engine and had to replace the rear end because the old rear end couldn't handle the extra HP. Fun car - I miss it. (I still have a couple of dash plaques from those days!
My car buddies neighbor had a white 1600 in the garage. He never would sell it. It didn't run because of a blown head gasket. We just marveled how cool it was. We always built 510s and 620s. Fun cars and trucks back in the 80s. Wish we still had all the ones we went through.
That was just what I needed, sweet ride, good convo no bs
I had one of these Datsuns! Red, just like this one but just stock with a hard-shell roof with a porthole! Loved that car! So did girls!
About 90% of them were red.
Cool guy, seems like somebody I'd like to just grab a few beers with, and I don't even drink!
Had a 1966 datsun 1600 with a posi r/e when I was a kid. It had been sitting up for many years when my dad bought it for me. We rebuilt it at the Navy hobbie shop. It was the best car I ever owned and the best thing my dad ever did for me.
Excellent video. The car, the owner and the conversation were all first class.
American car culture in the 60's towards Japanese autos was finally relaxing. Remember a lot of Dads had signed up in 41 to fight. But Datsun saw a niche market in a sports car that looked small compared to the Mustang. I was 14 in 1965, but American steel didn't stop me from admiring the sporty lines of the Datsun. Great episode Jay and kudos to Mike for showing what elbow grease can do for the inspired and awesome exhaust note pouring out those dual pipes!
My grandfather fought in the Pacific in WWII, then later sold aftermarket performance auto parts from the 1950s-1980s for a bunch of big names - he hated Japanese cars, wouldn't tolerate them parking in the prime spots in front of his office building. Then, one day in 1986, he showed up at my parents' house in a new Acura Legend, raving about how great the car was and how well built it was and all that. The car he traded in was a Cadillac with an Olds 5.0 diesel, if an explanation was needed
@@11sfr the first legends were super-reliable cars
this one came out real nice. Great job. Love it
So nice to see Jay with someone with so much passion and also out on the canyon roads.
what a great car....you can even see how the car evolved into the 240Z, the there were some styling cues that transferred to the Z. My Dad owned one of these new in 1968.....I always loved them......I finally bought one my self a month ago, a Red 70 1600.....I"m loving the car...so fun to drive
Absolutely beautiful
Pretty easy to see Jay really liked the car and Mike, we got some extra on this one...what a bonus!
Well done Mike.
So glad you bring all these young folks on the just getting started in the business. I'm sure they really appreciate it!
A great car after a long while. Thanks mr Leno
Beautiful job on his project. Great discussion between him and Jay. This young man is the car future. Super segment.
Amen :-) :-) :-)
easy when you're born into it.
Great job very cool little car
Now that’s a sports car! It’s unique with bags of character, passion and soul. I’d take this over an off the shelf lambo or Ferrari any day.
We had a Datsun 2000 set up for autocross when we were in college; tons of fun in a well balanced car!
sounds like fun- good for you and your school buds!
What a cool car! That SR20DET is no joke! One of the best engines Nissan EVER produced!
Had my eye on one of these back in 1989, should’ve pulled the trigger, thought parts would be tough…man, was I wrong. Great build! Beautiful application of a nice car. Thank you Jay for giving this platform to small builders.
they made a buttload of em
That’s my GUY ! So sick, Mikey.
Thank you for sharing, this young man did an excellent job on this resto mod.
I really like that he was asking Jay questions
This is the type of resto mod that should be parked nest to Jay’s 2x Lotus Elan’s. What a great build. Loved when I was a kid. Especially when 2000 arrived.
I’m so happy to see all these 1950’s thru 1970’s two seater’s . Beautiful car sir. Brings back great memories. Thanks Jay.
I wish Jay would find someone with a well-maintained Austin-Healey...those British cars were so beautiful. He has one video of an old Healey 100-6, but it is presented as some sort of Rat-rod.
I had a Datsun S800 back in the 80's . Revved to 15 -16 thousand if I remember correctly . Not really that quick though, but a nice little car . I think they called them mini E-types
That is a very clean build. Doors sounded really solid, excellent fit and finish, nice engine compartment. Well done!
steel body on full steel frame......
Great build. Great episode.
Jay your the best. A Lot of passion and enthusiasm from your young guest. I love it.