It really is an odd thing, odd as in somewhere between peculiar and downright outlandish.
Here are three Datsuns, all beautifully turned out, all owned by friends, and all in an eye-catching tangerine colour, all in one place.
Yet, when Bobby Nitro called up the three owners, they all had the same story, telling Bobby that firstly, the colour match was not planned and second, that they hadn’t organised that they’d be at the same M.A.D. Worx hook-up hosted by photographer and videographer Adeeb Davids.
Was a likely story and hard to believe at first, to be honest, but Bobby reflected on the fact that Brent Fisher, Rafeeq Mathews and Adrian Lakay have no reason to spin a tale, and are respected members of our petrolkop community. So here they are, the Datsun triplets.
Rafeeq, proud owner of the 1975 P510 (note the numberplate), finished the restoration of this, his daily drive, just three months ago. He’s a fan of the retro look (note the AA badge and rear window louvers) and has an original motor. Aside from the tangerine respray and coilovers, he left everything else as is, as he says “it was all working, including the radio”. He adds: “The main addition is these 16-inch Compomotive wheels, they are very rare and I had to make some moves to get hold of them.”
Right after chatting to Rafeeq, Bobby called Brent immediately and asked if the colour hook-up thing had been planned, giving the guys no time to sort stories. Brent’s story was the same, adding that they hadn’t even planned to rock up at the event at Westgate Mall last weekend.
Brent’s 1973 is also a P510, but with a little extra under the bonnet. With an 1800 turbo motor out of a Nissan S13 you could definitely call this classic a ‘sleeper’.
In other words, you admire it at the robots then it leaves you in its dust.
Brent says: “People get a surprise when they open up the engine bay.
“I’ve had to add the bucket seats to keep me in place for the corners, upgraded the gauges and I use it as my daily drive.”
Adrian is no stranger to this column, we’ve featured his bakkie before and his mania for all things Datsun. He says: “My father was the king of Datsun, owning about 30 E20 taxis, that’s where the love for Datsun began. I grew up with them.”
Adrian, who owns four models of the marquee, has kept the bakkie engine stock standard and is busy with another 510, adding a turbocharged powerplant in a project that has been on the go for four years so far.
As you can imagine, wherever these guys drive their Datsuns, people stop and stare and make offers.
Check out the MAD Worx social channels for upcoming events.