Race Cars for Dummies – Episode 1

There are some brands that are more uncool than going to a James Blunt concert with your parents, brands that are no go zones, something no one aspires to own or be associated with. The world of motor racing is of course no exception. Everyone would love to race a Ferrari at Le Mans, conquer the fearsome Laguna Seca with a Shelby Mustang, or even master the Top Gear test track in the wild Suzuki Liana.

This all sounds very appetising so of course you want a piece of this racing action. But if you’re anything like us, you struggle enough to find money for a box of Tic Tacs, let alone a race car. Well to prove that it can be done, be done cheaply and indeed with absolutely zero experience, we here at DriveRSA have rushed out and purchased…

Wait for it… 

Pause for dramatic effect…

Our very own Datsun 1200!

And well, there’s just no other way to describe it. After our frankly magnificent purchase, we can’t help but feel we’re living the rock star lifestyle. But why on earth would we get a Datsun 1200, apart from allowing us to go undercover and blend in the seedier parts of town? Well it’s going to make the perfect track day car and in addition to that it qualifies for the historical racing series, a perfect starting point for anyone looking to get into the wonderful world of motor racing.

So the question still remains, why the Datsun?

First off the Datsun 1200, like many old cars is rear wheel drive. Brilliant start, as we all know everything is made better going sideways.

Secondly and most importantly is they’re very cheap. With only a few coppers in your back pocket, sneakily obtained from scrounged around down the back of the sofa, you can walk away with a car, albeit in questionable condition, however a car none the less, with wheels, an engine, a gearbox and everything!

Lastly, for a group of people whose greatest collective engineering achievement has been to fix a slightly faulty washing machine, is that everything could not be more simply put together. Open the bonnet of any modern car and you’ll be greeted by a scene more commonly observed by walking into your local PlasticLand. Absolutely everything that can even be remotely classified as being connected to the vehicle is covered up so that we dirty paying customers don’t lay our grubby hands on any of it and your local dealership can make a small fortune in servicing. Compare this to the Datsun on the other hand and under the bonnet everything is clearly laid out, easy to reach and fairly self-explanatory.

So now we have the car, it’s time for us to dive head first into our restoration project. Join us next time where are first tasks are to strip the interior and fix the dodgy brakes.