Mike Kojima Inspired Datsun S30
By Aaron LaBeau
When you fall in love with a car sometimes it doesn’t matter how long or how much money it takes to achieve your goal. Every editor at MotoIQ has been down that path in some form or another and it turns out our fans are pretty smitten also. On the other side of the globe, Nino Karotta from Budapest and the team at PWRacing in Hungary are building a stunning 1974 260Z. Nino plans on using the car for drifing, time attack and what he calls “generic” recreational activities.
Here are some highlights
- 1974 Datsun 260Z two seater
- Custom tube frame and roll cage
- Custom front suspension (S13/E46 hybrid)
- S13 rear suspension with adjustable arms and Driftworks knuckles
- Wilwood 4 piston front
- Skyline R33 2 piston rear
- Pedal box
- Hydraulic handbrake
- Nissan VQ35DE from a 350Z
- Eagle connecting rods
- ARP studs
- VQ35HR oil pump
- Jenvey ITBs
- Custom fuel system, fuel cell
- JWT C8 cams
- Accusump
- Custom headers & sidepipes
- ACT single-plate clutch
- ACT racing flywheel
- Nissan 350Z 6 speed
- Custom driveshaft
- S13 differential with KAAZ 2 way LSD insert
- Custom IMSA-inspired period correct FRP body kit by OMG Visuals
- Custom aerodynamic composite splitter, undertray & diffuser
- Custom pillarless side window
- Fender mirrors
- Stock gauges
- Period toggles and warning lamps
- Period Nardi steering wheel
- Genuine Datsun wooden shift knob
- Corbeau Forza vinyl seats
- Luke harnesses
Base vehicle
Chassis
Brakes
Engine
Transmission
Body
Interior
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| Humble beginnings for this 260Z project. You've got to love the plant that was determined to find the sun though the rusted body. |
Nino's Kojima inspiration dates back to the SCC days “I was an avid reader of SCC back in the day, really enjoying the science above bling approach. I'm not an engineer by trade, yet my appetite for knowledge and real understanding of vehicle dynamics was in a large part whetted by Mike and his excellent series about suspension basics and handling. Following the demise of SCC I've been a loyal MotoIQ reader since day one. I've learnt a lot, and I got inspired to learn even more by books.”
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| Someone got a little crazy with a spray can of yellow on the JDM Hayashi wheels. Nino spent hundreds of hours discussing the shape of the fiberglass fenders with the fabricators. First they started with rough slabs of styrol and then plaster. The car was sanded and re-shaped exactly the way Nino wanted it. Finally when ready the molds for the fiberglass were made so they can get shattered racing and made again. |
