Now here’s a real beauty, and it’s a cabbie that takes Bobby Nitro right down the old memory lane.
It’s a 1976 Datsun 140Y station wagon, the kind you’d take to the drive-in cinema in the ‘80s, setting the kids up on folding chairs in the back so they could see the screen. Then would come the popcorn, sweets and milkshake.
At least that’s Bobby's recall of this particular classic. For Zubair Groenewald, 48, who has been building Datsun’s from a very young age, the experience is different.
An avid collector of the marque, he says: “I bought this particular Datsun to fill out my Y series collection as I already have a four-door GX plus a two-door GX.”
The Datsun 140Y was built as the third generation of this particular brand, debuting in 1973. By the way, with its 1.2 litre or 1.4 litre engine, small in those days, it was extremely popular as it came in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis.
Zubair says: “It is used as a daily driven vehicle, show and shine, charity runs and is also used as a camper”. That’s a lot of use out of a 46-year-old car.
Asked what makes this choice stand out from the crowd, he replies: “It is a very rare vehicle and I call it Saartjie the retirement car.”
Under the bonnet, the engine is standard as Zubair has done no more except fit a Weber carb and free flow exhaust with a branch on a L14 overhead cam. And of course, he added some nice rims.
What is really eye-catching though, is that colour. Asked if he’s done it over, Zubair tells Bobby that it is in fact the original colour, known as red oxide. One thing’s for sure, it has certainly been looked after carefully.
The interior remains untouched, even when a USB head unit and 6x9s were added, no hole was made to accommodate them.
Though the Datsun is still in decent condition, Zubair says he is in the process of giving the inside a full rework.
As a daily drive, it has been reliable because when Bobby asked if there had been any funny experiences, Zubair replied that it was lovely and smooth to drive. He says: “It’s a get-in-and-go kind of car, and is very fuel efficient.”
Asked if there were any drawbacks, he could only find the lack of an aircon and power steering. Though that would never be enough to deter Zubair from the Datsun brand as he says: “I prefer Datsun as I know Datsun inside and out.”