Datsun/Nissan Powered Single Seater???

[NZeder]

Ok so for sometime I have been wanting to know more about this car

 

And Lurch's thread about his early girl reminded once again of the pic above found on the 'Datsun Performance Centre' website.

“Well it mostly is, but I had the original engine & gearbox rebuilt a few years ago buy a bloke called Gordon Dobie who used to run a workshop called ‘Datsun Performance Centre’. Have you heard of him?”

 

I have always liked the idea of owning/racing a single seater - would be happy to build a replica from blueprints too. Now as a zed nut it would be great if there was a single seater that was build with a L6 back in the day and replicate that. So I have search and search the internet to see if such a car was built the pic above of the L20B ASP is the closet I have found. Hell an L4 power single seater would be a lot of fun too.

 

So does anyone know more about this said L20b power ASP - anymore pics/specs etc I can't find much on the interweb and I just love the idea of having a Datsun power single seater historic car (be it the real deal or a replica) and one day I might follow up this dream and build a replica if I could get hold of blueprints and specs etc

 

If anyone has any info on any Datsun power single seater that would be outstanding and if you PM me here we can share email addresses and aid in the long term quest to have a Datsun powered single seater.

 

The only other Nissan power single seater stuff I can find is the FJ20 and LZ power formula Pacific/Atlantic cars but LZ engines = rare and very $$ and I can't find any specs on the FJ20 cars that raced in Japan.

[PeterAllen]

I have read many magazine articles about this car but Google doesn't appear to contain many references. The owner-builder is Warwick Williams and it's based on a Maserati 250F design.

Image reference: http://planeimages.smugmug.com/Cars/SPEED-ON-TWEED-PHOTOS-2007/3453032_uhHDZ/4/193968756_jLRmY/Medium

[C.A.R.]

Mike, send Gordon Dobie an email.

He reply's quite quickly & is quite willing to give out information to interested people.

[NZeder]

Mike, send Gordon Dobie an email.

He reply's quite quickly & is quite willing to give out information to interested people.

Email send thanks for the heads up. I will email you later too about brakes

[chris240]

There is a 4-5 page write-up on this car in one of the 'restorer' magazines from a "couple' of years ago..from memory its an L28.

Ive got the magazine, its just a question of where it could be....I'll start looking 

 

[chris240]

found it..is this the car you mean ?

damn nice Maserrati clone ....its not an L28 its a 3.0lt skyline, late 80's ? Incredible build job.

If you want me to scan and send to you let me know..

 

 

hmmm I dont think where talking about the same car here are we...

[NZeder]

found it..is this the car you mean ?

damn nice Maserrati clone ....its not an L28 its a 3.0lt skyline, late 80's ? Incredible build job.

If you want me to scan and send to you let me know..

 

 

hmmm I dont think where talking about the same car here are we...

Thanks for finding that - no need to scan just let me know the month/year of the mag and I will see if I can get a back catalogue from the publisher.

 

Still wanting to find out more about that ASP in the pic above or any 70's period use of the Nissan/Datsun engine in a single seater.

[chris240]

sept 2007....

[NZeder]

Ok just found the ASP website - I think.

http://www.asp-racing.com/models_main.html

Look like that car might have been one of the 4 ASP330 constructed in early 70's for the F3 class original using Ford or Toyota power 1300 or 1500. So my guess is it had the Ford or Toyota engine replaced with the Nissan power, the rear wing fitted for a different class.

[dat2kman]

Um, in NSW I had a  CAMS logbooked formula libre hillclimb special from 1986 to 1992 that was originally built in mid 1970's in Moorebank NSW by a guy, last name Farrell, ( no, not the more well known Farrell clubman builder), he and his brother constructed a single seater special, fitted a McLaren M4A body and a VW transaxle with the cw&p reveresed for four reverse gears and one forward gear ( think about it), and adaptor plate, and a L16 engine on twin 45dcoe's.

When I bought it, I then fitted a L20B and had a VW box guy rebuild the box with a close ratio set, and ran it at oran park, Catalina park, and Amaroo park, along with some runs at Amaroo hillclimb, and Silverdale hillclimb.

In mid 1989 I moved to Qld, and ran it at Mt Cotton hillclimb a few times, when on my last visit in it, in 1991 , I was on the start line giving it the usual tyre warm up, when I snapped the crank. ( sticky tyres!!! )

Got the shi#s with it and sold it to a guy who lives around the corner from me now, he stripped it right back to bare chassis, and found heaps of cracks on the welds. He has done nothing with it.

I have a few decent old style prints of it in action. I'll scan and post some time!

 

Best fun was in the wet at Amaroo one time, when I beat a Formula 5000 Chev V8 engined open wheeler, ( mind you he was on slicks and I was on intermediates) next meeting at Catalina in the Blue Mountains, he just got me, by farken HEAPS !!!

[NZeder]

Very interesting. I found on another forum that states of the 4 ASP 330 build only one is left and it is Brisbane. I have emailed Rory of ASP to see what more info I can find.

 

Love your story about the Formula Libre with the L20B you fitted - would love to see the pics.

 

So a little more digging and you never know I might just have a plan to build a period correct Datsun/Nissan powered single seater might take me a few years to build and I will start as soon as the zed is back on the road in a few months

[NZeder]

wow 3 years later and I still don't have the zed back together....but I did have more kids and get another zed so looks like the single seater Nissan/Datsun powered dream will have to keep waiting  :'(