Fuel Injection Not Required

The great thing about time attack at a grassroots level is that it’s something you can totally make yours. To assume that everyone is in it to break records is pretty silly; most are in it for the fun, the thrill of driving and the satisfaction of slowly evolving ones car without fear of being looked down upon.

It’s because of this that we see so many weird and wonderful things come out of Japan, and the Total Car Service USUI Mazda Roadster is just that.

Call it the result of years of evolution, because this is an NA-chassis Roadster like you’ve never seen before. Power and performance aside, the owner and the shop entrusted to build and maintain it have addressed every single aspect of the Mazda, starting with the aerodynamics.

On top of the underlying aero additions, which you could classify as bolt-on or off-the-shelf, much one-off work has been added to help the little lightweight Mazda slice through the air.

That treatment extends to the sides and onto the rear with the extractor you can see here. It’s all constructed out of sheet aluminium, as carbon fiber would be far too exotic for a grassroots project like this one.

Nothing is left to chance, so each time the car was waiting in the paddock for its next outing atBattle Evome last weekend, the owner wrapped the tyres up in heat blankets.

Because, why waste a couple of laps to warm up your rubber when you can head out with tyres almost up to the perfect temperature.

The cockpit is Star Trek-worthy to say the least. There is so much happening, perhaps more than there needs to be, but this is how the owner envisioned it, and this is how he arranged it all. If he’s happy, who is anyone to criticise?

His passenger is a little custom-made aluminium fuel cell, which carries just enough gas for a few hot laps around Tsukuba.

Under the carbon vented bonnet is a fully-built motor that breathes through a pair of side-draught Weber carburettors. I was told this gives amazing response and throttle adjustability when negotiating the trickier bits of the circuit, and as you can imagine the sound is pretty wild.

The aero packages is completed with a massive GT wing that’s supported and connected directly to the chassis via a pair of aluminium stays.

So what does all this custom work equate to? The best lap the owner/driver managed on the day was a 1’01″164 – a great result for what is quite an underpowered car in comparison to the majority of the Battle Evome field. 26th fastest out of 45 entrants is one successful day at the track if you ask me.

Dino Dalle Carbonarefrom speedhunters

Shakotan For Gentlemen

When you think of the cars most commonly associated with Japan’s shakotan and modifiedkyusha culture, there are several models that come to mind. The Nissan Skyline of course, along with its cousin the Fairlady Z. Then there’s the Toyota Celica, the Mark II, the Mazda RX-7, plus a number of other domestic sports cars and sedans from the ’70s and ’80s.

Yet despite its importance to the history of Japanese sports cars, the Datsun Fairlady Roadster is not a model you often see involved with this movement. That’s why I was very surprised to find this little 2000 Roadster parked amongst a group of two and four-wheeledkyusha during a gathering at Fuji Speedway earlier this year.

With its elegant 1960s sports car inspired looks, the Datsun Roadster isn’t commonly associated with the wide fenders, slammed ride heights and overt paint jobs of the shakotanscene, but this car manages to fit in perfectly.

The owner has given the loveable little Fairlady some proper attitude with a choice set of wheels, some subtle body work and an aggressive suspension setup. Best of all, the modifications come across totally natural.

You can’t just throw a bunch of stuff at a car like this and expect it to work, so great attention to detail was needed for the body work. Rather than the bolt-on style over-fenders you see on most kyusha builds, the arches of the Datsun have been perfectly flared to accommodate wheels and tires much larger than what the stock fenders could hold.

And the fenders are filled up beautifully with a set of Hayashi Street wheels that look brand new, wrapped in modern Dunlop rubber with the perfect amount of stretch.

Combined with an aggressive but functional ride height, a factory hard top and a set of bullet-style mirrors, you’ve got one of the most attractive looking Fairlady Roadsters I’ve ever seen.

It’s the same story inside. Peek into the cockpit and you’ll find a pair of old school bucket seats, a period correct steering wheel and requisite checker pattern floor mats.

With the ideal blend of period charm, attention to detail and a street racer touch, this vintage Datsun presses all the right buttons for me. I really hope we’ll see more Roadster builds like this one start to pop up around the world.

buy Mike Garrett

From RM's Don Davis Collection: Speedster, Spider, Roadster

As it's springtime, Classic Driver has taken a look at RM Auctions’ forthcoming (27 April 2013) Texas sale of the Don Davis Collection and chosen some fine, wind-in-your-hair open motor cars...

---

1989 Porsche 911 Speedster: USD 90,000 - 120,000 


Porsche reprised its famous ‘Speedster’ name for the final G Series version of the 911. This car was an early version, built in 1989 and featuring the famous ‘double hump’ behind the front seats plus more steeply raked, cut-down windscreen. 

This black car, with red hide, has covered just 15,767 miles since new. 

further details on Lot 150 in the Classic Driver Marketplace >>

---

1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 'Daytona' Spider: USD 1,200,000 - 1,400,000


Making its debut at the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show (as a ‘GTS/4’), the convertible version of Ferrari’s mighty 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ - always referred to as a ‘Spider’ - is the stuff of legend. 

Only a whisker over 120 ‘Daytona’ Spiders were ever built, all but one bodied at Scaglietti and the vast majority were LHD cars. This one was delivered to the USA on July 17 1974 and shows just 21,077 miles on its odometer. Complete with Ferrari Classiche certification, the immaculate red-with-tan car was acquired by Don Davis around 2008. 

further details on Lot 148 in the Classic Driver Marketplace >>

---

1965 Shelby Cobra 289: USD 650,000 - 850,000


Who doesn’t know the story of 1959 Le Mans winner Carroll Shelby and the creation of the eponymous company that married a dependable British chassis with simple, barchetta styling and an understressed, but massively powerful American V8? 

Original Shelby Cobras, particularly those with the simple, no-frills bodywork and wire wheels you see here, are desirable cars. This Don Davis Collection car is listed in the World Registry of Cobras and GT40s, and comes with its original documentation, including Shelby and dealer invoices. 

further details on Lot 112 in the Classic Driver Marketplace >>

Related Links You can view all entries in the forthcoming RM Auctions, 27 April 2013 Don Davis Collection sale in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text: Classic Driver
Photos: RM Auctions