April Fool?

[sblake01]

Originally posted by HS30-H

No Stephen, let's get this straight. The car that was issued with the carnet registration number "TKS 33 SA 4150" ( the car that Aaltonen & Todt crewed to a 3rd place finish on the 1972 Monte Carlo Rally ) was LHD. It had an "HLS30" VIN prefix.

Okay, I got it.

[LEE240ZPERTH]

Hi Alan

Whilst Kevin Bristows name is mentioned, can you tell us what stage his works car is at and what is it's history.

It's been several years since I saw his car, I would think it's been finished for a while but have'nt seen any info on it.

Lee

[HS30-H]

Hi Lee,

Just to make it clear for other readers, Kevin has two cars: One of them is his very successful ( and important in its own right, as its done so many events ) yellow car ( nicknamed "OMT" after the first three letters of its registration number ), which he has campaigned on Historic rallies in the UK - and occasionally Belgium - for some years. This car was built up from a standard production road car in the mid-Seventies, and has been a rally car almost all its life. It was originally prepared with the help of the staff of Old Woking Service Station, and used quite a few parts that were either ex-Works or supplied from Nissan Japan's Sports Option lists. Kevin has developed the car still further, and really knows how to drive it.

Kevin is currently 'resting' from the UK historic rally championship, but takes the car out on selected events, and the occasional track day. Its a great car, with loads of character and patina.

Kevin's other car is something rather more special. Its a genuine Works-built rally 240Z, which was originally issued with the carnet registration number "TKS 33 SA 3640" and was first entered in the 1971 RAC Rally, crewed by Edgar Herrmann and Hans Schuller. That year's RAC was a bit of a disaster for the Works team, and the event itself was hugely disrupted by heavy snow which forced the closure of some of the stages. Although the car finished the rally, it was well down in the results.

Nissan UK used the car for some promotion work after the rally, but it was soon sold into private hands and given a UK registration number. The next owner did a few relatively minor UK club rally events with it, but apparently had some trouble looking after it properly. On one event for example he ripped off the original Works exhaust system and was forced to cobble up his own replacement. Parts seem to have been something of a problem for him. After passing through other hands, the car ended up being put away in a farm building and left there for the best part of 25 years. It suffered the ravages of time, damp, mice and even a fire ( from which it was rescued just in the nick of time ) but thankfully remained largely intact and unmessed with.

Kevin bought the car some years ago and started collating information on the car, and indeed on other Works cars. After a lot of very skilled surgery, the body of the car is now repaired and painted. Kevin has saved what many others would have declared a dead car. Many of the most important Works components of the car were still attached, and of course "Part Number One" ( the actual bodyshell ) was still the Works-prepared original.

The car is now awaiting an engine rebuild and further assembly. I don't think it will be finished this year, but there is a good chance that it will be up and running next year if Kevin gets a little more free time to spend on it.

Hopefully it will get a few magazine articles dedicated to it when it is finished............

All the best,

Alan T.

[daddz]

Alan,

Thanks again for clearing that issue as I was not aware that Mr. Bristow owns two rally Z's! I had read an article some years back describing how badly the ex-Nissan car was when found but, I don't remember the bit about the owner removing the factory exhaust. There was mention of a farmer's wife using the car to run errands before the car was placed in storage. If I recall Kevin is a friend of James Morris whose car has been featured in Classic and Sports Car before?

[HS30-H]

Originally posted by daddz

There was mention of a farmer's wife using the car to run errands before the car was placed in storage.

Hi daddz,

You have gone and done exactly what I was afraid of. You have mixed the stories about the two cars up........

It was his yellow car ( "OMT" - the non-Works car ) that was being used by a farmer's wife to run errands before Kevin bought it. After Kevin bought it he started a complete rebuild of the car, and started a relationship with the car that still continues to bear fruit.

The ex-Works car ( which used to have the Japanese carnet registration "TKS 33 SA 3640" ) was the one that was in storage for many years, and before being put into storage was being used as a privateer rally car. That was when it lost its original exhaust system and had a few layers of paint added on top of the original Works paint scheme. A few other items were lost too, but the car was largely complete ( although in a rather shocking state ). Kevin's efforts to save every last nut and bolt - wherever possible - deserve a medal. You'll be able to see this when the car is finally finished. He really has done a fantastic job.

All the best,

Alan T.

[daddz]

Alan,

Thanks for putting me (and others) straight regarding the history of the two Z cars. I find the history of the car(s) to be as interesting as who/when/where they were driven.

I just finished watching "The Speed Merchants" last evening and it was interesting to see some period footage at Sebring depicting a 240Z being passed by Mario Andretti and later to see footage of the Targa Florio with Vic Elford's narration as well as Mario's.

[Z-point]

Hi all,

Not only ‘Mr Ed, editor of VRJ”, makes mistakes. Sports Z magazine can learn a thing or two.

They claim Datsun had three victories in the EAS, ’71 – ’72 and ‘73

If you look at the picture you can see it for your self but in the mean time I quote: “in 1971 the Datsun 240Z won the event outright - a feat that would be repeated in 1972 and 1973”

Sure, we where successful but not that successful!

As a good friend of my quote; “However, I think it is a big mistake to make because if a Z authority says that the 240z won the EAS in 1972 people are going to think that.”

If you like to see the whole story (the victory lane) visit www.z-point.nl/70.htm and that counts you in Mr David Bexfield!!!!

[v12horse]

I sent the editor of Sport Z Magazine a pm so we will see what they say. I will keep you guys posted.

Ben