Throwback Thursday: Lego 510

We've featured a number of Lego creations in this blog in the past and we've done a few Throwback Thursday postings in the past.  Now we've combined the two!

A beautiful Datsun 510 in BRE livery with accurate decals and logos.  Lego has announced that it will produce in a real world kit form, the original Mini.  It would be cool if they made a limited run of other cars as well--particularly this one!

BRE Lego 510...

IDx Video and Audio!

Certainly does NOT sound like a three or four cylinder under there....nor does it sound like a turbo either...but what do I know??

The IDx Lives!

The recently introduced at the Tokyo Auto Show Nissan IDx Freeflow and NISMO were evidently not just pretty shells.  After being brought over to the Detroit Auto Show they are now on a tour of Southern California.  This whole process is far beyond what you see with normal concept cars and Nissan has then taken things even further...

They delivered the concept cars to the Motor Trend folks and allowed them to be driven...OK, so it was only around a parking lot but still...This is something you never see with concept vehicles.  Nissan is bringing the cars around to a number of locations and events in the area continuing to gauge public interest.  It appears more and more likely that these are going the Juke route and will be put into production in the near future.

Motor Trend drives the IDx...

Nissan IDx NISMO and Freeflow are a GO!

Well that didn't take long...

Reports are already coming out that Nissan will be producing the IDx NISMO and/or Freeflow "concept" vehicles recently shown in Tokyo.  In truth this is what we all thought anyway as they are close to production models as is--similar to the Juke when they released its "concept" model.  Reportedly they were waiting on the response from the public after their recent introduction to make a final decision.  That response has been solidly (but not universally) positive.

I think this is what Nissan was aiming for anyway.  The last thing they wanted to do with these vehicles was produce another Sentra or Versa.  Why produce another bland econobox?  Create something a bit polarizing that people will latch onto and claim as their own--similar again to the Juke.

Where is the line for the NISMO version??  I think its just brutally awesome with its gaping shark like nose, small wing over the rear window, side mirrors on the hood, side exhaust and bulging flared wheel wells. I'd like to get in that line NOW!

Nissan greenlighting the IDx NISMO and/or Freeflow!!

Would You Sell One Testicle For A 370Z?

Hmmm...I dunno...I'm done having kids (two kids are plenty!) but it still feels right to keep my god (small g) given body intact.  The guy in the story below is trading his testicle to medical research for $35K which he is using to get a 370Z.  That's not even a top end 370Z...

Man donates testicle to buy 370Z...

That said...I might be willing to part with an extra organ or two in exchange for a copious amount of cash or a really nice Nissan.  So let's play the organ for Nissan game shall we?




Kidneys:  I'd trade a kidney for a nice Nissan Titan.  The Titan is a bit outdated of a vehicle and a bit of a gas hog.  Then again, a kidney isn't that big of a loss.  So I'd have to pee more often and my ability to filter stuff would be a bit compromised...meh...I can adjust.  Seriously....I think I'd donate a kidney today if it got me a vehicle to tow my race vehicle with.

Lungs:  Hmm, this one is a bit tougher.  Without a lung I assume my ability to perform physical actions would be compromised.  Plus I feel as if I'd end up leaning to one side or the other as the absence of a lung would mean a pretty big weight imbalance wouldn't it?  That said, I could use to lose a few pounds and getting into actual decent shape would help mitigate the loss of the lung.  I say a lung is what I'd trade for a 370Z which is a real nice sports car but not something ridiculously valuable.

Testicle: Now we get into some serious stuff...though the loss of a testicle doesn't present any obvious outwardly visible signs I just feel like it would change how I would walk around...a little less swagger in my step so to speak.  A loss of manhood, even just 1/2 of it requires a big return and a mere stock 370Z just wouldn't cut it.  Something classic, something race, something with a great deal of value, if not monetarily then historically.  A fully restored Datsun BRE 510 from the Baja perhaps??

Eye:  This would be near the top of my value list for dual organs.  The others mean losing something but being short of breath or having to pee more often is more of an inconvenience than an actual LOSS of something.  Losing an eye however...now that's big.  Depth perception is gone, range of vision is cut in half...plus you have to decide to go the Stuart Scott route or look like the Governor from the Walking Dead...neither is a good look.  I'll need something truly special and one off.  I'm going with the 1992 24 Hours of Daytona winner R91CP which thoroughly destroyed the field finishing nine laps up on the closest competitor and finished more laps in the 24 Hours of Daytona than anyone ever before or since.

That's my list and I'm sticking to it...anyone know a good surgeon??

Nissan's Answer To The BRZ--REVEALED!!

Just now at the Tokyo Auto Show!!  Yup, its RWD.  Yup its small (couple inches smaller than the BRZ).  Yup it looks a bit like the old Skylines.  Yup the NISMO version of the concept is AWESOME looking.

Further photos and video are below.

Early indications this is already fast tracked to production to be released as a '16 model.  SOOOO hope they make a NISMO version in the first batch.
I'll be in line from the moment they start taking orders...put some rear view mirrors up front on that thing...WOW...cannot wait...another year and a half is too long.

And OK, yeah, it LOOKS like a concept vehicle--a bit too angular and non-production looking aspects but please remember how the Juke was said to never be a production vehicle too and look where that ended up--design queues toned down a bit but the big aspects were kept.  I think you'll see the same here...

The concept's name is the Nissan IDx and the hopped version is the IDx NISMO

Anyone want a slightly used Rally Truck for sale in about mid 2015??

Can Someone Loan Me $9,000 Interest Free Over A Really Long Time??

 Cause that's what it would take for my wife not to kill me if I brought this home...but it doesn't make it any less tempting.

Not that this truck is ready for Baja or anything but it certainly would make a nice and clean platform on which to base a vehicle for a NORRA race.  Add a cage, tech it with a Rally organization and go racing.  Likely would need some strengthening to its suspension and some other "toughening" but it would also make a nice classic vehicle just to drive around for fun and look old school cool...

Would love to find a 1969 Datsun pickup and restore it to look like one of the original Datsun pickups that won in Baja in those days...but this might be as close as you can get right now.  Those Jim Conners trucks were great for a long time in desert racing in the late 70's to mid 80's.  Wonder how someone in MI came to so lovingly recreate one?

Datsun Desert Racing Replica...

Lac Aux Sables Rallye -- More Video...

This is the event's official video, recapping nearly all vehicles twice and at multiple locations. For the NISMOStuff Racing Frontier this means an appearance at about 5:10 and 10:05 of the video. Nothing too exciting here but it does show that we were there! My much belated report on the event as a whole to come shortly.