BajaNomad

Classic Cars In La Paz

Bajatripper - 4-15-2011 at 08:57 PM

I'm a bit of a car nut, Mom says I've got bad genes. I've always felt privileged to see an old car that someone has taken care of. And, while I don't exactly suffer withdrawls, I do miss seeing the rich variety of old hardware found on US highways and streets.

My daughter still chuckles at the memory of us driving in downtown Seattle when I was so overcome by the sight of '63 splitwindow Corvette Stingray that I blew a kiss in the direction of the car, which produced a look of distress on the male driver in it.

I've always found the Datsun 240Z of particular interest, so when I spotted two Nissan products on a recent outting around La Paz, I felt like I'd won at least at Bingo.

We first stopped to photograph (gotta bring the kids up right!) a sweet little '64 Datsun 1200 pickup that's for sale at a local car lot. These are quite rare in the US, so it was a real surprise to find one down here, especially in this shape.


A little while later, this late '60s Nissan Patrol availed itself for some photos. It was likely brought in from somewhere other than the US, since Nissan used the "Datsun" name during this time for the cars and trucks they exported stateside. Had to do with saving company face in case their imports were a big flop in the US market.


If you have any photos of local classics, please share them--I miss my eye candy.

David K - 4-15-2011 at 10:20 PM

Very Cool Steve!

They actually used the Nissan name for the Patrol... I remember people saying that was the company name in Japan (Datsun)... Only with the Patrol, however. Keep on posting photos! Great!!

monoloco - 4-16-2011 at 06:24 AM

I saw that Datsun pick up last week when I was in La Paz. Any idea what they are asking for it?

Marc - 4-16-2011 at 09:22 AM

Santispac October, 2008







David K - 4-16-2011 at 09:23 AM

SWEET!:bounce:

Bob H - 4-16-2011 at 09:52 AM

Maybe I should bring my Red 69 Mustang down!




Bajatripper - 4-16-2011 at 11:31 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Very Cool Steve!

They actually used the Nissan name for the Patrol... I remember people saying that was the company name in Japan (Datsun)... Only with the Patrol, however. Keep on posting photos! Great!!


Thanks for the tip. I've got a couple of books on the Datsun 240Z and those are the sources of what I know about the brand. Now I know a little more. Wonder what the politics for that decision were?

Bajatripper - 4-16-2011 at 11:47 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by monoloco
I saw that Datsun pick up last week when I was in La Paz. Any idea what they are asking for it?


I talked to a welder doing some work on the site and he said they were asking $5,000 dollars. Then, when one of the agency's reps showed up, he said the asking price was $6,000. I would guess that the gringo in me drove the price up without even uttering a word.
While I haven't checked the prices these are fetching, I know they have been going up in general. An early 1970s Datsun pickup sold at auction not long ago for over $9,000, for what it's worth.

Don't know if you noticed, but it does have a very poor replacement for one of the original tail lights.

Bajatripper - 4-16-2011 at 11:57 AM

Great photos, Marc. Now, why don't you elaborate a little on what such a fine collection was doing at Santispac. They look like they're sporting plates from the mainland. That must have been a spectacular sight, wish I'd seen them.

And I love the '69 Fastback. I use to walk past a yellow Bose 302 on my way to Mission Bay High School in San Diego as a teenager and remember drooling on it more than once. I always thought that extra set of headlights really set it apart from the 70, which lost a lot without them.

Marc - 4-16-2011 at 02:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajatripper
Great photos, Marc. Now, why don't you elaborate a little on what such a fine collection was doing at Santispac. They look like they're sporting plates from the mainland. That must have been a spectacular sight, wish I'd seen them.

And I love the '69 Fastback. I use to walk past a yellow Bose 302 on my way to Mission Bay High School in San Diego as a teenager and remember drooling on it more than once. I always thought that extra set of headlights really set it apart from the 70, which lost a lot without them.


You are correct. The cars were from Mexico City. I think they were combining a road trip with some kind of charity drive. They showed the cars in Mulege earlier in the day and were heading south so I guess they crossed over in at La Paz. A very friendly bunch of guys.

Last year between Creel and Divisadero (Copper Canyon) the police cleared the road for a time trial rally. Everything from old Study's to Ferrari's and all were souped up. An unexpected sight.
Here is an Olds kicking it up after the turn. I guess he was doing over 100 by the time he got up to me


[Edited on 4-16-2011 by Marc]

[Edited on 4-16-2011 by Marc]

[Edited on 4-16-2011 by Marc]