Car Feature | Nathan McKenna’s Sparkly 1200

In this day an age it is a challenge to build a car that is over 30 years old. The temptation to own a newer car is always overwhelming with the incentive of extra power and availability of parts. Not to mention the ever-losing battle from corrosion and body fatigue. For my good friend Nathan McKenna, the passion he has for his 31 year old Datsun 1200 far outweighs all of these issues.

The build up for this car started 8 years ago when it was originally owned by Nathan’s Dad. In the capable hands of Nathan’s uncle who is a mechanic, the old A12 received a freshen up in the form of a rebuild which included 20 thou overbore, a larger cam and a brand new carby.

Since then Nathan, who is also a mechanic, has taken the reigns of this sparkly beast. With the fender mirrors, front splitter and guard protruding SSR Mark III’s he has turned it into something readers of G-WORKS magazine would envy!

The car interior is quite original albeit with some trim changes. Parts of the dash and interior have been painted the same beautiful purple as the outside, where other parts have been re-trimmed in cream. Of course the interior is perfectly topped off with a Nardi wheel and a home job Pokemon shifter.

The old school instrument cluster really shows how amazing the rainbow sparkles are in the paint!

To liven up the interior Nathan has also sticker bombed the dash, why not I say!

How many car enthusiasts can happily say their project car has this sort of capability?

Unfortunately Nathan’s time with this 1200 is coming to an end as it has to make room for another project; another 1200! If anyone is interested in buying this beauty, give Nathan a call on 0449 139 119 or check out his blog: Nath’s Corner

- Grant