If most people found both a derelict Datsun 510 as well as an orphaned Oldsmobile 215 V8 lying around their parents’ house, they would probably wonder if Goodwill takes engines and what kind of tax deduction a 510 could earn them. These people have space in their garages, and probably get their taxes filed before the last minute.
Family Car
In 1969, back when he was 15 years old, Jeff Hixson’s parents purchased a brand-new Datsun 510 sedan. He recalls being opposed to the purchase: “I couldn’t talk my parents into a 340 Duster,” he says.
Hixson learned to drive in the 510 and grew to like the car. In 1983, the car was sold to Hixson’s girlfriend, who later became his wife. “After she became my ex-wife, she gave the car back to me with a lot more dents in it,” he recalls.
While almost worthless to the real world, the car still had sentimental value to Hixson, who had wanted for some time to make a hotrod out of the car. Strict smog laws in California made this an unrealistic dream at the time.
After driving it around in its beat-up form for a few months, the now-single Hixson decided he would need to get a classier set of wheels if he was ever going to get a second date. He decided to park the car under a tree, where it sat for 12 years. The original vinyl top was partially maimed by his dogs, and the car was ravaged by time and the elements.
When a friend and co-worker, Duong, heard about the Challenge, he mentioned it to Hixson, who was the more car-savvy one among the pair. The rules of the GRM-hosted event were simple, as entrants had to buy, build and prepare a car for $2003 or less. The competition would include a quarter-mile drag race, autocross and concours judging. Hixson, who had a Porsche 914 and the 510 to choose from, decided the Datsun would fit the bill, allowing him the opportunity to fulfill his dream of hopping up the car.
Starting With Zero
Jeff Hixson and Minh Duong started…
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