Zombie Resurrection: Bringing A Drag-Spec Datsun 280ZX Back To Life

Janne Uskali, nan editor of Finland’s Bomber Magazine for civilization motorcycle culture, has a heavy passion for high-powered machines of nan four-wheeled variety, too.

With a inheritance successful stunt riding and nan man down Finland’s fastest thoroughfare car – a Buick Grand National that clocked nether 8 seconds connected nan quarter-mile – Janne is nan benignant of personification I’d ideate to spot down nan instrumentality of a drag-spec 1979 Datsun 280ZX.

In 2022, arsenic Janne prepared for nan Sick Week Drag & Drive arena successful Florida, USA – a roadworthy travel for street-legal resistance cars – he stumbled upon a section listing for a tubbed Datsun 280ZX powered by a small-block V8. The seller was Florida-based Swedish resistance racer Adam Flamholc.

While it was confirmed that nan car had been modified for resistance racing earlier nan twelvemonth 2000, its backstory was mostly unknown. It moreover boasted Alabama license plates reference ‘Z 1979.’ For this mysterious history, it earned nan nickname ‘Zombie.’

The Datsun wasn’t successful awesome condition; it needed important activity connected nan chassis, body, and engine. Despite this, Janne saw nan imaginable for a unsocial street-driven resistance car. He bought it and towed it nan 1,600 miles to nan event.

Even successful its incomplete form, nan Z intrigued enthusiasts, including Mike Finnegan of Roadkill and Faster pinch Finnegan fame, who instantly fell for its raw, unfinished charm. In nan outpouring of 2022, nan Datsun was shipped to Finland for its resurrection.

The restoration was extensive, taking complete 2 years to complete. A caller overgarment of achromatic overgarment was applied aft Janne jumped into nan mechanicals, upgrading nan suspension, and fitting caller tires, substance lines, and carburetor. The interior was revamped pinch banal parts and aftermarket additions for illustration Jaz resistance racing seats.

The exterior was inspired by Paul Newman’s Bob Sharp Racing Datsun Z, featuring a red, white, and bluish colour strategy and ample ’33’ title numbers connected nan doors. Janne loved this classical American racing style and decided to replicate it for his build.

In opposition to Newman’s classical IMSA racer, Janne’s car runs monolithic 14-inch wide rear wheels. Custom ‘Datsun’ wording wraps astir nan heavy barrels, emphasizing nan Z’s fierce stance.

The car’s motor remains a spot of a mystery. It came pinch a Chevy small-block, but its nonstop displacement is chartless – it could beryllium a 383ci stroker aliases a 350ci V8.

What’s undeniable is its menacing sound. An fierce cam floor plan gives nan motor a chopped idle, and civilization broadside pipes pinch NASCAR-style RST roar tubes amplify it.

Delivering astir 400hp, nan people aspirated motor is paired pinch a 2-speed Powerglide transmission, featuring a transbrake and a 2-step motorboat system. The rear extremity is built astir a Ford 9-inch diff pinch 4.88 gears, ensuring accelerated acceleration.

The Datsun rolls connected 15×4.5-inch beforehand wheels pinch 195-section tires and tremendous 15×14-inch rear wheels fitted pinch 16.5-inch-wide street-legal Hoosier slicks.

Weighing successful astatine conscionable 1,200kg (2,645lbs), nan Datsun is some powerful and light, hence it’s been equipped pinch a rotation cage certified down to 8.5-second quarter-mile passes.

Now street-legal successful Finland, Janne views nan car arsenic an almost completed project. There’s still activity to beryllium done, for illustration tidying up nan motor bay and addressing nan cracked dashboard, but they are conscionable insignificant things.

In its existent state, nan Zombie Datsun leaves 100-meter-long achromatic stripes connected nan asphalt pinch each motorboat from a postulation light, drafting attraction from car lovers of each ages. Janne says, “Every clip you commencement it, older folks often travel up to stock their ‘Datsun story’ from nan past.”

For now, nan 280ZX remains portion of Janne’s collection, though he hints it mightiness find a caller location erstwhile afloat finished. Until then, nan Zombie Datsun continues to roam nan streets and racetracks of Finland, turning heads pinch its unique appearance, sound, and performance.

Vladimir Ljadov
Instagram: wheelsbywovka
[email protected]
www.wheelsbywovka.com