The 510 on Safari
1969 was the dawn of a new era at the rally for Nissan, the 510 era. Not only did the team of Jamil Din and Maksood Minhas finish 3rd overall, they lead a SSS510 contingent that swept 6 of the top 13 spots, and more importantly the top 6 spots in their class! Though he came in second in class to Din(and was beaten by former Nissan drivers Singh and Hillyar) the real story of the rally was the performance of Edgar Herrmann.
Herrmann was originally supposed to race for Porsche that year, but just before the rally was to start, the Porsche team withdrew from competition. Herrmann and co-driver Hans Schuller were left to fend for themselves. Fortunately for Herrmann he was still in good favor with the Datsun team. Thinking that Herrmann might keep his Porsche starting position of 3rd, the Datsun team agreed to let Herrmann and Schuller have one of their battered practice cars, a 510sss. The race officials declared Herrmann and his Datsun as a completely new entry and put him at the back of the pack, in 90th place.
Knowing that they would have to eat dust for the entire race, Herrmann and Schuller took extremely detailed pace notes (the navigators guide to the course). They ripped through the competition, all the while driving basically blind in the dust, improving their position to 52 by the 6th control point, 32nd place by the 13th post, and an astounding 14th place by the halfway mark.
Din/Minhas and Herrmann/Schuller took the top two spots in Class D (1301-1600cc). They arrived at the finish 3rd and 5th overall. The Manufacturers team prize went to Nissans second team of Randall/Parkinson, Greenly/Collinge, and Saunders/Peating after A team third Jack Simonian wrecked his 510 just 10 minutes into the first stage to Kampala, “A bank came out and hit me!” he joked.
Herrmann remarked that the 510-practice car had been unbelievably reliable: "we didn't have to lift a screwdriver". His performance guaranteed him a ride with Datsun in the following years rally.
The 1970 East African Safari Rally covered 3300 miles in crossed Kenya and Uganda, and ran at elevations from sea level to 10,000 feet. Herrmann and Schuller drew the number 4 spot for their 510SSS. Joginder Singh and Bharat Bhardwaj, and Din and Mughal drove the other two Datsun team 510’s. A total of 28 Datsuns, mostly 510’s, entered the race.
The rally started in Kampala, Uganda and finished back there 5 days later. It was raining right off the start. 16 cars burst into an early lead pack, including 4 Datsun 510’s, 3 Fords, 4 Peugeots and just about one of everything else.
Aaltonen lead early on in a Ford, Jack Simonian second in a 510, and then Zasada in another Porsche. Future 5 time Safari winner Shekhar Mehta was there too, but the used Datsun 510 he’d bought from dealer Simonian blew on the first day. His driving did attract the attention of Nissan, garnering him a ride in 1971 after Joginder Singh left the Works team.
Herrmann and Schuller's run across western Kenya was pretty uneventful, but things took an ugly twist as the cars climbed the 4000 foot Chesoi escarpment. Their 510 lost traction in the mud on the steep slippery slopes and had to crawl up the hills as other cars past them. By the time they made it to the first rest stop they were way out of the top 10. Herrmann and Schuller figured they'd blown the rally.
Jack Simonian was even unluckier. After holding down second place for quite a while, he hit a patch of mud at 100 mph and slammed his 510 into a bridge parapet, then plunged 20 feet into a gully. He managed to get the car out, fix it a bit, and continue, but at a much slower pace.
The rally looped back into Kampala before heading out for the second half of the race. The Nissan team fitted its cars with tire chains for the next difficult stage, a very wise move. Simonian’s 510 lost oil and blew an engine. The Safari was beginning to eat cars in typical fashion.
By the end of that stage Herrmann and Schuller were back up to second place, with only the Porsche of Polish driver Sobieslav Zasada ahead of him. The Porsche started to pull away from the little Datsun, but as this rally does time and time again, it took its toll on the faster car. The Porsche developed a serious oil leak and dropped out of the race just after crossing back into Uganda.
As other cars behind them fell out, Herrmann and Schuller drove to victory in Kampala 51 minutes ahead of Singh and Bhardwaj in their 510. Din and Mughal took 4th with Shankland and Rothwell’s Peugeot filling in the third spot. Mike Kirkland in his privately entered 510 came in 7th in his first Safari attempt.
The 510 teams not only took overall victory in 1970, it also took class victory and manufacturers victory. To demonstrate just how tough this course is, of the 91 cars entered in 1970 - only 19 finished. Of that number 4 of the top 7 cars were 510's, with 6 “Bluebirds” finishing in total. They managed to outlast and outperform Fords, Porsches, Volvo’s, Mercedes,Opel’s and premium cars from half the major automakers in the world. 510’s continued to race for another half dozen years in the Safari rally as one of the favorites among non “works” rally’ers.
Off road all around the World
A team of 510’s won the RAC rally team prize in Britain in 1969. Nissan entered 510’s in the Mexican 1000, also known as the Baja 1000 and finished 4th and 7th in ’69. 510’s competed in rallies everywhere from Scandinavia to Argentina over the next couple years.
510’s made numerous appearances in the Baja, notably in 1972 with Pete Brock and John Morton in the Sugardaddies 510.
The 510 also proved a strong competitor in SCCA’s Pro Rally series, with strong finishes for quite a number of years until the rotary Mazdas began to dominate.
To this day there are 510’s competing in rallys, maybe not in the spotlight like the newer all wheel drive cars, but they’re there.
On the Track
510’s made there first big track appearance in the 1970 Trans Am Race at Kent Washington. However it wasn’t until 1970 that 510's stepped up to the Trans Am 2.5 series full time. Brock Racing Enterprises, or BRE, had the contract with Nissan USA to promote the 510 in that series. Driver John Morton won 6 of the 9 races he entered that year in the BRE 46 car, and took the Manufacturers title for Datsun. Bob Sharp took the SCCA B Sedan title for 1971 as well, making it a 510 double header that year.
Meanwhile in the John Bishops rival IMSA,George Alderman took RS class in 71 in a 510. Before IMSA even started the RS class for sedans, they did preview series that Red Farmer won in his 510.
August 1971 saw the introduction of the 510 as the official pace car of the Ontario motor speedway. At the press conference to unveil the car, a couple of reporters asked the driver of the lowly 510 pace car he thought his car would be able to keep ahead of the high powered V8 Can Am cars. The driver replied, tongue in cheek, that though he probably couldn't win, he thought he could hold them off for a couple of laps.
Morton and the BRE 510 were back in 72 to take 6 of 10 Trans Am 2.5 Challenge Races entered. Morton and BRE took the championship for the second year straight, with 510’s dominating the series so badly that it was canceled the following year.
Bob Sharp continued the 510 dominance, winning his second straight SCCA B Sedan Title. The next year, Dave Frellsen would win a third straight B Sedan title for Nissan in a BSR 510.
The Abridged Trans Am 2.5
1971 was the first year of the Trans Am 2.5 Challenge, the new name of the SCCA’s U-2 class. The two major competitors in '71 are the already well established Wetson Alfa team, owned by Herb Wetson a hamburger "Baron" from the East Coast, and Brock Racing Enterprises(BRE), owned by Pete Brock, and supported by Nissan USA.
The 1971 BRE team consists of Brock, drivers John Morton and Mike Downs, Chief Engine builder John Caldwell, John Knepp on Gears, Trevor Harris on Suspension, Mac Tilton, and George Britting. Morton also does some of the fabricating. Kwech, Harry "the Greek" Theodoracopoulos, and "Old Guy" Bert Everett have the driving duties for Weston.
Horst Kwech and his Weston Alfa take the first race at Lime RockThe BRE 510 team was not ready for this race, but makes its debut instead at the second race at Bryar, New Hampshire.
Gus Andrey wins the Bryar race in an Alfa. John Morton qualifies on the pole, then leads the race for 38 laps before snapping a half shaft with just minutes to go.
Morton gets the pole at both Mid Ohio and Edmonton, then leads both races from start to finish.
Mechanical problems get the better of Morton at the next race at Donnybrooke.
Morton takes the next two races at Road America and Olathe, Kansas. Olathe is one of very few street courses and a 2.5 Challenge race only, no big cars.
Morton blows an engine Watkins Glen with five laps to go, only to have Horst Kwech win by taking his Alfa in for a quick splash of gas.
Morton comes back and takes the next race at Riverside.
The next race is Laguna Seca, a legendary event in the history of the 510.
1971 Laguna Seca
Laguna Seca is a replacement race for the Kent race that was cancelled. Datsun is behind Alfa in points and needed another race to have a chance at winning.
Kwech knows that Morton and the BRE 46 car have a serious chance of winning the race, and as a result of that, the manufacturers title for Datsun. He is determined not to let that happen.
Just past the middle of the race as Morton starts down Laguna Seca's famous corkscrew, Kwech taps the BRE car sending it into a spin. Onlookers think the race is over for Morton, but in what Pete Brock later calls "some of the finest driving I have ever witnessed" Morton recovers from the spin, then proceeds to catch back up to Kwech within a few laps.
The race is almost over. Knowing that fuel must be low in both cars, Pete Brock makes a very difficult decision and ordered Morton to pit. He is convinced Morton can overtake Kwech, but wants him to take that lead through a pit stop, rather than risk another collision. If Morton is knocked out of the race, Alfa would win the series, even if an Alfa did not finish.
Morton pits, gets his splash of fuel, and begins running down Kwech again. He doesn't make it; Kwech takes the checkered flag without a pit stop and the controversy begins.
Kwech's Alfa appeared to stall as he crossed the finish line. Race inspectors discover that Kwech's fuel tank is a very clever expanding design that appears to be the right dimensions to hold the maximum 15 gallons allowed by the rules, but on testing SCCA officials manage to get just over 18 gallons into it. Kwech is disqualified, Morton is awarded the win, and BRE and Datsun are given the manufacturers title.
The 1972 series
The Weston Alfa team wants to teach the upstart BRE team a lesson, and to do it they spend 5 months prior to the start of the 72 season meticulously improving their Alfas.
BRE also has a few tricks up its sleeve, with a new 1800cc engine, and a third team guest car. Morton will get the task of breaking in the new engine, a task that will prove costly. And then there's the guest car. Brock knows that John Morton is probably going to move on after the 72 season, so he wants to try out a few other drivers in the Datsuns in the hopes of finding "the Next John Morton".
The 72 season opens at Lime Rock. Bob Sharp wins the race in the BRE guest car, with Morton’s teammate Mike Downs coming second, and Lothar Strahlberg bringing up third for an all 510 podium
At the next race at Bryar Horst Kwech takes the pole for the first time since Morton started racing the 510. Bryar gets Morton up and winning again, with Bob Sharp taking second in the guest car.
Peter Gregg, more famous for driving Porsches, takes two checkered flags in a row in the BRE guest car, first at Mid Ohio, then at Watkins Glen.
Kwech wins Donnybrooke with a bit of help from Bert Everett. Everett knocks Morton out while trying to block him for Kwech.
The next race is Road America at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Morton and teammate Downs finish 1-2, with Rich Hull and his Toyota Corolla coming in 3rd.
Road Atlanta is another 1-2-3 finish for Datsun. Morton, Sam Posey and Dave Madison(in his Miller Datsun) take the top spots. Datsun clinches the Manufacturers Championship at this race.
The Trans Am Series is about to slide into oblivion due to Datsuns dominance. Morton wins again at Portland, with Hershel McGriff coming in second in the guest car, followed by Walt Maas in his Far Performance 510, another sweep of the podium for 510's.
The 72 Laguna Seca race sees Morton win for the 3rd time in a row, with Kwech 2nd and Bobby Allison in the BRE guest car 3rd. Walt Maas comes in 5th with 4 more 510's in the field.
The season finale at Riverside turned out to be the final race of the Trans Am 2.5 Challenge. Morton wins Riverside, with Peter Gregg 2nd, and Everett in an Alfa 3rd. Allison threw a rod in the BRE guest car and did not finish.
For winning a Riverside, John Morton was awarded an old fishing hat by a SCCA Race Steward. The SCCA forgot to make trophies for the race
The 2.5 challenge was finished. Datsuns dominance of the series killed interest after they locked up the 72 championship at Road Atlanta. IMSA became the place for racing as John Bishop's vision was realized in that league. Although Pete Brock dissolved the BRE team after the 72 season, he, Morton, and Datsun/Nissan would go on to other triumphs separately in the years to come, but the Trans Am 2.5 series would grow to become one of the biggest legends in their collective histories.
The Legend Continues
The absolute best thing about the 510 is that unlike so many other cars of the 70’s, it refuses to be a car just of its time. Inspired drivers continue to compete 510’s against cars ten, twenty, and now even 30 years newer. Dave Carkuff won the SCCA GT 3 class in 1983, ten years after the car went out of production. Fans of Sport Compact Car magazine have been following the US rally exploits of Editor Dave Coleman in the Eyesore Racing 510 for the last year or two. 510’s are still being entered in SCCA G production, Vintage Sedan racing, and Nasport, and they’re still winning.
One truly inspiring early 80’s Datsun story involves Tom Wyatt III, otherwise known as Turbo Tom. Turbo Tom built a rather fast Turbo L20b Datsun 510 and entered in the “Walter Mitty” at Road Atlanta one year. The engine developed 275 horsepower at 21 pounds of boost for drag racing, with 250 horsepower more like it on the track. It featured at T04 Rotomaster Turbo and 4150 Holley carb.
As the story goes, SCCA officials started him out in class with similar style cars, but had to keep moving him up through the classes as he blew the doors off each increasingly powerful group of cars. By the end of the day he was racing with the Corvettes and Cobras. He beat a Porsche 930 on a lap by nine seconds, and a race prepped 427 Cobra by 3 seconds. The race staff didn’t know what to do, so they gave him a custom made trophy instead of embarrassing one of the more prestigious classes.
510’s have also done exceptionally well in Nasport. Nasport, like the IMSA , was put together to give racers something a little more professional than the SCCA . Nasport had a few different rules, like making cars of similar lap times race together, and with only one or two classes to keep things simple. Performance based as opposed to displacement and body style based The classes were almost the same as SCCA GT3 and GT4 so that competitors could race in both leagues without having to build different cars. The race season was only 6 to 8 races long, all of pro caliber, all at premier race tracks.
Nasport Standings for Datsuns(with the odd Nissan too)
1987 3rd overall Jon Koobation PL510
1988 2nd Jeff Scoville 200sx, 3rd(tie)J Koobation PL510 and N Balzer 200sx
1989 2nd Jeff Scoville 200sx
1990 1st Collin Jackson PL510 built by Specialty Engineering
1992 1st GT4 Collin Jackson PL510
1993 3rd GT4 John Olsen PL510(Frank Honsowetz took 2nd in GT3 in a 240sx)
1994 2nd GT4 John Olsen PL510
1995 1st GT4 John Olsen PL510
1996 1st GT4 Derek Israel PL510, 2nd John Olsen PL510
1997 2nd GT4 John Teaby PL510, 3rd Marco Sandoval PL510
1998 2nd GT4 John Teaby PL510, 3rd John Spencer PL510
1999 1st GT4 John Teaby PL510, 2nd J Olsen 200sx, 3rd M Sandoval PL510
Championships and Notable Top Finishes
SCCA
B Sedan
Bob Sharp 510 1971
Bob Sharp 510 1972
Dave Frellsen 510 1973
GT4
Dave Carkhuff 510 1983
G production
Jeff Winter 510 2001(Nissans 81st SCCA Championship)
Trans Am 2.5 Challenge Series
BRE Datsun 510 team- John Morton- 1971
BRE Datsun 510 team- John Morton- 1972
Rally
1969 Tap Rally of Portugal Jose Lampreia and Chris Melville 2nd overall 510,“Chavna” and Loyens 3rd overall
1969 E.A. Safari Rally Jamil Din /Maksood Minas 3rd overall/first in class 510
1969 RAC Rally team prize- Datsun 510’s
1970 E.A. Safari Rally Edgar Herrmann and Hans Schuller 1st overall 510
Joginder Singh/ Bharat Bhardwaj 3rd overall 510
1970 Australian Ampol Trial Herrmann and Schuller 1st overall 510
1970 Press On Regardless Rally Vanier Bros. 2nd overall 510
1973 Press On Regardless Rally J Rodgers/E Brooks 5th 510sss
1974 Rideau Lakes Rally E Jones/M Hathaway 5th overall 510
