It wasn't all glitz and glamour at the Wilton House Supercar day, and we loved the more gritty approach to having fun with motors demonstrated by the local Hillclimbers from
Gurston Down
One car in particular caught our attention (maybe because we have its Nissan 370Z 'spiritual successor' on the PH fleet), namely a former works rally Datsun 240Z now campaigned on the hills by PHer Ben240Z.
The car has had a colourful history and undergone various rebuilds, including a spell as a circuit racer with a turbo conversion by Janspeed when those ever-so-cool box wheel arch extensions were fitted.
The car even ran a Rover V8 at one point before Ben decided to return to its roots and the car now features a 3.1 litre Datsun six with triple Webers prepped by Pride Engines in Hartlebury.
According to Ben's official stats it makes a relatively modest 260bhp, but thanks to200lb ft of torque, a close-ratio box and a weight (sans driver) of 900kgs it will sprint to 60mph in 4.3secs and do the standing quarter mile in 12.7secs.
The car's been class champion at Gurston Down Hillclimb in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2009, battling with Over 2.0 Litre Marque Sportscars like Porsche 911s, E-Types, Scimitars, TVRs and MGs, but Ben tells us he is considering different engine options as the power race escalates and he wants 400bhp to play with!
Equally interesting from a different perspective was the JAP motorcycle engine-powered 'Creamer' special, which also competes on the hills at Gurston and elsewhere.
We understand it was built and campaigned by the owner of a Jaguar dealership in London in the 1950s and is very well known on the hillclimb circuit, but others more educated in the arcane world of 'classic motorsport' can doubtless tell us more. We just enjoyed looking at it on the day!