I think understand the semantics of making everything on your car black. You want the car to look sinister, evil or even “stealth” which is what the term originally was called when you could buy those pre-tinted light covers from companies for your Mustang or Durango. Even the term for the style prevalent among it’s younger audience describes it’s aesthetic function: Murdered out.
On the other hand, it looks incredibly stupid, and it’s often overdone. The ignorance behind darkening lights designed for safety is hilariously ironic, and it usually renders the car seemingly shapeless in all but the best lighting conditions.
Despite all of that, I think this takes the idea and moves it up into a whole new level of tastelessness and stupidity:
Bonus points for the truck reeking of paint from the truck just getting the treatment. This Bro marches to the beat of a different Kottonmouth Kings song.
Canada is famous for a number of great things including hockey, maple syrup, and Jim Carrey. Unfortunately, building cars is not one of their strong suits. Take the Enterra Vipre for example: it was essentially a factory-built kit car that was based on the Pontiac Fiero GT and was sold through Pontiac dealerships.
While the car was clad in different body panels that gave it the classic 80s “wedge shape,” underneath it had the same suspension, chassis, and drivetrain as the Fiero. It also sported taillights from a first-generation Chevrolet Cavalier. Small wonder that just 36 cars were built before the company closed up shop!
My first encounter with the Enterra happened at a local car show in 2006. After perusing row after row of hot rods and muscle cars, something different caught my eye. From a distance, it could have been a Corvette or a third-gen Camaro with a body kit. Once I got closer, I realized it was a project that was pretty rough around the edges – and as I was about to find out, so was the car’s owner. Continue reading →
If cars could talk, I think most of them would probably just be complaining all the time. Loudly. They would whine about not having their oil changed often enough, about speed bumps, or maybe about kids spilling drinks inside them. Some of them would most likely piss and moan about not getting to “stretch their legs” on the open road often enough. Others would be begging to be painted a different color, or even to simply be run through a car wash every once in a while. A few of the grievances would be understandable, but for the most part, nobody would have anything real to complain about.
In a crowded parking lot world populated by obnoxious loudmouth econoboxes desperately vying for your attention, this guy would be way in the back by himself, staring at the ground, reluctant to even speak. There would be an awkward silence for what would have felt like an eternity, after which he would pick his weary head up, look you dead in the eye, and you two would share a brief moment of understanding. Just before you start to turn and walk the other way, a hoarse, gravelly voice- barley audible over the din of the parking lot- would utter “I’ve seen some shit”.
Way back when, before all Nissan Hardbodies sported a set of Escalade wheels there was the Datsun 720. I wasn’t sure what this thing was at first, just some old Nissan truck. I’d seen it around town a couple times, once down 32nd Street, and again around 19th and Union Hills. Recently I was finally able to get a closer look and still couldn’t tell what it was, there was no badging so I had to research it a bit. Apparently these trucks were sold as the Datsun 720 from 1980 to 1982 and switched over to Nissan 720 until production ended in 1986.
I’m not sure what the factory or dealership options were when these things were new but regardless of that I’d like to think that the original owner responded with a simple “all of them” when asked.. this including one hell of a graphics package (that’s almost, but not quite, as gaudy as what Ford offers for the Raptor). Don’t get me wrong though, I like it, it screams early 1980’s and I love it for that.
I can’t quite put my finger on how I would like to stereotype the driver of this truck. In fact, after about ten minutes of waiting to greet the driver I determined that I don’t actually want to know what they are like and went on my way. Whatever assumption you have about the owner of this truck is a fact (it’s more fun this way).
It’s good to see something old, clean, driven, and not beat to piss. I’m sure its offroading days are long gone, especially with those street tires, but you never know.
It’s a curiosity for sure.
A couple interesting notes I found in my research:
– In 1959 Datsun became the first company to import a compact truck to the US
– Only 10 or so trucks were imported that first year
– In May of 1986 the 720 was replaced by the Hardbody
