CORNER STORIES

This all came about because I discovered if rally competitors failed to provide a volunteer for the rally they would incur a time penalty.  So I contacted a bunch of competitors offering me as their volunteer in exchange for having my company displayed on their car. F1 cars always have IT sponsors, so the idea of getting my company on a rally car seemed about as close as I'll ever get. I struck a deal with Roy Adams of car No. 5hundred&nine; a silver NB MX-5 entered in the time-speed-distance category. For all three days I would be his nominated volunteer, and where needed pinch parts from my MX-5 if anything went wrong ( it didn't ). Roy was a cool bloke, even dropped past the shed. In exchange a low-key version of the logo went on the car. It felt unreal. I wasn't going to get any new work from it, but it marked a win for making shit happen. So eventually Friday rolled around. My stage commander was some lovely old fella called Neville . He had white mutton chops a...

What's the story with KLAST ? I thought to myself, as I attempted to get my head around a brand I'd never heard of. I'd just seen a short video depicting a product that down the line we will probably refer to as a 'no-brainer' It's called the Klamp .  So after a phone call & a few emails Jonte cruised past the shed to talk the Klamp , Klast & more. The Klamp is what stole my attention - a twofold solution to a car ownership problem. 1. Isolating the battery easily to prevent it going flat. 2. Removing the battery in about half the time.  You mighta heard about the time someone killed two birds with one stone? The Klamp is shaping up to be a similar stone. So what's the story with Klast ? Well it starts with Jonte , and a chance encounter at work with a box of funny looking clips. Recognising the potential of the clips, he took em home and installed a set on his S14 .  - End of story? Not quite. Over time the clips marketed themselves in front of...

I'm not quite sure where my affinity for the Datsun Stanza  came from, maybe the yellow SSS colour scheme? Or maybe because it's boxy and the last of the dattos? So seeing one, "gettin about " meant obligatory photo taking. While the tease images of the car might indicate otherwise, what I actually like the most about the Stanza  model - is that it lacks character.   That makes it fun to write about. It both separates this specific car from its brethren and gives me a chance to add character.   For example while it's (reliable) jap crap, the Stanza was actually assembled in Australia. These are the result of the old fella in  front of you in the line at the bakery clockin in to make a living.  They were also the end of the line when it came to Dattos like the 180b , 1600 , Bluebird etc. Nissan branding strategy would have its own connotations.  A lack of character can be good with the notion of a blank canvas.  These are not great cars...