A father-son project has turned into a custom vehicle that’s started getting plenty of attention at regional car shows.
Bill Brinkworth had been building cars for other people for years, working out of a custom auto shop.
“I’ve always been doing stuff for other people, not for myself,” said the Brookswood man.
But last year he decided to undertake a project with his son, nine-year-old Dylan.
They didn’t start with much – a 1973 Datsun S30 240Z that had been sitting parked and unused for years.
“It was a heap when we got it,” said Brinkworth.
The car had belonged to a friend, passed down from his parents. It had been idle so long the floor had fallen out.
The six month project turned the Datsun from a hunk of junk into a vivid orange and black sports car that attracts a lot of attention out on the road.
Dylan helped out with some of the ideas for the design, and also did some of the sanding and filling, said Brinkworth.
Dylan “did quite a lot, actually,” he said.
The whole project was done under a tent near the family home. That included fender flares and a rear spoiler, body work, and painting.
Another family member, Bill’s brother Barry, helped out with some of the design work.
The car has been dubbed the Saisei DB240Z, from the Japanese word for “reborn,” because it was “pretty dead when I got it,” noted Brinkworth.
The car has already been getting recognition since its completion last fall, winning an award at the Hot Import Nights car show in Seattle.
One of the best things about the project is taking it to car shows with Dylan, who loves the fact that his name is on the vehicle.
“It’s fun for him,” Brinkworth said.
The Brinkworth’s Datsun has now been featured in Speed and Sound Magazine and PASMAG’s style issue.
Making things is second nature to those in the Brinkworth family.
Bill currently works in the family business, Brinkworth Models. Started in England by his grandfather in 1945, they make custom sculpted models – with a specialty in scale model racing cars.