1981 Datsun Sunny Pickup Custom Build c.300bhp

Highlights

• K24A conversion, offering c.300bhp

• Modified Nissan S13 rear driveline

• 6-speed manual transmission from a Mazda RX-8

• Sparco Sprint fixed buckets and Takata harnesses

• Fibreglass ‘Hakosuka’ front end

Overview

Traditionally, the pickup is the most utilitarian of vehicles. Immensely useful, but not really a thing of desire and wonder, merely a way to pick stuff up and move it about. Hence the name.

Most pickups are excellent at this, but there’s one type of picking up that even the best pickups rarely excel at, and that’s picking up and disappearing into the distance like a particularly spooked cheetah. Imagine though, if your pickup bodyshell was significantly comprised of fibreglass with carbon fibre trim, so the whole thing weighed in at a snick under a ton. And what if the motivating force behind said featherweight was not some wheezy, asthmatic diesel lump, but a built Honda K24A pushing out a decidedly chunky 300bhp to the rear wheels?

Well then. That pickup would really pick up (Please stop saying ‘pickup’ – Ed).

Imagine no more, because some absolute hero / lunatic has done just that and created the excellently bonkers delight you see before you. From the forged carbon trim and genuine Hakosuka lights to that beautifully detailed engine bay and stunning yellow paintwork with MOTUL livery, there’s something to discover at every turn here. The attention to detail is fabulous, and the workmanship appears to be of the highest standard.

Some would describe this build as a ‘restomod’, but we reckon it’s a bit too hardcore for that description. It’s more of a Restoracer, if that’s even a thing. And if it isn’t then we’re claiming it.

You should be aware, this is a build of no compromise. So, although it’s properly sound deadened, it is loud. And that low ride height, perfect stance and immaculate tyre-tuck is no lie: this thing sounds, goes and stops like a race car. And there is a frankly absurd list of modifications and performance upgrades that have been made. If you’re looking to make an impact on this year’s show season, or simply want something adrenaline-fuelled and a bit mad for the weekends, then this utterly unique build is definitely for you.

If nothing else, this pickup picks up like no pickup we’ve seen before. And then some. Make sure you pick it up before someone else picks it up and it picks up and disappears into the distance…

(Can I have a word? – Ed)

History and documentation

• Registered in the UK 11 February 2019

• Current owner since 9 August 2024

• Four previous owners

• Rebuild and respray completed at the end of 2021

• Historic vehicle status – VED and MOT exempt

• Overseas import - V5 says the car is a 1981 model, but investigation have revealed it was originally a B120 engined car, believed to have been manufactured in or around July 1978

• A few receipt and invoices for maintenance, but little history as the car was effectively only built in 2019 and has been used minimally since then

• V5 present in owner’s name

• Serviced about a year / 1,000 miles ago

• HPI clear

Interior

• A brace of black Sparco Sprint bucket seats, which show in fine condition, with no tears or notable wear

• Green Takata four-point harnesses

• Black carpeting and over-mats, which shows well with no signs of threading or damage we could see

• Nardi suede steering wheel with red contrast stitching

• NRG quick release steering wheel hub boss

• Original binnacle instruments and gauges replaced with a variety of switches and an AIM Strada 1.2 digital dash

• We noted a slight crack in the glass of the digital dash screen, but it does not appear to affect its operation

• Custom forged carbon dashboard inserts and steering column cover

• Interior roof, doors and floor fully retrimmed in smart black vinyl, which appears to be in fine condition, with no notable scuffs or damage

• Custom centre console with 12v and USB ports

• Two stainless steel cupholder inserts

• Fire extinguisher mounted between the seats

• Full Dynamat sound deadening throughout the cabin

• Mazda MX-5 column mounted switches

• Drilled metal pedal set

• All wiring replaced and modernised - most of which is accessed via a floor panel on the passenger side 

• Pioneer sound system and speakers 

• Switchable interior lights 

• The brake fluid reservoirs have been moved to the upper dashboard 

• Custom demister vents with electric heater

• All of the cabin trim and instrumentation looks to be in good order, with minimal wear as well as a high standard of fit and finish

• We’re assured that everything in the cabin works just as it should, with no faults or issues reported

Exterior

• Originally finished in cream paintwork – colour change noted on 31 December 2021

• Bare shell stripped, restored, undercoated with stone chip and repainted in yellow 

• Custom red, black and white MOTUL livery

• The paintwork is in excellent condition, with a little bit of wear and marking around the exhaust lip and a couple of small paint cracks in the engine bay

• The bodywork all shows very well, being straight and clean, with good alignment, consistent panel gaps and no corrosion or damage apparent

• A CarbonSignal ‘Hakosuka’ fiberglass front end conversion has been carried out

• OEM period Datsun Skyline ‘Hakosuka’ headlights and mirrors fitted

• Custom forged carbon arches, wide front splitter, and mirror skins

• Aero style locking / quick-release bonnet latches 

• Custom front number plate bracket

• Front and rear bumpers removed

• Sun strip on windscreen 

• Original badging removed, ‘GT-R’ badge added to the front grille 

• Modified transmission tunnel to accommodate RX-8 transmission and S13 rear end 

• Numerous modified and custom exterior and bodywork trim pieces, including scuttle panel, B-pillar, rear light surrounds and exhaust exit shroud

• Towing eyes front and rear 

• Custom front and rear jacking points 

• Side exhaust that exits just in front of the near-side rear arch

• Rear bed replaced, coated in Raptor bed liner and modified to fit the new rear suspension

• MOTUL branded metal box bolted to the bed behind the cabin, containing the battery, battery cut off and battery related wiring

• Custom half roll cage including mounting point for harness and door bars for side impact protection 

• Rear tailgate removed and replaced with netting 

• Lifting eyes bolted into bed for securing cargo if needed 

• Very clean underside, which the vendor tells us has been Raptor coated for protection – no evidence of damage or notable corrosion

• 14-inch custom alloy wheels, finished in black, with forged carbon centre guards – all appear to be in very good condition, with no kerb damage or lacquer peel we could discern

• The wheels are wrapped in a matched set Toyo Proxes R888 tyres – 225/50 to the rear and 185/60 to the front

• Also comes with 2x brand new spare rear tyres

Mechanical

• From the factory, this pickup would have been fitted with a 60bhp 1.2-litre four-pot – it goes without saying that the current powertrain is a mite punchier than that venerable old lump…

• The engine bay is very clean and tidy, with much work clearly having been done to hide or remove ancillaries where possible – the result is a delightfully streamlined bay

• 2,354cc VTEC four-cylinder (K24A) Honda Engine with a built K20 head (skimmed, ported and polished), driving the rear wheels

• Believed to be delivering c.300bhp

• Last serviced about a year / 1,000 miles ago

• Skunk2 stage 3 tuner cams 

• Skunk2 valve springs and retainers

• Thermal protection under bonnet 

• Windscreen washer pump and reservoir relocated to within the scuttle panel 

• Custom short shifter

• Hondata ECU

• Custom tucked radiator 

• Oil cooler and custom oil catch can 

• Uprated 255 fuel pump, inline fuel filter, K-tuned fuel pressure regulator, and new fuel lines

• Radium Engineering fuel rail and uprated injectors 

• Custom oil cap

• Custom exhaust manifold

• Full 3-inch to 3.5-inch custom exhaust with side exit

• Custom cold air intake with fabricated bracket and vent

• Modified Skunk2 Ultra intake manifold 

• Skunk2 74mm throttle body 

• Front strut brace

• Solid engine mounts

• Mazda RX-8 six speed transmission 

• Modified gearbox mounts

• Custom engine to gearbox adapter plate 

• Fidanza lightweight flywheel 

• SAAB clutch slave cylinder 

• The vendor notes that the uprated clutch is heavy in use, as it’s a performance part

• Modified Nissan S13 rear subframe 

• KAAZ 2-way differential 

• Modified Nissan S13 rear driveline 

• Customised front subframe 

• Custom fully adjustable suspension arms and rods 

• Custom pushrod suspension at the rear with AVO coilovers

• HSD Nissan S13 coilovers at the front with adjustable top points

• Custom and adjustable electric power steering conversion derived from a Vauxhall Corsa 

• Mazda MX-5 steering column 

• Wilwood Dynalite 4-pot brake calipers at the front and Nissan R33 GTR 2-pot brake calipers at the rear, all refinished in yellow

• Full braided brake lines 

• Uprated discs and pads 

• Relocated brake master cylinder and fluid reservoirs

• Like all highly tuned engines, it fires up after a few turns

• The driving experience is raw and visceral, with the vendor describing the vehicle as driving “like a race car”

• The vendor is not aware of any mechanical issues or faults

Summary

We have fallen in love. Head over heels, absolutely up to our necks in love. Here at PH Towers, more than anything else we love a car with personality. Something unique and brilliant, and probably a bit odd. But in a good way.

Naturally, a classic Datsun pickup built into a Restoracer (we’re sticking with that) with a Hakosuka front end, a built K24A and parts from an MX-5, RX-8, R33 GTR and even a Corsa ticks an awful lot of our boxes. In fact, it ticks so many of our boxes, that you’d probably need the aforementioned pickup to carry them away. And you could carry them away quickly, because this barmy thing is putting out c.300bhp/tonne. That’s enough to make a Porsche 991 GT3 think twice.

Is it bonkers? Yes. Absolutely. Does it make a lot of sense? No, absolutely none whatsoever. But that’s why we love it so much. This is a vehicle whose sole purpose is to bring joy and extract every drop of enjoyment and excitement from every centimetre of road or track. It’s utterly, completely, deliriously, wonderfully mad.

So yourself a favour: “pickup” this modified gem (You’re not even sorry, are you? – Ed) before someone else beats you to it and has all the fun… 

To arrange a viewing, click the 'Book Viewing' button located under the 'Place Bid' button. Viewings can be booked up until the day before the auction ends, after which the option will change to 'Contact Seller' for further enquiries. This seller is located in Plymouth, Devon.