This was the other feature that I shot and wrote for the December issue of Super Street magazine which also featured the two G35s that you saw on here last week. I actually made a trip up to Norcal to shoot Mallen’s 510 around July of this year and made a day out of it by heading up there early for the annual Blox show. If you guys don’t know what I’m referring to, click here and it’ll take you to the Blox Meet coverage where at the end of part 4, you got to see a glimpse of this car being shot. I originally spotted this Datsun 510 at the Motion Auto Show earlier in the year and later found out that it was built and owned by Mallen Fajardo, who coincidentally, was married to Ryan Der’s cousin (if I remember correctly). Ryan actually helped me set this whole shoot up and even worked on the car the night before we had to shoot it because it had an electrical problem…
The car is honestly a little rough around the edges but I think that’s what makes it interesting. Mallen used his creativity to build a cool little car with some ideas that you wouldn’t normally think that use when building a car. While I wouldn’t recommend it, I like the utilization of mismatched parts from other makes. It creates a really one-off car and you’re unlikely to find another 510 like it around. I have to admit that I don’t remember every custom fit part that he used but I’ll try to include them in the comments below each photo. As usual, I’ve attached larger versions if you guys are interested in higher resolution photos. I’ve also included two deskop-sized images below…
These are alternate edits too so they don’t really look like they did when they went to print originally. I was originally going to turn in this set but thought otherwise after considering how they might look really odd in print with the washed-out colors and all. If you don’t like it, it’s fine, I’m always trying to experiment and try new things and they don’t always work. Oh, another thing I should mention is that the day Mallen turned in his techsheet, he actually put it altogether the day his wife gave birth to their child, which made for some hectic circumstances, haha. It all worked out in the end though and I think the story came together nicely. Congrats to Mallen and his family if I hadn’t mentioned it already. I like people who take their magazine features seriously and take the time to fill out the tech sheets. Nothing irritates me more than when I have to put a story together from scratch with no back story on the build or cooperation from the owner. Believe it or not, it happens more than you think and people are real quick to not even care about their magazine features and don’t even bother to answer some simple questions. Ah I’m going off on a tangent now. Enjoy the photos and thanks for looking…
Unpublished shot… | Larger Version (1400×933)
Another unpublished one… | Larger Version (1400×933)
Unused shot of an OEM Mazda RX-7 oil cooler unit that Mallen made functional on his 510… | Larger Version (1400×933)
Love how TE37Vs look on this chassis… | Larger Version (1400×933)
Thought this rusty fence suited the theme of the build…This shot and the one above also did not make it to print… | Larger Version (1400×933)
Novel idea to use late-model Toyota Tacoma headlights and turn them upside-down… | Larger Version (1400×933)
A shot of the front Cusco tow hook that went unpublished… | Larger Version (1400×933)
15×8.5-in Volk TE37Vs in bronze added a nice contrast touch to the orange body… | Larger Version (1400×933)
The Toyota Tacoma headlights give the face of the 510 a different look… | Larger Version (1400×933)
The engine bay shot that went to print… | Larger Version (1400×933)
…and the alternate… | Larger Version (1400×933)
GREX oil filter relocation kit… | Larger Version (1400×933)
GReddy air intake with Blitz “Piping Stopper”… | Larger Version (1400×933)
’79 Datsun 280ZX brake master cylinder with Yoshimura socks… | Larger Version (1400×933)
Odd-looking ARC “Super Intake”… | Larger Version (1400×933)
Here is a shot of a NISMO exhaust that never made it to print. It’s been turned upside-down because it was originally meant for a JDM Nissan March. Mounting it this way was the only way to get it to work… | Larger Version (1400×933)
Unpublished photo of the interior… | Larger Version (1400×933)
Old school Recaro LXI seats… | Larger Version (1400×933)
Woodgrain Nardi steering wheel… | Larger Version (1400×933)
Custom katana sword handle used as a shifter… | Larger Version (1400×933)
Not the most attractive mod but this is a 2000 Mini Cooper center console with ’70 Chevy Nova gauge pod and Autometer gauges… | Larger Version (1400×933)
Below are two desktop 1080P-sized images for you guys if you want them…
Thanks for looking…
Glad to see these photos posted up. This is what I liked about this car, Mallen had the balls to do stuff to it that normally people wouldn’t. First time I saw it was at Motion as well during the staging time, been all about it ever since then. Congrats again to the feature and to the newborn!
Where is this beautiful piece of art currently?
wow. nice car, someday i want to build car like this
Just SICK!!! that’s all I got
Is this work of art still alive?