HAPPY DAYS
Issue 476 featured a piece on page 28 in The Ones That Got Away by Cliff Chambers about the Datsun 2000 Sports. It reminded me of working in WA 1969-70, when over the Christmas break I hitch-hiked the circle from Widgemooltha, south of Kambalda, to Perth, Busselton, Albany, Esperance and back home.
The Aussies were without exception friendly and welcoming, especially the girls who would now, like me, be in their 70s.
Motoring-wise, my most memorable ride was in a white Datsun 2000 sports. Aware of its rarity even then, my main memory is of its quickness on the winding WA south coast road, and of the extreme hardness of its ride. Thanks for jogging the recollection, motoring and otherwise.
A page on, the same issue has a piece about theon return to Christchurch in 1970, an elderly, slightly lame but very sharp woman. Sometimes I had to drive her Mini 850 which to suit her lameness, was an automatic. Not exactly Paddy Hopkirk material. Never heard of another since. Any idea how many automatic Minis were built?
