I watch a lot of onboard videos, but every once in a while, I just kind of stare at one in awe. The way this Datsun 240Z eats up mileage at this year’s Mt. Washington Hillclimb just completely broke my brain.
Driver Cameron Lane has been building his LS-swapped 1972 Datsun 240Z into an insane hillclimb machine over the past 13 years, according to his description on YouTube. It’s quick. It’s brown. It’s loud. We love it.
He has to slow down a bit on the dirt section of the hillclimb as he’s on tires more suited for the asphalt, but once he’s back on the asphalt, holy crap, this thing moves. It all but dances along the more gently curved sections of the hill.
Sadly, though, this was one of many cars that wrecked during this year’s “Climb to the Clouds.” Then again, on a year where unbeatable Subaru-powered win-machine David Higgins even eats it during the race, you can’t be too ashamed of that. Merely entering one of the toughest hillclimbs on the planet takes guts.
Damage was especially bad on the passenger side, as the cage wasn’t built for a codriver. It’s such a beastly car, though, that I hope it lives on somehow—hopefully in a new build.