EVENT

MELBOURNE DATSUN DAY GOES OFF

After the huge success of the first Melbourne Datsun Day in 2015, the team of organisers doubled down to make the latest event even bigger and better than before. The 2016 show took place on the 20th of November in Yarra Glen and saw all kinds of vehicles from the Nissan family; with Prince, Infiniti and of course Datsun representing the Japanese marque.

“Nissan has a rich history which is often overlooked in Australia, especially when you start talking about early Princes. They’re fantastic sports cars, and it’s awesome to see them all together,” said attendee Noel Sinclair.

Every car was judged in multiple award categories, with the winners taking home hand-made trophies that were made from used Datsun engine internals.

“I put a lot of work into making the trophies, but seeing the winners’ faces light up when they received them made it worth it,” organiser Damien Birch explained.

“I think it’s much cooler to get a trophy that is made out of used

parts that have history. Who knows what kind of life they’ve had. Much of them came out of old race cars”.

As well as the awards, the crew handed out prizes and hosted a slot-car race.

“I brought the slot-car track thinking that it would give the kids something to do, but everyone got involved which I think is great. It was really funny to see how competitive the guys got.” said Damien.

The 2016 Melbourne Datsun Day saw well over 400 cars and raised thousands of dollars for Cancer Council Victoria. As a result, the organisers have decided to make it an annual event and hope to one day make it the biggest Aussie show of its kind.