Owner Larry Chen calls the sports car Ole Orange Bang.
Renowned LA-based car photographer Larry Chen has been on the go lately, capturing some of the sickest builds worldwide, including a 740-hp “1.5JZ”-powered 1981 Toyota Corolla deemed the fastest dragster in Hawaii. Chen even attended the “biggest and best” Nissan GT-R event in Australia, where he was invited as one of the international guests.
But this time, Chen wants to sit down, relax, and talk to us about his 1970 Datsun 240Z project car. Nicknamed Ole Orange Bang, the automotive photographer got the sports car for his 21st birthday for $3,000. Good luck finding one at that price today, as its value can go as high as $80,000.
The Ole Orange Bang nickname was given to the car following a series of road mishaps when he was driving it on Pacific Coast Highway.
In addition, a popular drink called Orange Bang available at Mexican restaurants in Southern California sounded like a good fit for a vehicle making popping and banging noises at that time.
Not even a month had passed, and Chen took the 240Z to a local autocross at the Auto Club Speedway in Montana. After pushing the car over and over again, the engine broke. He considered installing another engine from the brand's L series but couldn't resist a completely-built $2,000 SR20 deal from one of his friends.
On the dyno, the car made 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque. It may not sound like a lot, but Chen said he doesn't plan to boost the performance anymore. It also weighs 2,150 lbs with a front and rear weight distribution of 49:51.
Specs-wise, the 1970 Datsun 240z project car comes with an S13 manual transmission, BRE body kits, Recaro seats, a Vintage Air air conditioning system, a full Clarion sound system, 16×8 Epsilon Southern Ways wheels wrapped around Yokohama Advan A052 tires, a Haltech Elite 1000 ECU, a Stoptech brake kit, and a KW suspension package.
“It is just so much fun to drive just because the power-to-weight is incredible, handles so good, it stops good, it accelerates good, it sounds amazing, it makes me feel like a million bucks when I'm driving it,” said Chen.
Despite enjoying driving like a true enthusiast, he had to quit to focus on photography. This is why the project car took almost 20 years to finish.
One of Chen's most famous works was with the late Ken Block. Chen said he got his big break with the rally driver, rewarding him for following his passion.
Keyword: SR20-Swapped Datsun 240Z Took 20 Years To Complete