Hey all, I was on DDGonzals blogspot and was about to ask him what got him interested in 1200's when I thought why not ask everyone here? After all, these are kinda odd little cars to have a fixation with. I mean they're not 240Z's, Roadsters or some type of sports car. Just little cars that got really good gas mileage and don't have a lotta room.

My interest started when my cousin bought a '71 2 door sedan for transportation back in '77. After a while he sold it to my brother in law who sold it to me. Then I sold it back to him which in turn sold it to my other brother in law who sold it back to him who then sold it back to me. Yeah, talk about keeping it in the family!!! While all this was going on the car was racking up the miles and all we did to it was put new rings and gaskets in it along with a valve job and it continued to run super. Anyway, when I started making a little more money I finally got enough to buy a new car and the 1200 had to go. The interior and body was shot anyway but it still drove like a champ.

So here I am building one to replace the one I let go way back when.

I should have checked first...

Thanks

Well my love affair goes back to the early 70's When we lived in N.Z yes im Kiwi born. ( Dont get Sheepish ). We had a little original sort of Mustardy Orange colored 1200 Sedan Stock as a rock and we use to go everywhere in it. Came to Oz in 1979.Then when i landed my first full time job In a detailing shop when i was 16 1989 there it was a little White Sedan Lowered with big 13 inch U.S Racers on it Tinted Windows all cloth interior it had a worked 1200 with Twin SU's GX Head etc And this thing flew i saw it blow off stock V8's. Yeah stock but there still twice the size cylinder wise. So since then i have had a couple of coupes few sedans even a couple of 1000's And just got another sedan and coupe. Will die in them there so reliable and easy to work on. Me and a mate lifted an A12 out with a bit of thick rope and a Deep Breath. There shape is just awesome very simple yet stylish. Old Skool To Kool.

For me, and I'm sure for some others, it really began after I got another car and didn't drive a 1200 for a couple years.

I got a 1200 at 17 years old -- first car. My second car was a couple of year later as I recall an '71 Plymouth Duster (valiant coupe). I loved that car too. In the meantime my mom drove my 1200 for a couple of years.

You don't know how good a 1200 is until you miss it. Other cars might be better in some ways, but nothing did I miss as much as a 1200.

dunno about falling in love,never seen so much rust in such a small car!...but,i could not say no to a little 1200ute with a 3800v6,5speed and locker after seeing it reverse out and go !st,2nd,3rd,4th,and into 5th on the limiter on the spot.power to weight,unbeatable.
but,my heart also really is with a big block Plymouth Duster.

What a coincidence. I let my Duster go because it rusted out ... long before the 1200 did.

Sometimes I think about getting another Duster (like everytime one's on the cover of Hot Rod) but ...

funny that,i can't bring myself to sell the ute...it's too rusty..and also too much fun...no comparison i'm afraid.the plymouth is real steel.the other is just a little toy!but,both are great fun cars.

I blame my brother, he helped me buy a car when i was 18, and it happened to be a nice cream 1200 coupe. Now, many dollars the poorer i still love my 1200's. It's an obssession really, very unheathy ;)

It started for my back in 1996. I was kicking around in a 1963 push button auto valiant. It could do the meanest skids. The early push button 904 torqueflites had copper impregnated clutch linings. So I skided the tyres down the the canvas every weekend. But with 4 wheel drums, and 33 year old shocks it wasn't a sports car.
A mate of mine had a partly primered 1200 coupe. I used to ring him to pick me up after being at the clubrooms after rugby on a saturday night. He drove around a corner that would have been a 35mph corner in my Valiant, at 75pmh in his 1200. I was sold on them after that. He went on to almost kill me and two other mates one night on the piss. (Totally destroyed the car) I got a 1200 of my own in 1997. A (so called) mate of mine wrote that off for me. (in 1998) And I spent a week in hospital. I swore off them after that. BUT, it wasn't too long before I felt the yearning to have another 1200. and in 1999 I got another. I've had 3 since them. Datsuns are a disease. Once you catch it, there's no going back..........