Datsun 510: Against All Odds

This very cool vintage film has been brought to our attention. In 1971 Datsun was locked in battle in the Trans American Challenge series with cars built by legend Peter Brock of BRE and piloted by John Morton and Mike Downs to win the 10 race series. This film shot by Datsun and the Sports Car Club of America has rarely been seen in recent years. and chronicles the 1971 season.

This is a great bit of racing history to watch Datsun duke it out against Alfa Romeo, BMW, Fiat and Volvo. It's just a tad under a half hour long and makes for something good to watch during your lunch break. Enjoy!

Update: VW releases Black Beetle Super Bowl commercial

Just days after giving us the teaser commercial for the 2012 Beetle, appropriately named Black Beetle. VW released the the full commercial to the world today days before its scheduled appearance in the Super Bowl on Sunday.  Enjoy.

As an added bonus, here is VW's other spot for the Super Bowl featuring a tiny Darth Vader and the all new 2012 Passat.

Jay Leno's 66 Ford Galaxie

Jay Leno and the crew at the Big Dog Garage have been hard at work on this 66 Galaxie 500 for quite a while now and it's finally finished. The car replicates to an extent an identical 66 that his dad ordered new in 66 and Jay later totaled. The car started out as a one year only 7 liter 428 V8, that Jay replaced with a Roush 427 that makes well over 600 horse power with a 6 speed trans and 4:10 gears. The crew also updated the suspension, added Wilwood disk brakes and vintage air conditioning. All of this without changing any of the body panels. Throw on a set of classic torque thrusts and some redlines and to the un-suspecting you have quite the sleeper.

Jay Leno's 1966 Ford Galaxie 500

Volkswagen teases possible 2012 Beetle.

Volkswagen teased us today with commercial for us to watch this coming Sunday, Feb 6th during the Super Bowl. Judging from the rally striped 6 legged kind of beetle briefly shown, we're going to get some sort of glimpse of the all new 2012 Beetle. Look for "Black Beetle" this Sunday.

According to VWs media release,   "In “Black Beetle,” the first spot for The 21^st Century Beetle, cutting-edge CGI creative goes etymological, creating a photo-real lush kingdom where the Black Beetle rules, runs, navigates and out performs all the other creatures. The ad is an homage to some of the greatest car chase scenes in the history of film and TV. With the fast-paced and explosive song “Black Betty,” rerecorded by Jon Spencer and the Blues Explosion, the Beetle ad revs to life even though it does not feature any actual images of the car, a bold move for any automotive brand. The iconic shape of the Beetle and its performance attributes are prominently showcased in the spot, further building anticipation of the reveal."

Video of the 2012 VW Beetle reveal on Oprah

Remember when we published the story about the 2012 VW Beetle reveal on Oprah not too long ago. Here's a clip of the show courtesy of Volkswagen showing the reveal and everybody loosing their minds in a good way. We can't wait to see more of the next Beetle in coming months.

A classic GTi

Spotted at the 2010 Carlisle Import/Kit Car Nationals.

More So Cal hot roddin.

More from So Cal Speed Shop's open house.

Another great example of a traditional hot rod.