An unlikely champion – Dan Uphoff’s 1972 Datsun 510

Posted on Sep 27, 2019 in Featured | 2 comments

Dan Uphoff’s 1972 Datsun 510 at the 2015 Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance.

Arthur Hughes didn’t know he was buying a collector car, let alone a legacy, when he purchased the dark blue 1972 Datsun 510 at Brasso Datsun in November of 1971. Nearly 44 years later, the two-family Datsun is well-known among West Coast Datsun (and Japanese car) collectors, and may well be one of the nicest unmodified examples on the planet. It’s fitting, then, that current owner Dan Uphoff refers to the car as “Art,” in tribute to its long-term caretaker who died in December of 2012.

Arthur didn’t even buy the car for his own use; instead, concerned that his aunt, Isobel Palmer, could no longer handle a full-size car, Arthur purchased the Datsun for her as a more sensible alternative. As delivered, it came with a three-speed automatic transmission, tinted glass, a rear defroster and an AM radio, but Arthur insisted the dealer add an optional passenger-door side-view mirror to enhance safety. For the next eight years, his aunt used the car as her daily driver, though in that span of time racked up just 7,000 miles on the odometer. It still carried the protective vinyl film on the rear door panels, further evidence of light usage, and when Arthur’s aunt Isobel died in 1979, ownership of the 510 fell back to Arthur.

Arthur Hughes with his 510.

Arthur was no stranger to the collector car hobby, having earned 41 first-place awards at West Coast shows with his 1969 Ford Mustang convertible. In 1989, he received a once-in-a-lifetime offer for his Mustang, and when that car sold, the Datsun 510 became his collector car. Arthur immersed himself fully in the Datsun collector community, and began showing the 510 in earnest in 1991.

His first recorded first-place at a judged show came in September of 1991, at an all-Nissan meet in White Rock, British Colombia. Over the next 17 years, Arthur and his Datsun entered 48 events, with the compact sedan claiming first in class at each and every one. Its crowning achievement, however, came at the 1997 Minter Gardens Concours d’Elegance, where the humble 510 beat out a Jaguar E-type and a Mercedes 300 SL to take a first-in-class award in the Post-War Import category. A year later, the Datsun was recognized with the “Lowest Mileage in America” award by the United 510 Owners Club, based in San Francisco, California.

Arthur details the 510 at a show.

In 2008, Arthur’s health forced him to retire from the show circuit, and in 2011, the blue 510 was sold to Dan Uphoff’s father. Dan himself had been captivated by the car since age five, and Arthur had been something of a grandfather figure to him, so it was fitting that Dan became the steward of the car he calls Art in 2013.

Though the 510 remains unmodified, it’s not quite accurate to call it entirely original. Rust in the rocker panels and fender lowers was repaired, and the entire car repainted in 2003. At the same time the car’s 1.6-liter four was rebuilt and repainted, though at the time Arthur deemed the work “not yet necessary.” On all repairs, only OEM or reconditioned Datsun parts have been used ensuring that the car remains as close to as-delivered specification as possible. The only aftermarket additions are a steering wheel cover, an alarm system, and modern radial tires (though the narrow whitewalls preserve the car’s original look).

Dan’s 510 with Gary Groce’s 1972 Datsun 240Z at the 2015 Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance.

Today, the Datsun shows around 137,000 miles on the odometer, and as with Arthur, Dan plans on keeping the car entirely in unmodified form. Dan’s first place finish in the Japanese Sports Cars 1946-1974 category at the recent Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance is evidence that the car will continue its winning ways under his ownership, a fitting tribute to the car’s buyer and original guardian.