THE BEAUTY IN THE BEAST!

I always loved how my old man’s Datsun 1200 pick-up, 1986 model, roared to life after two minutes of enthusiastic turning of the ignition and relentless plodding of the accelerator pedal. If that failed because of the car battery which had a habit of “dying” in the most disconcerting of moments we would propel it downhill and release the clutch instantaneously. The invigorating calisthenics would provoke the behemoth to gallop and holler to being, ready combat the most devious of Kenyan roads. This one was a car and a half!

Dating back to 1964 the Datsun 1200 has been known to be a tough car. The Japanese manufactured vehicle has been fashioned to dart through dirt roads while carrying as much as a half a ton of luggage behind. Its fuel consumption rate is grade A for this economy.  Anyone currently driving any Datsun 1200 model can validate the authenticity that it beats most e-fi cars when it comes to cutting- back fuel expenses. It is such a remarkable car that the fuel gauge reading “E” does not necessarily have to mean “Empty”, it could as well mean “Enough” as you have about 30 Kilometres to cover before the car truly runs out of fuel.

This particular day my father had been surely touched by Yesus Kristos as he honoured me with the opportunity of coxswaining this great beast. I couldn’t wait to show off my driving prowess! Believe it or not, a 1986 Datsun 1200 has better performance than a Toyota Corolla. Despite the two having identical power-to-weight ratio and the Corolla having a four horse power advantage the Datsun 1200 has better acceleration, handling and a vastly better brakes system.

I manoeuvred the Datsun to the city centre, frolicking with the gear as I hustled between traffic at breath-taking speed. I was busy trying to impress my old man with some Tanner Foust moves that I didn’t notice a pot-hole a few metres ahead. What ensued is what one Jose the “witnesser” would call “ni kama ndlama, ni kama vindeo”. The great beast was hurled into the air and its thunderous growl suddenly turned to a squeal. Both my father and I were too startled to utter a scream, let alone a word. We just looked at one another, eyes wide and mouth agape as the car rolled in the air. It finally dawned to me what writers meant by ‘death was written all over their faces’.

Despite their abrupt pusillanimous acts few seconds after being combated by a snag Datsun 1200s have proficient recovery techniques. They have a tendency of analysing the situation and generating the best solution. In our case the car saw it fit to land safely on its wheels off the road and make a 180 degree spin. After shifting gears and skidding my way out of the slippery grass we were back on the road, the untamed beast growling malevolently at other cars to pave way. They did. Who would contend with this dare devil? It had rummaged through the upheaval and stood out strong. Also, contact with its tough shell of steel would see this brute come out unscathed while an X-trail limp and squeak to the garage! …Haiya!

The only perceptible problem was the judder from the marred shock absorbers. However, this wasn’t such a problem as Datsun 1200 spare parts were very easy to get. You can come across these spares in many down town shops in the Nairobi city centre or approach a bedraggled vagrant and tell him the kind of spares you need, when you need them, how much you are willing to offer and the place of delivery. After that scuttle for safety lest you hear a car alarm go off and soon after the bedraggled vagrant running towards you holding out the spares while a mob of Nairobians follow him shouting “Mwizi! Mwizi!”, flinging all manner of crude objects at him.

Also, the car does not need a specialist to fix. Car specialists are costly and can deny you that weekend visit to that choma base or local watering den. Many mechanics can fix it. Nissan have made it so simple that in some cases you can even fix it yourself. So, when you have about 250, 000 shillings and are debating on what car to buy don’t settle for average. Go for this seraph of a vehicle, it is a car and a half!