Nissan restored the SUV Patrol Fanta Limon
In 1986, a group of engineers from the Nissan Technical Center (NTCE) near Barcelona started a bold project - to prepare a durable diesel SUV for rally raids based on the Patrol 160 series. In 1987, two such cars with numbers 211 and 212 take part in the legendary Paris Rally - Dakar.
In 1987, the distance of the Paris-Dakar rally was 13,000 km. It was an extremely difficult test. Out of 385 starting cars and trucks, 98 finished and 26 out of 154 motorcycles.
30 years ago, Patrol Fanta Limon number 211 was driven by Miguel Prieto and Ramon Theremin. A 2.8-liter turbodiesel engine with 146 horsepower provided this four-wheeled Fanta ad with speeds of up to 150 km/h.
The crew number 212, alas, turned into a dune and stopped participating, but the Nissan Patrol Fanta Limon 211 became the first diesel car to finish in Dakar and enter the top ten, namely ninth place in the overall standings. After almost 30 years, the Spaniards set out to completely restore this patrol.
Nissan Technical Center Chief Engineer Dario Fernandez said today that all of the restoration of this storied heritage of the company is done by him and his colleagues after work evenings, nights and weekends.
The fate of Nissan number 212 remains unknown, but the lucky 211 ended up in the private collection of Salvador Clair and was exhibited for a decade in a small museum near the Spanish city of Girona. There, in 2014, he was found by the only remaining member of the 1987 team still working for Nissan, technician Pedro Diaz Ilan and his colleagues. They find that the engine won't start, many parts are corroded, and the electrical system is badly damaged by rodents. Enthusiasts are taking the Patrol Fanta Limon to the NTCE to give the car a second life.
Despite the fact that the project is a personal initiative of Nissan employees, the Nissan Performance Innovation Foundation, created specifically for such non-standard undertakings, helped with the funds.
The car had to be completely dismantled and carefully restored all the elements. Luckily, they found his original blueprints and instruction manuals at the NTCE. The Spaniards restored some parts from used parts, and some things were even found in the warehouses of Nissan dealers (for this, the team traveled all over Europe). Now the work is completed.
The restored car, prepared for the Sahara photo shoot, is shown in photographs with scratches and dents on the body, which were deliberately preserved as a memento of the races.
The people of Nissan, as expected, on January 1, 2017 - on the date of the 30th anniversary of the start of this memorable race - will be shown a restored SUV. Before the advent of Patrol in Dakar, diesel cars were looked down upon, but then they gradually began to dominate.
http://www.nissanbook.ru/en/Patrol/Y60_g - Instructions and manual for maintenance of the car Nissan Patrol 4.
28.08.2023 16:37
