Wednesday Wall: Lucha Libre 1967 Datsun Sports 1600, Squealing Tires Not Included

You don’t have to see Michael Emery’s face to know that he’s grinning from ear to ear in this picture.  His road-rally prepped Datsun Sports 1600 was born to carve down steep mountain passes, so coming up with the concept behind this photo was easy.  Finding a suitable location was another matter.  There’s no better place to photograph a car than in its natural habitat, so climbing up the rocky hill, through the thorny bushes and over a rusty barbed wire fence was well worth it to capture this shot.  I needed the high vantage point to make sure the road would still be visible where it wound past the next hill.  If I had taken it at ground level, the road would have disappeared well before reaching the second curve.

Emery’s car was the first Japanese car to run La Carrera Panamericana, a grueling 2000 mile race across Mexico.  Although he and navigator Ted Donovan came in dead last among the finishers, they won the hearts of the other teams with a combination of determination, style, and tequila-fueled revelry.

See the rest of our photos and read more about Michael Emery’s Lucha Libre racer in JNC Issue 2 available in our shop.

widescreen 1920 x 1200
standard 1600 x 1200

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1 Response to Wednesday Wall: Lucha Libre 1967 Datsun Sports 1600, Squealing Tires Not Included

  1. Lincoln Stax says:

    Considering how gruelling the Carrera Panamericana is, finishing the race, regardless of position, is a real achievement.

    This is a great photo. It makes me think someone is having more fun than I am right now.

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