We all know that Southern California is blessed with one of most active automotive scenes on earth. There’s pretty much something cool going on every weekend all year long, and in this respect fans of Japanese cars in particular have got it quite good in sunny SoCal.

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Dig Hondas? The yearly Eibach meet is the place to be. Like Mazdas and rotaries? There’s a huge annual spectacle called Sevenstock. And let’s not forget the massive gathering of enthusiasts at Toyotafest in Long Beach every May. Even Mitsubishi holds a big meet for owners every year at its North American headquarters.

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However, up until recently there was one major Japanese automaker that was left out of the fun. Yes. I’m talking about Nissan – a brand whose fans have gone a long time without having a real event to call their own in Southern California.

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Nissan’s corporate presence may have left the region years ago for Tennessee’s friendlier business environment, but that hasn’t changed the fact that the West Coast is home to some of the marque’s most loyal fans.

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Knowing this, the same group behind the highly popular Japanese Classic Car Show decided to create an event for SoCal’s Nissan and Datsun enthusiasts. It’s called Nissan Jam, and after a successful inaugural event last year, the show returned for 2014 over the weekend.

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I wasn’t able to attend the 2013 event due to a scheduling conflict, but this year I made sure that I was in Southern California when Nissan Jam rolled around again.

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Once again, Connell Nissan in the city of Costa Mesa played host to the event. I’ve got to say that it’s damn cool to drive down Harbor Boulevard and see the spot that’s usually filled with Altimas and Sentras packed with vintage Datsuns and other cool Nissan machinery.

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The size of the show was smaller than Toyotafest, but that seemed to be an effect of the dealership’s limited space more than anything else. For an event that’s as new as this one, the enthusiasm for Nissan Jam seems very strong.

Nissan-Jam-7 copy As for the car lineup, Nissans from all different eras were represented, but it wasn’t surprising to see that Datsun-badged machiner

Nissan-Jam-4 copyDatsun pickups were also a big part of Nissan Jam. Check this 620 with a built NA SR20 and a set of custom Barramundi wheels from Japan. Yes please!

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Here we have another Datsun 620, but one that’s been customized with a ‘rat rod meets Japanese street racer’ theme.

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It’s definitely cool to see more people fixing up old pickups like this. They offer a ton of potential and can still be had on the cheap, unlike your average 510 or 240Z.

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One of the things that impressed me most about Nissan Jam was the selection of more obscure Nissan and Datsun models that came out. I was liking this low mileage, factory original Datsun 210 that was recently bought from its original owner.

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Without a doubt though, one of my absolute favorite cars of the day was this 210 fastback which has been given a full Sunny conversion with small bumpers, a chin spoiler and a perfectly sized set of SSR Mk.IIs.

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It’s always cool to see people giving some love to Datsuns from the late ’70s and early ’80s too.

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In 1988 Nissan introduced an upgraded edition of the 300ZX named Shiro after its unique pearl white paint job. Production was limited to just over 1,000 examples and this particular car was in un-touched original shape.

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Z31s will likely never be as popular as the Zs that came before or after them, but you can see they offer lots of potential when done right. A good friend of mine drove one of these when we were in high school so I’ll always have a soft spot for this model.

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Is it too early to call the look of the 180SX Type X ‘timeless’? Nah, I don’t think so…

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Amazingly, you can actually still find a stock 240SX on the streets of Southern California. I’ve got the photographic proof right here! Bonus points for being a two-tone coupe.

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It might have taken a while to happen, but Southern California Nissan enthusiasts finally have an event to call their own. L-series, RB and SR unite – in the land of freeways, traffic and smog all is now right.

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I wasn’t able to attend the 2013 event due to a scheduling conflict, but this year I made sure that I was in Southern California when Nissan Jam rolled around again.

Nissan-Jam-36 copy

Once again, Connell Nissan in the city of Costa Mesa played host to the event. I’ve got to say that it’s damn cool to drive down Harbor Boulevard and see the spot that’s usually filled with Altimas and Sentras packed with vintage Datsuns and other cool Nissan machinery.

Nissan-Jam-26 copy

The size of the show was smaller than Toyotafest, but that seemed to be an effect of the dealership’s limited space more than anything else. For an event that’s as new as this one, the enthusiasm for Nissan Jam seems very strong.

Nissan-Jam-7 copy As for the car lineup, Nissans from all different eras were represented, but it wasn’t surprising to see that Datsun-badged machiner

Nissan-Jam-4 copy

Datsun pickups were also a big part of Nissan Jam. Check this 620 with a built NA SR20 and a set of custom Barramundi wheels from Japan. Yes please!

Nissan-Jam-33 copy

Here we have another Datsun 620, but one that’s been customized with a ‘rat rod meets Japanese street racer’ theme.

Nissan-Jam copy

It’s definitely cool to see more people fixing up old pickups like this. They offer a ton of potential and can still be had on the cheap, unlike your average 510 or 240Z.

Nissan-Jam-31 copy

One of the things that impressed me most about Nissan Jam was the selection of more obscure Nissan and Datsun models that came out. I was liking this low mileage, factory original Datsun 210 that was recently bought from its original owner.

Nissan-Jam-30 copy

Without a doubt though, one of my absolute favorite cars of the day was this 210 fastback which has been given a full Sunny conversion with small bumpers, a chin spoiler and a perfectly sized set of SSR Mk.IIs.

Nissan-Jam-29 copy

It’s always cool to see people giving some love to Datsuns from the late ’70s and early ’80s too.

Nissan-Jam-25 copy

In 1988 Nissan introduced an upgraded edition of the 300ZX named Shiro after its unique pearl white paint job. Production was limited to just over 1,000 examples and this particular car was in un-touched original shape.

Nissan-Jam-24 copy

Z31s will likely never be as popular as the Zs that came before or after them, but you can see they offer lots of potential when done right. A good friend of mine drove one of these when we were in high school so I’ll always have a soft spot for this model.

Nissan-Jam-34 copy

Is it too early to call the look of the 180SX Type X ‘timeless’? Nah, I don’t think so…

Nissan-Jam-37 copy

Amazingly, you can actually still find a stock 240SX on the streets of Southern California. I’ve got the photographic proof right here! Bonus points for being a two-tone coupe.

Nissan-Jam-19 copy

It might have taken a while to happen, but Southern California Nissan enthusiasts finally have an event to call their own. L-series, RB and SR unite – in the land of freeways, traffic and smog all is now right.

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Source : www.speedhunters.com