People relaxing on fold-out chairs in front of a drive-in restaurant, a menu picked up with small plastic letters and the Datsun 280Z. When I close my eyes and imagine what the young average Juan with some money of the mid-70’s was doing, the image doesn’t go too far from this picture.
Of course, I presume that most of that has to do with the 280Z . This was still the lean 1970’s Z. It was just slowly turning into a cruiser instead of the leap it took towards comfort with the 280ZX. Black-Gold Leisure Suits and Bell-Bottomed polyester pants would have to wait for a bit.
More interesting than the Z however, is the little corner of a car just picking in the left of the picture. CC Clue anyone? Unless it’s a Toyota of some sort, it’s highly unlikely that I will find it or that 280 anytime soon though. Everything but the people in that picture has long since given up the ghost to rust, neglect or in the case of the drive-in, property developers.
Interesting how a term like drive in becomes part of other languages as concepts are exported.
I think that car on the left is a Jensen-Healey.
Beat me to it, Syke!
Outstanding photo, Gerardo. Very of a time and place. Thanks for sharing it.
Reminds me of photos dad took with his Z; an orange 1973 240. Different times for sure…
Love the original Datsun Z.
My Dad recently scanned his slide collection. This photo was taken in downtown Carmel, CA, obviously in the mid 1970’s. This Z must be nearly new, and is unusual in that it still has wheelcovers and the original steel wheels. A welcome sight.
While I wasn’t around in the 70’s, make a few changes to the clothing styles and put a bit of age and hard usage on the Z and this could be from the 80’s as well. A different time, to be sure.
I did dine last month at a tiny burger joint that still featured a menu board with those same plastic letters. A real throwback, both the menu and the whole restaurant itself.