As far as Jas Bajwa can remember, he's loved being in cars, riding in them, washing them, wrenching on them, and when he was old enough, driving them. Growing up as a kid in an immigrant family in Toronto, Bajwa was always influenced by the many cultures of the city. Not only did this stretch as far as its people but also the vast array of cars that were found on the road from all over the world.

Bajwa still remembers coming home from school, throwing his book bag on the floor and begging his mom to get off the phone so he could get online (yes, kids back in those days would use the home phone line to access the interweb). He and his brother would spend countless hours searching the web for the coolest cars, fighting over which car should be the background wallpaper and emptying the ribbon in the printer so that they could show their friends the next day at school. Bajwa carried this same passion into Tech class through high school, spending additional hours after school with his auto teachers and soaking in all the material they would throw at him (shout out to Mr.Marciano, the real M.V.P.).

As Bajwa grew older, he began wrenching on his family's cars. "I’ve always been one to work on my own cars," says Bajwa, "I mean, I’m not even a licensed mechanic; I’m just a regular Joe with a bunch of tools and strong automotive passion." His original plan was to build a daily driver but instead, Bajwa started looking into the Z cars. He gathered magazines, attended shows and met some really cool enthusiasts. He learned about the heritage behind the Z cars and the brotherhood that a lot of the clubs have created. In late 2012, Bajwa took the plunge and started looking up vintage Zs for sale in North America. The hardest part wasn’t looking for a Z car; Bajwa saw many Zs with large amounts of rust and neglect, it was hard for him to see this. After searching for a very long time, he finally found his "fair lady", a 1973 Datsun 240Z. She was a bit banged up but Bajwa knew he could make her whole again.

As soon as Bajwa bought the 240Z, he started wrenching on it - pulled off panels, cleaned rust and learned how to weld (yes, he learned how to weld on the Z). After 8 months of semi-sleepless nights, he got the Z to the point where it was able to get on the road. The next step was to customize it. Bajwa began with a respray and touch-up to the original color. Eventually, it was time to get all the modifications in. The list goes on and on, but during the summer of 2014 Bajwa got his Z ready for Zfest.

After countless hours working on the 240Z, Bajwa never knew it would be loved and shared by so many around the world. One of the greatest accomplishments to him is putting a smile on many people's faces. Bajwa enjoys the thumbs-up and all the pictures people take of the Z, but the best thing he takes away from all of it is when someone looks at the car, and no matter what kind of a mood they’re in, the car will make them smile.

Owner: Jas Bajwa
Location: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Vehicle: 1973 Datsun 240Z
Horsepower: 150 whp
Club: N/A
Social: Facebook, Instagram

Photography by Markis Sarkis , Still Steezy.

ENGINE / PERFORMANCE
Rebuilt L24
Stage 2 cams
Round Top Su Carburetors 
Mallory Electronic Ignition

EXHAUST
Long tube headers
Straight-through 2-1 custom exhaust

PERFORMANCE ELECTRONICS
Custom rewire
Upgraded harness
Digital printed fuse boxes

DRIVELINE
Stock drive shaft
R180 differential
280Z Upgraded stub axle

WHEELS / TIRES
Work CR01 wheels - 16-inch
Toyo Proxies TQ tires

CHASSIS / SUSPENSION
Techno Toy Tuning coilover kit
Techno Toy Tuning lower control arms (f/r)

BRAKES
Willwood 4pot custom big brake kit (f/r)

EXTERIOR
MSA wide body flares
MSA GT side skirts
MSA GT front air dam with brake cooling ducts
3-piece duckbill spoiler

INTERIOR
MSA dash cover
MSA short shifter
Vintage Grant racing steering wheel
Status Racing seats
Custom 8-point roll cage
Schroth Racing 4-point harness

AUDIO / MULTIMEDIA
Stock

COMPETITION EVENTS / CLASSES
Vintage
Vintage JDM
Datsun
Datsun Modified
Nissan
Nissan Modified
Best JDM

COMPETITION RESULTS / AWARDS
ERTEFA - Best JDM, Best Classic, Best Nissan 

FAVORITE MODIFICATION
Work CR01 wheels

SPONSORS
N/A

SHOPS
Boost Theory - Roll Cage
Jas Bajwa - "I do all the work myself."