Crew Spotlight: Chris
Growing up I didn't have any friends interested in cars or racing like I was. There were kids that I played Hot Wheels with but that was about it, even still, no one I had met liked or cared about cars as much as I did. One day in middle school, I ran into this kid that had super long and curly hair and he was wearing a shirt that said "Datsun" on it. Now, having grown up around our 280Z, I never thought I would see another kid my age wearing a shirt from the manufacturer of that car. I went up to him and asked him how he knew what Datsun was. His response? "We've got 3 of them." Three?? How could they have three Datsuns, I wondered. I thought it impossible to find one, but they had three! Chris and I quickly became friends and the first time I visited his house, he showed me all three of those elusive Datsuns. Two '72 240Z's and a '69 1600 Roadster. From that point on, our journey as lifelong friends had begun, we were each other's first gearhead friend.
Once he got his license, he drove his orange '72 240Z to school every single day. That was his favorite, the white interior, the stock wood grain wheel and shift knob, the strong L24. Sadly, the car was stolen from his driveway one night. He called me as soon as he discovered it was gone and we started searching. I posted an article on Jalopnik asking for fellow Jalops to be on the lookout, lots of eyes were looking but nothing could be found. After a week, that felt like a year, police found the car out in Palmdale down a ditch in the sand. The wheels were the only thing they stole. They did decide to smash the quarter panels and crack the rear window, but the brightside was the car was back. Chris and his dad tore it down to its shell, and it currently is sitting waiting to be brought back to life.
Chris found and purchased a Series 1 240Z that he drove for the remainder of highschool, during his time at UTI, and for his first job. That car is still around today but currently undergoing some routine maintenance for a 50 year old car, and the spirit of the orange Z lives on with several parts having been transferred to the yellow car. Both of these Z's are waiting to be brought back, and will be...in a big way.
Recently, the Datsun that has had his, and his fathers, attention is that '69 Roadster. The car sat for quite some time and has slowly been brought to life over the past few months. The car finally runs again after over 12 years. The entire time I've known Chris, I had not seen it run and drive until now. I'm very excited to see how this car progresses over time, it means a lot to their family, so it brings me joy to see the car coming back to life.
Z's have been the center of Chris' love for cars but the car that has carried him through a lot of his life has been the family's 1997 Toyota 4Runner. It's a SR5 RWD model, and it currently has over 435,000 miles on it! That car took Chris and his sister to school everyday, drove it partially in high school and to UTI, his first job most of the time, the first time he went off roading, and countless other memories. He once said that the 4Runner is actually one of the most meaningful cars in his life.
Chris' daily driver for the past couple years has been a 2017 Chevy SS 6-Speed. A rare car that can easily be confused with your basic Malibu (which is something we constantly remind him of), and that is sort of the beauty behind the SS. A machine that appears lowkey, until it is prodded and comes alive with sheer force. In some ways, Chris is the embodiment of that. A person who is calm and centered, and when it's go time, not many can do it better.
His contributions as a Mill-Mot crew member can be seen through the history of the videos. While he may not be a camera operator or editor, he has been there to assist when I trial new ideas for videos and is always the person I can call when I need someone to send it behind the wheel. He has also been a massive help when filming how-to videos, I often need an extra pair of expert hands to assist in making those videos, and he is always there to help when wrenching. He also has a way with words and has helped increase my ability to articulate and explain certain procedures to viewers.
Chris has always been my biggest supporter and I cannot thank him enough for that. He has helped make me the person I am today and I am truly lucky to have him in my life and as a member of the crew.
I can’t wait to see what happens with the Z-cars, and to help wrench and document the progress with him!
Be sure to give him a follow on Instagram!
Instagram: @issa_ss_m8
