DAKAR: Nissan restores 1987 class-winning Paris-Dakar rally car

After 30 years away from the public eye, Nissan has brought one of its most iconic motorsport machines back to life, restoring the class-winning 1987 Nissan Patrol Fanta Limon Paris-Dakar Rally entry.

The Nissan took victory in the diesel category, and was the first diesel car to ever finish in the race's overall top 10, taking ninth spot.

The Fanta Limon Patrol has been given a new lease on life thanks to a dedicated team of engineers at Nissan's European Technical Center (NTCE) in Barcelona, Spain. For more than two years they restored the car after work and at weekends, turning it from a rusting wreck in a Spanish museum to a highly capable off-road racer.

"That was a proud moment," said Pedro Diaz Illan, NTCE manager of the electrical and electronics engineering team and the only member of the 1987 team still working there. "Our brains, hearts and souls have gone into this project and it has not been easy. But to see the car in the desert again was just fantastic."

After three victories in 1986, Paris-Dakar was the next target. The Nissan Fanta Limon team entered two vehicles in the race that began Jan. 1, 1987; car 211 with Miguel Prieto and Ramon Termens as driver and co-driver respectively, and car 212, crewed by brothers Jorge and Hansi Babler.

Things did not run smoothly. The team's support truck broke down on the second stage, leaving the pair without spares for the rest of the race. Car 212 was eventually forced to withdraw after rolling down a dune, but 211 battled on to the end. It was the first diesel to finish, in ninth place overall.

At the end of the program the 211 was offered to the Salvador Claret, a private car collection and automotive museum south of Girona, Spain. There it remained for almost three decades.

The idea for recovering the car came in February 2014, when NTCE technicians spotted images of it on an Internet forum. Realizing the 30th anniversary was less than three years away, they contacted the museum to ask for it back.

Juan Villegas, an NTCE technician and part of the restoration team, explained: "The engine was in terrible condition. It was impossible to start and many parts were heavily corroded. The front axle was quite damaged, but the worst thing was the electrics, which had been badly attacked by rats."

The wreck was transported to NTCE Barcelona in May 2014 and the eight-strong restoration team began work, using their own time at evenings and weekends. They searched all over Europe for parts, asking Nissan dealers to search their warehouses for old stock. Some components were bought used and also restored.

"We wanted the car to be accurate in every way, and were lucky to get the very old drawings and service manuals from NTCE. We followed all the fine adjustments to get the exact Paris-Dakar race set-up," Villegas said.

In November 2016 the Patrol was complete and made a return to its spiritual home – the sand dunes of the Sahara.