Behold, what has been described as the holy grail for Datsun maniacs, the OS Giken TC24-B1! Imagine the sheer mad scientist insanity that must have flowed through Osamu Okazaki’s brain in order for him to conjure up an entire bolt-on twin-cam head, complete with valvetrain, for the Nissan L-series motor.
According to the OS Giken rep at the booth, only nine were ever made, and this one was taken out of the OS Giken Nissan Fairlady Z in Japan and brought over just for SEMA. Others say that as many as 20 exist.
The TC24 actually originated from the TC16, a twin-cam head for the four-cylinder L-series engines found in Datsun Bluebird 510s. Supposedly, the entire cost of the project was ¥20 million yen in 1976.
Now, nearly three decades later, they’re thinking of making another run of 10 units or so. Anyone who wants the unicorn of aftermarket Z parts can then do so for the price of a cool $30,000.
The head bumped the L-series’ horsepower output from about 150 to 320. Back in the day, any hashiriya who street raced with TC24-equipped motors were effectively running race engines, which was completely illegal. They lived by the credo, never pop your hood.
