Back in 2013, Nostalgic Hero (Japan’s premier classic car magazine) did a little feature on our collection. Since then, we built a shop, cars have come and gone, and we’ve visited Japan twice. So, we were completely surprised when NH did a second feature article on our collection.
Without further ado, here is the translation, as well as scans of the cover and pages. Big thanks to our friend Hisashi Masui and the team at Gebunsha Publishing for sharing our story.
From America! Enjoying Classic Japanese Cars – Vol. 88 – Text & photos: Hisashi Masui
A Datsun Collector with a Huge Suburban Garage Filled with Classic Japanese Cars
What happens when you start collecting a lot of cars? Normally, the problem becomes obvious—you run out of parking space. The solution? Move somewhere with more room.
Greg and Becky Childs, devoted Datsun collectors, did exactly that. They relocated to the countryside in search of space for their growing collection. But even after building a large, dedicated garage, the number of cars continued to grow until it was eventually filled.
Their collection represents the shared passion of the couple. Where will it ultimately lead? Only time will tell.
Photo Caption: Greg Childs’ Bluebird collection has recently gained a 2-door P411-series Datsun Deluxe. The 320 Sports Pickup on the left is a different example from the one he owned about 12 years ago.
Photo caption: Greg and Becky Childs, a friendly couple who share the same passion. The ranch-style home behind them bears the name “Datsun Ranch.” Surrounded by long-loved Datsuns, their lifestyle has naturally evolved along with their enthusiasm for the cars.
The best place for the cars you love is close at hand. Being able to get in and drive them whenever you want—that’s part of the joy. But when a collection grows, the biggest issue quickly becomes space. Maintenance costs are one thing, but simply having enough room to store the cars becomes a challenge. If you have land, though, that problem becomes easier to solve.
Greg and Becky Childs moved to the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona, where they could properly house their collection of vintage Datsuns. In their previous home in the city, the cars were kept in a carport and around the property, but space was limited. Out in the countryside there is far more room. Their property is roughly seven acres, large enough to build a spacious garage dedicated entirely to the collection.
Still, the location has its trade-offs. The property sits about a quarter mile from the nearest paved road, and the last stretch is a rough dirt road winding through the desert. It’s the kind of place where blowing sand and rugged terrain are part of everyday life. For someone who truly loves cars, however, that inconvenience is a small price to pay.
“In the city you’re always worrying about space,” Greg explains. “Out here, if I want to add another car, I can usually find somewhere to put it.” The move to the countryside allowed the couple to create the environment they had always wanted—a place where their cars could be stored, maintained, and enjoyed without compromise.
Their “Datsun Ranch,” as they call it, has become both home and sanctuary for their growing collection of classic Japanese automobiles.
The house, which is far from the city center, is in an area described as a “rural settlement.” The unpaved lane (though 6 meters wide) only has about 10 houses lined up on both sides of the spacious plots with no clear boundary lines. The noise and smell of car work would not bother the neighbors. The car park/garage on the front of the house is large enough for four cars on its own.
Photo caption: Greeting visitors in the front yard is a 1959 Datsun 210, surrounded by cacti. It was apparently in a condition that couldn’t withstand restoration, so it was turned into a yard ornament. The skeleton sitting inside the car is chilling – precisely because it doesn’t look like a deliberate decoration.
Going around to the back of the house, there is another workshop/garage. Since it gets over 40°C in the summer, air conditioning is essential. Consequently, the doors are kept closed. It is only opened “when the weather is right.”
The space and tools were sufficient not only for storing the collection but also for restoration. His interest has expanded to include neo-classics, and his collection is reportedly always changing, even including ownership of a Nissan Pao. The yard is so vast it could be a baseball field. “[If you] build a house in the city, there are various strict regulations, and the taxes are also high, so people who dislike that have started gathering and living outside the city like this,” said Greg.
The Childs couple were originally car enthusiasts, so they don’t have trouble with transportation. Their children have already left home, so they don’t have to worry about school commutes. The house, which has solar power, is all-electric, and since there is no city water, they pump well water. Since no one (other than residents) enters the dead-end street, there is also a sense of security. “Early retirement, so to speak, a full-time house-husband type of life,” he said.
He continues to run the Nissan-affiliated car club (NICOclub.com). Becky is a nurse and currently commutes to a hospital facility in Phoenix, the adjacent state capital, as a trainer for new staff. The one-hour one-way commute is a worthwhile and enjoyable job that she doesn’t mind.
Handing Over to the Next Owner and the Changing Collection
When a place to store cars can be secured, the size of the collection tends to grow. “At first, I thought there was no way this big garage would be full,” Becky said. Greg, who was then in his 40s, had recently left his job as a civil servant. He continued, “Once a space is secured, the focus becomes ‘filling the space'”.
Photo Caption: A logo for “Datsun Ranch” is painted on the door of the NL320 sport pickup, which he acquired already restored.
Photo Caption: Becky’s S30-series (Fairlady) is currently being modified; the bodywork has been completed, and ready for an RB25 engine. Becky enjoys working on the cars as well, when she has time.
Photo Caption: The Datsun 510 has been repainted. The market price for the 510 has soared over the past 12 years. Even rusted-out shells are reportedly trading for hundreds of thousands of yen.
The property behind the workshop/garage looks just like an empty lot. Several cars left in Greg’s care remain there, gradually deteriorating without being attended to. He began to feel, “I have to stop this,” and started maintaining his vehicle count. In addition to classic Datsuns, his collection of Nissan neoclassics also gradually increased, including Becky’s 1998 S14 240sx (Silvia).
“My friends contact me, asking, ‘Can I leave my car here for a while?'” Greg said. “So I let them, but they never come to pick them up”. Greg gave a wry smile. It seems his ample property is being taken advantage of by his acquaintances. The bright side is that on weekends, friends will show up to work on their cars in the garage.
The change in attitude for Greg, who was living such a luxurious life of classic cars, occurred when he finally acquired his biggest dream car — a first-generation CSP311 Nissan Silvia.
“I got in but couldn’t get out, and Becky had to help me,” he laughed. Being tall, the interior was too cramped for Greg to drive comfortably. The decision to sell the Silvia (which is now housed at the Malamut Auto Museum) became a catalyst for him to think about passing cars on to the next owner, rather than just collecting them.
Photo Caption: The 310-series Sunny, a model rarely seen, was the first car Becky ever owned, so Greg acquired and restored it. However, she hasn’t had much of a chance to drive it. The model’s sales name was “Datsun 210 (By Nissan),” and its predecessor, the B210 series, was the “Datsun 1200”. It is one of the models that reveals the confusion over naming in the North American market at the time.
“Before, my dream and goal was to have a larger collection than anyone else. But now it’s different”. Pointing at his collection, he says, “Maybe this one next,” as he thinks about which car to sell. “It’s okay if the cars are no longer in my possession. The knowledge, the friends—those things I gained during the period of owning each car—those won’t disappear”.
Since then, they have added a Pulsar GTI-R, a Stagea, a S13 Q’s Silvia, and others.
They have visited friends in Australia twice, whom they met through NICOclub, and they have visited America twice. Another friend, whom he met at an event in the eastern U.S., purposely moved (to Arizona) after hearing about the good life there. He is talented at electrical work, and has worked on several cars in the collection. Greg said the networking surrounding cars has influenced their respective lifestyles and, at times, their life choices. He noted such examples are countless.
“It doesn’t really matter which car I let go of first. They will gradually decrease, and eventually, they will all be gone. But the friends I’ve made will remain forever”.
His passion for Datsun has not faded and continues to burn brightly. Yet, the final destination of the rest of his car life seemed vaguely visible.