A very popular family car also here in Norway.
The car brand we know today as Nissan
In Norway, Japanese cars and car brands were largely unknown until the 1960s. But in Japan there has been car production since the early 1900th century. The background for the car brand was a manufacturer by the name of Kaishinsha Motorcar Works who made some cars with the name DAT. Relatively few cars were produced in Japan before the war (1940). In 1932, the name of the cars was changed to Datsun, a brand that was used until around 1980. Then the factory began to use "Nissan" as a brand on all its products worldwide.
Datsun Bluebird 410
In 1963, the factory launched a model that became very popular in this country. It was an upgraded Bluebird with the type designation 410. This model initially only came with 4 doors, but other variants were put into production to meet the needs of different markets. Here in Norway, it was sold as a passenger car, van and station wagon. There were many details on this model that appealed to new car buyers. Good rust protection with galvanized plates in the undercarriage, ducts and support beams were arguments that car buyers appreciated. An elaborate interior with padded instrument panel and thick carpets gave the car a touch of luxury. A short gear lever located between the front seats was sporty at the time.
This model was in production until 1968.
Datsun 120Y
Another popular model from Datsun was the 120Y. The model had several designations in different markets. A model name that was widely used was "Sunny". The model series started life in 1965 and continued until 2004 after countless model changes and upgrades. The model here was produced in the period 1973 to 1977. The options were wide since the 120Y came in a number of body variants with a number of engine options. A big advantage was that the Datsun 120Y was very kind when it came to fuel consumption, and that was a very good selling point during the petrol crisis. Operational reliability was also top notch and contributed to its popularity.
Key data Datsun 120Y
Length: 395 cm
Width: 154 cm
Height: 137 cm
Engine: 1171 ccm, 69 hp SAE
Top speed: 150 km/h
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Anders de Lange
Anders de Lange writes about car history. He has written about cars and car history for over 30 years, published his own books and written for the Norwegian car press.