Datsun

Datsun is a former name of the car brand Nissan. The name change took place in 1986. Here are our posts relating to Datsun.

A nice Fairlady

Posted 25/01/2024 by Terje Bjørnstad

Datsun Fairlady 1600. Photo reproduced with permission

At this autumn's Oslo Motor Show, visitors could study a very special roadster on Minilite rims. Was it an MGB? Was it an English car brand? No, the Datsun 1600 Roadster is Japanese. A very cool Japanese who was successful in the USA.

Can be compared to the MGB

They are both the same size and constructed in the same way. The first Japanese cars were known to copy Western cars, but according to several sources, the Datsun is said to have been launched several months before the MGB. Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that Datsun may have managed to look at BMC in the cards, because the similarity is striking. In retrospect, the automotive press compared the two models without choosing a winner or loser, but one can safely say that the roadster from Datsun is more rare than the MGB in our latitudes.

Photo reproduced with permission

Y-1600 is for sale!

The red car came to Norway in 2000 with 69000 km on the odometer. It has since traveled approximately 10000 km on Norwegian summer roads. The car is now with a car-loving family in Trøgstad, and is ready for a new owner. Marianne Smestad Arntsen states that they took it in as a trade-in, fixed a damage to a rear screen and had it painted in the original colour. In the ad you can see pictures from the work. This is a very cool car that arouses positive reactions everywhere.

See the ad on Finn.no

Brochure image from 1970

Engine room (Photo: Marianne Smestad Arntsen)

Illustration photo.

The forerunner of the Z series and Silvia

Datsun Sports embraced the sports car series from 1960 to 1970. Officially, the open sports cars were called Datsun Sports followed by a model number. The car we are talking about here has the number SPL311. In the US it was marketed as Datsun 1600 roadster. But in the early 1960s the name appeared fair Lady up. The then president of the Nissan group was so captivated by the musical "My Fair Lady" that he wanted to name subsequent sports cars after the musical. This happened in 1961, and although the cars were sold under other names, they are today referred to as Fairlady. When Datsun launched its all-new Z series for the 1970 model year, it was given the model designation Fairlady-Z. It was to follow the models 240Z, 260Z, 280Z – and later the 280ZX right up until 1983.

As a curiosity, it can be mentioned that the very first Datsun/Nissan Silvia model (SX) was partially hand-built over the same platform as the Fairlady 1600. In principle, this is a closed, more luxurious version of the SPL311, called the CSP311. Production lasted 4 years and only 550 cars were produced.

Nissan Heritage: Silvia CSP311

Illustrative photo from Flagstaff, Arizona 2017. Street view with Datsun Sports 2000 (SRL311).
Photo: auroraangeles/Depositphotos.com

Left: Silvia CSP311 / Right: Illustrative photo from Flagstaff, Arizona 2017. Street photo with Datsun Sports 2000 (SRL311). Photo: auroraangeles/Depositphotos.com

Facts about Datsun Sports "Fairlady" 1600 (SPL311)

Length, width, height: 396 x 150 x 133 cm
Wheelbase: 228 cm
Net weight without driver: 900 kg
Engine: 1600 OHV inline four, 90 HP
Gearbox: 4-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Top speed: 165 km/h
0-100: 11,7 seconds
Front suspension: Independent with double A-arms, coil springs and anti-roll bars
Rear suspension: Longitudinal leaf springs, rigid rear axle
Brakes: Front discs, rear drums
Steering: Cam & lever
Source: Nissan Heritage

Number in Norway
Datsun Sports 1600 (SPL311): 22
Datsun Sports 2000 (SRL311): 10
Source: regnr.info
Importer: A/S Inor, but the mentioned sports models were never brought into Norway

Y-1600 on display at the Oslo Motor Show

See

Datsun Fairlady Roadster Norway on Facebook

Datsun Bluebird

Posted 04/11/2020 by Anders de Lange

Here is the car model that opened for Japanese cars on the Norwegian market.

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.

Used to quality and level of equipment

The Datsun Bluebird was one of the Japanese car models that really found its place on the Norwegian car market. The first cars appeared here in Norway in the early 1960s, and Norway was one of the first export markets that the factory focused on. For car buyers in this country, Japanese cars were completely unknown. It was therefore a relatively slow start, but potential car buyers soon found out that cars from Japan had a very high quality. In the 60s, many Japanese car models had a higher level of equipment than their European competitors. This meant that the person who had to choose a car felt that Japanese cars were a very good buy.

Key data model 411:

Length: 4,0 m
Width: 1,49 m
Height: 1,43 m
Engine: 1299 ccm, 67 hp SAE
Top speed: 140 km/h

Datsun Bluebird 411

Technical illustration of the Datsun Bluebird

bluebird ad — Datsun Bluebird commercial from 1964

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Datsun 120Y

Posted 25/10/2020 by Anders de Lange

A very popular family car also here in Norway.

The car brand we know today as Nissan

Datsun Bluebird 410

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