Datsun |
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Grew from a prototype develped by engineer
Masujiro Hashimoto of Tokyo, and funded by K.
Den, R. Aoyama and A. Takeuchi (the first letter
from each last name making the acronym DAT).
Went into production as a DAT 31 in 1915, powered
by a 122ci 2 litre 4 cylinder engine. Concentrated
on truck manufacture from 1926, although the
Lila light car became increasingly popular,
particularly with cab drivers.
Acquired in 1931,
the new owners quickly set about mass producing
vehicles for the export market, their first
attempt being an almost identical copy of the
Austin Seven.
Wanting to use the Japanese rising
sun as part of its trademark, added the word
SUN to DAT, creating DATSUN and having the rising
sun as a background to their emblem. Turned
again to Austin for inspiration after World
War 2, the Bluebird's quickly gaining popularity
for robustness and reliability.
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1964 - 1967
The 'Pininfarina' designed P410 Bluebird replaced the
English inspired design of the 310/311/312 series, and
usered in Datsun's use of unitary construction of the
body, rather than a seperate chassis. More>> |
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1964 - 1967
The 'Pininfarina' designed P410 Bluebird replaced the
English inspired design of the 310/311/312 series, and
usered in Datsun's use of unitary construction of the
body, rather than a seperate chassis. More>> |
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1964 - 1967
The 'Pininfarina' designed P410 Bluebird replaced the
English inspired design of the 310/311/312 series, and
usered in Datsun's use of unitary construction of the
body, rather than a seperate chassis. More>> |
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1964 - 1967
The 'Pininfarina' designed P410 Bluebird replaced the
English inspired design of the 310/311/312 series, and
usered in Datsun's use of unitary construction of the
body, rather than a seperate chassis. More>> |
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1964 - 1967
The 'Pininfarina' designed P410 Bluebird replaced the
English inspired design of the 310/311/312 series, and
usered in Datsun's use of unitary construction of the
body, rather than a seperate chassis. More>> |
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1965 - 1970
The lack of handling compared to its rivals resulted
in Datsun not having the sales success they had hoped
for - and needing to design an entirely new type of car.
Enter the 240Z and the title of 'World's best selling
sports car'. More>> |
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1967 - 1970
Released in 1967, the Datsun 1000 would quickly become one of the world's most popular small cars, and in just 2 short years Datsun had managed to manufacture and sell over half-a-million of them. More>> |
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1967 - 1972
From 1967 to 1972 there was a car that won the respect
of nearly everyone that drove it. Perhaps with less showroom
appeal than the competition, the Datsun 1600 quickly
etched itself into the psyche of many young Australians
as arguably the first true "Performance 4". More>> |
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1969 - 1974
Early in 1969 Datsun was to release their "family six" alternative to the big Aussie sedans of the day, the handsome "Big Datsun Six". But Australia was one of some fifty-seven countries where the all new car was unveiled, it truly being a world car. More>> |
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1969 - 1975
Building street cred with such vehicles as the Honda S800
and Toyota 2000GT, Japan was starting to emerge as a legitimate
sports car maker. The challenge for the Japanese was to
break into the lucrative US market. More>> |
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1970 - 1973
The Datsun 1200 was the second generation Sunny in Japan.
This new Sunny sported MacPherson strut front suspension
and the A series engine had grown to 1171cc. More>> |
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1973 - 1977
Never a glamorous car in its hey day, the perennial 120Y
can still be seen on the highways of today and, due to
its poor road manners is not particularly collectable.
But, as with all cars that have been out of production
for over 20 years, they are becoming more scarce and an
extremely good condition vehicle could just make a good
buying decision. More>> |
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1974 - 1978
Despite the increase
in engine capacity, the new "Z" was actually slightly
slower, and less sporting, than its predecessor. While
it remained on sale to global markets for four years,
in the US (which was its principle market) it was replaced
by the lustier 280Z in less than a year. More>>
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1976 - 1978
Both the 180B and 200B models were extremely popular with
Australian motorists, although it is rare to see one on
the roads today. The time is fast approaching when 70's
nostalgia buffs will lust for a good clean example, only
to find there are none. More>> |
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1977 - 1981
The Datsun 180B was replaced in October of 1977 with the
200B. Continuing with the Japanese styling the sedan was
released with the fully imported as a sedan, a coupe that
retained the SSS badge and a wagon. More>> |
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1979 - 1986
The fully imported Sunny was introduced in early
1979 as a successor to the outgoing 120Y model,
and to supplement the locally built Stanza which
had failed to produce the expected sales figures
for Nissan. But following in the 120Y’s footsteps
would certainly be a hard act to follow, particularly
when the 120Y’s two major attributes were
that it was both low priced an inexpensive to run. More>> |
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1981 - 1986
In May 1981 the 200B was replaced with the Bluebird. The
styling of the Bluebird moved towards a more European
look with lower waistlines and simple lines. Retaining
much of the running gear from the 200B, with a front engine,
rear drive layout. More>> |
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