If you’re anywhere near Dungay in New South Wales, near the Queensland border, you may spot this 1972 Datsun 180B (610) for sale by the side of the road. After all, it’s pretty hard to miss in this smashing shade of early 1970s orange.
1972 was the first year for the 180B, known in North America as the 610 and elsewhere as the 160B and Bluebird. The very seventies styling may seem overwrought now (and perhaps even then), but it was Datsuns like this that helped cement the Japanese brand’s position on the world stage.
Underneath the coke-bottle styling is a lengthened version of the same basic platform as the Datsun 510, including the same independent trailing arm suspension (wagons had a live axle and leaf springs). Datsun attempted to make its compact/mid-size offering more plush and comfortable this generation.
This generation of 180B was introduced in Australia in locally-built sedan and wagon and imported hardtop coupe variants; the coupe was available only in sporty SSS trim with a different suspension tune. Given Australia’s predisposition towards sedans and wagons, its unsurprising that the 180Bs most commonly seen on the road are Deluxe and GL sedans and wagons in various shades of lime green or yellow. The only engine in the Australian 180B was the 104 horsepower 1.8 four-cylinder engine; even the sporty SSS coupe and the late-introduction, imported GX sedan luxury model had the same engine.
The 180B was a strong seller in Australia, and the 1970s and 1980s were good times for Nissan Australia, especially in the mid-size segment. Unlike North America, Australia did not receive the confusingly-named 710; instead, the range went from 120Y (B210) to 180B. Eventually, the 710’s successor was introduced in 1978 as the Stanza. By then, the 180B had made way for the 200B that was famously derided by Wheels as being a 180B with twenty more problems. While Nissan did make some running changes shortly after its launch, they didn’t have to worry too much: the 200B became Australia’s best-selling mid-size four-cylinder.
This example has had a few changes made. For starters, its wearing what looks like 1990 Maxima wheels. Then, there’s the aftermarket stereo unit and steering wheel. Unfortunately, another driver made a negative change to this 180B: a dent on the backside. There’s a little bit of rust around the front bumper, too, but otherwise the car looks pretty straight.
If you’re driving through Dungay, you won’t miss it.
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1974 Datsun 610
It’s surprising how much better the styling looks without 5 mph bumpers. Then again, that dent in the rear…
On another note, why do Aussie (and UK) school signs so often look like they simply left the construction-site sign up when the building was finished? Someone who introduces them to movable-letter technology could make a fortune.
Oh, trust me, there are a bunch of schools in Brisbane now with obnoxious big bloody electronic signs. One particularly egregious offender is close to my house, and I feel for the people across the street who are bathed in its changing color lights every night. And it never seems to be turned off. Why on earth does a school need a big lit-up sign like its in Times Square?
Because they have money & hubris. People in the kid industry think they’re automatic heroes, regardless of actual ability or diligence.
“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound.” — Plato
These hit the U.S. market in 1973 and were sold alongside the 510 2 door for that 1st year. Bumpers in North America were slightly bigger, aluminum (colored?) units that looked like ballon animals attached to each end of the car.
I THINK, but am not sure, the 610 and that final year of 510 both had the bigger 2 liter engine. All were sold in one trim level.
I think 1 reason the U.S. got the 710 was to make room for Datsun/Nissan’s move upmarket with the new 810.
I think what ruined ALL Nissans (except the truck) sold in the mid-late 70s wasn’t so much the styling as the details. The interior door panels were a bit overstyled and those “puffy-lip” bumpers turned me off.
Oh, and the truly awful colors available, at least in the U.S. did these no favors, either.
Nice writeup. I well remember the times the 200B seemed to be everywhere.
The styling may have been overwrought, but I like it now as a ’70s period piece. And the basic shape is good. The color works too; it’s all part of the package! That steering wheel is rather tragic though.
The 610 replacing the 510 in the worst replacement since the Marina replaced the Minor. Something bad in the water in 1971?
The 610 looked like a caricature, whereas the 510 was neat, tidy in styling. In the USA there were also complaints that while the 510 was a balanced, taut-handling car, the 610 was softened up to get a cushy ride, but sacrificed handling. I never drove a 610 so can’t say for myself.
Was there any car that didn’t go from clean, simple 1960’s styling to Brougham-ish 1970’s styling? And then back again in the early 1980’s… I think I have driven one of these but if so it didn’t leave much of an impression.
I’m pretty sure the 180B SSS had a twin-carb engine too, not the standard one.
Where I live the climate is kind to cars but very few early 70s Japanese cars are still alive while there are dozens of Marinas still in use, Why?
Not enough pianos to drop on them? ( British “Top Gear” joke)
I don’t know if this holds true in other parts of the world, but it seems to me that on the east coast of the US, Datsun was most competitive in the 1970s with sports cars and trucks. Their sedans, by contrast, seemed to be out of the mainstream until the early 1980s.
Toyota sedans, on the other hand, seemed to be accepted quicker in the mainstream marketplace, even though their products were rather similar to Datsun’s.
I don’t know if that’s just my perception, or if there’s more to it than that, but 610s were always viewed as a little odd, even though in hindsight they really weren’t.
For some reason, the Prius C has a “louder” range of colors than the 4-door hatch, including a shade of orange like this. Maybe it’s demographics.
I prefer cars with 5 mph bumpers. They may not look as attractive, but I would think they’d protect the car better than it would otherwise.
The 510 is better looking, but I would totally rock this “610”! Install the missing center caps and it looks pretty good ’cause they’re still Nissan wheels. Plus, they look way better than the factory hub caps!
Popular but horrible cars they rusted rapidly and blew headgaskets like it was a style trend, I drove one right across Australia in the early 90s, they have no performance comfort or real handling ability after the earlier 1600 box they were a real disappointment heavier and slower the 200B was even worse.
I have Always been a Datsun guy, since I bought a 120Y for forty dutch guilders backt then and drove the darn thing for over 1.5 year.
I too had a 120y horrible little car but very reliable and fairly economical I drove it in hilly terrain the whole time I owned and it was just gutless, here it is in the southern Tasmanian forests