Here’s a bit of sturdy automotive basicness, still at work, 50+ years since coming out of the assembly line. The kind of vehicle that marked the early years of Japanese overseas forays, and upon which a great deal of their later luck was built. It’s a Nissan Junior light truck (AKA Miller) from the ’60-’70 second generation. A piece of Nissan’s early history; a simplistic-looking machine meant for serious work.
Some of you may recall that before Datsuns and Corollas became common worldwide, an early wave of compact workhorses arrived from the Land of the Rising Sun. In the case of Toyota, it was the Land Cruiser and the Stout. Nissan had the (Bluebird-based) Datsun pickup and the Junior; and while the latter didn’t reach the States, it gained fame elsewhere from Asia to Africa to Latin America. These early Nissan trucks made great inroads in gaining followers for the brand.
The Junior was Nissan’s midsize truck (as understood in Japan), a direct competitor to Toyota’s Stout. Like many Japanese postwar products, it first appeared in 1956 shrouded in an almost toy-like body—something that was rather common with Nissan’s products at the time. The model was nothing revolutionary mechanically, but it was all part of the larger effort to return Japan (and its parent company) to prosperity.
Like a good truck, efficiency and simplicity were the model’s ethos. Those early tin-cast-looking Juniors performed their duties well, thanks to 1.5L and 1.9L H engines of Austin origin. Their cargo capacity being 1.5 tons.
An update for the model arrived in 1960, cleaning the lines though still being strictly utilitarian. Mechanically, there was much improvement; the vehicle had increased in every dimension, and a more substantial feel was achieved. Improvements that echoed those of the 1960 Cedric, the platform’s donor.
The new Cedric-based chassis meant the ’60 Junior had a more ‘car-like’ feel, thanks to an independent suspension up front. Being a truck, the rear suspension had stiffer springing. Meanwhile, the interior offered bench seating for three, and other minor trim upgrades that made life upfront easier. Engine choices now included 1.5, 1.9, and 2.0 L displacements, while a 2.2 diesel arrived in ’64. Small updates in trim and more engines would arrive in ’66 and ’68.
So these early Datsun Pickups and Juniors arrived in this region to perform hard work. That they did, and still do; like this model I found by the loading area around one of San Salvador’s markets. No rest for the elderly in this nation.
And this one, despite all the years of tough labor in El Salvador, still looks quite together. Far from pristine for sure, but identifiable as what it once was.
The grille is what marks this particular Junior as a ’68-’70 model, as that was one of the few exterior refreshes on the 2nd. gen.
Elsewhere in this shot, you may notice an odd Hyundai Accent on the left of the photo with one half painted white and the other black (?). Gosh… the locals never cease to amaze me.
The Junior went to a rather lengthy and healthy life, with the third generation of ’71 being the most common. That generation having a stacked headlight arrangement that to many looks Pontiac-like (though inspired by an earlier Nissan Cedric).
That third gen. Junior has proved to be everlasting, with new ones coming out of assembly lines in Iran to this day. But as can be seen, remnants of its early hardworking roots can still be found, still hard at work.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: ’70-’82 Nissan Junior – Coffee Picking Season
Interesting hybrid of Ford styling. It’s a ’58 Falcon100!