On the rare occasion when I’ve seen a Datsun sports car such as this one, I usually mistake it for an MGB for a few seconds, before realizing it’s a Datsun. And that was the point of Datsun’s sports car. Brought into production to take advantage of the burgeoning 1960s sports car market, Japan’s largest vehicle manufacturer aimed this car squarely at the European competition. While largely derivative, these Datsuns had their own unique characteristics, and tended to be more reliable than many of the Europeans as well. This particular car is an unusual example from the 1600’s last production year of 1970.
Officially known as the Datsun Sports 1600, many people call it by its home-market name of Fairlady. Power was supplied by a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 96-horsepower – a competitive, but not outstanding engine for its cohort of sports cars. Build quality was generally viewed as superior to most of the 1600’s European competitors, and the engine and transmission were considered quite durable. However the suspension was harsh even by sports car standards, and not nearly as responsive as other roadsters. This last point probably held sales back quite a bit, as did buyers’ general reluctance to consider Japanese cars in the 1960s. Still, the Datsun held its own against some very entrenched competition.
Stylistically, the car’s profile heavily resembles an MGB, but with a grille more invoking a Triumph TR3 or Fiat 1200. It’s a pleasant and clean design, with varied elements blending seamlessly together. The most distinctive elements are the round taillights protruding from a sloping trunk lid – it resembles an Italian design… or a 1954 Buick Roadmaster in 3/8 scale!
As with most small cars of its era, the advent of US safety regulations took their toll. In addition to the huge headrests and various reflectors seen on this car, Datsun increased the 1600’s windshield height by 2 inches. Although the top-down appearance is relatively unaffected, with the top up, these later US-market cars have a curious mushroom shape to them. Taller drivers, however, benefit from the added headroom.
About 23,600 Datsun 1600s were sold in the US from 1965 to 1970 (additionally, 15,700 of the visually similar but higher-powered 2000s were sold stateside as well). But Datsun never pursued the roadster market after 1970.
Just months after this car was produced, Datsun introduced its successor, the 240-Z, and went in a completely new direction. With that, the 1600 was quickly overshadowed by the 240-Z and then faded into our collective sports car memory. But it’s an interesting example of an often-overlooked piece of sports car history.
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1967 Datsun Sports 1600
Smart little roadster. It looks very ‘Michelotti’ in it’s detail.
It really is. If around 1963–64 Standard-Triumph had hired Michelotti to develop a single sports car to replace both the Spitfire and TR4, this is probably about what such a car would have looked like.
Its short length vs. height (cf. MGB) & rounded lines might be why my high-school friend described these as “gay;” maybe “cartoonish” is more to the point, in the mode of Disney’s Toontown.
While I was one of those “car nuts” who would shun any and all cars from Japan for several years, it’s ironic that one of the biggest reasons for AVOIDING anything Japanese would turn around and become the main reason why folks would buy a Japanese car…..their reliability. (After WW II, anything Japanese was automatically considered to be junk….about like how anything Chinese is considered to be today.)
Irony is, even during WW2, there was evidence for Japanese craftsmanship when the US recovered a crashed A6M in the Aleutians (the “Akutan Zero”). The analysis said its airframe was “built like a fine watch,” with flush rivets which at the time was atypical for American types.
Naturally, Japan’s postwar economy was so trashed they had to almost start from zero (pun intended), making cheap stuff like tin toys which are now collectors’ items.
Chinese goods are getting better to the point where I cannot assume they’re of poor quality anymore. And I have doubts that American good are any better, because of relentless pressure to reduce retail prices in the face of inflation.
The thing about stuff made in China is a lot of it is manufactured to a price point. If Walmart wants a desk lamp to sell for $19.95 they will make it that way. Really it’s the consumers fault because price is the most important point to most shoppers. We sell Brembo brake rotors, very high quality parts, but they are not cheap to buy or manufacturer but their are some customers that don’t worry about price.
The first Japanese car that didn’t look Japanese. A reliable British sports car, what can go wrong with this idea? Right car, wrong time as the Miata would later prove. I always liked these. The tall windshield is really needed for the big guy driving this example. But the 240Z proved to be the right car at the right time.
Interestingly these used a direct copy of BMC’s ‘B’ series push rod engine .
The engine needed to come out along with the tranny for clutch service making that an expensive repair .
-Nate
Same engine was used in Datsun pickups here well into the late 70s OHC Datsuns had a bad rep but their B series clone was quite good.
This push rod engine was made into 1992 that I know of , as a Forklift / APU engine ~ the smarter (maybe luckier) MG enthusiasts would seek out the cylinder heads as they weren’t crack prone like the original BMC ‘B’ series heads were , have far better quality control too .
I foolishly didn’t buy a Datsun Roadtster with a stuck engine from one of those charity car places ,it had the original keys (with cool lion on them) factory shop manual and so on all covered in mouse poop .
FWIW ; I’ve had two PL620 Datsun pickups , one was a ’72 with an early 5 speed box fitted , it was a good little trucklet . the other was a ’78 I was sand bagged with at an auction , one owner not many miles , slush box tranny , it was a turd . both had the OHC engine , the 1600 was problem free , the ’78 blew head gaskets , ran hot and had little power .
-Nate
Neat little cars, and they do look like fun. Of course, with my 6’1 245lb chassis, I think it would take some butter and a big shoehorn to miracle myself into it…
This body style was introduced at the Tokyo Auto Show in 1961 and was produced for a worldwide market from 1962-1970 in both Left Hand Drive and Right Hand Drive configurations.
There were three engine varieties in the time frame, the original pushrod 1500 from 1962-65, the OHV 1600 from 1966-70, and, sold concurrently, the overhead cam 2000 from 1967-70.
The premium 2000 engine, with stock horsepower of either 135hp or 150hp, was accompanied by a 5-speed gearbox, instead of the 4-speed that came with the pushrod engines.
Two years ago, I had the great pleasure of hosting a short visit by a gentleman who made a 38,000 mile, months-long tour of North America in his 1967 1600.
Scott Fisher’s car is on the right during a photo op we staged at Annapolis, Maryland, not far from Washington DC where author “Eric703” spotted the car featured in his story.
Scott’s story is at http://roadsterroadtrip.com/
The website linked when you click my name is for owners and fans of Datsun’s convertible sports cars.
Wow — what an amazing story about his trip! That’ll provide good reading for me for quite some time to come. Thanks for sharing it.
Nice! Love articles on small, open air two seaters. Especially those well taken care of or restored. Datsun, Toyota, Triumph, MG, Fiat… all worthy classics. Some “resto-mods”, i.e. MG with V6 and V8 are downright awe inspiring!
I haven’t seen one of these in years. Great find! The one thing that stands out in my mind about these little roadsters is that some of them were actually 3-seaters, with the third seat facing sideways, behind the other two. Interesting idea, but there wasn’t a lot of headroom for the sideways guy if the top was up. Quite a bit if the top was down…
Yes, the earlier models had the 3rd sideways seat. It was done away with when the car was freshened for 1966 or 1967 (can’t remember which, off-hand).
That seat must have been awkward to sit it, and probably wasn’t too popular — it was a clever idea, but Datsun was quick to get rid of it. Another improvement at that time was that the cars got a proper folding top, since the earlier models had a fold-and-put-in-trunk top that wasn’t exactly easy to deal with. I suspect that the folding top arrangement got in the way of the 3rd seat in any event, so that likely sealed its fate.
Navy friend had a 2000 in 1970. Huge amount of fun. I am afraid it did not exactly inspire responsible behavior however.
I knew two people who owned these Datsuns in the early 70’s, one a 1600 the other a 2000. I always thought they were a sports car in the English tradition and were in some ways a better copy. At least they weren’t haunted by “Lucas, the Prince of Darkness”.
Nicest from the rear. Don’t like aftermarket wheels on these for some reason.
I was actually going to comment that I thought the Panasport wheels worked quite well on it. Different strokes and all. 🙂
Agreed. Fwiw I never liked the dog dish wheel covers on British roadsters like the early Sprites, but on this particular car I really prefer the clean look of the simple chrome covers with those whitewalls. Just works somehow.
I’d never seen one (at least to remember) until I saw one at a car show in 2014.
There’s a ot of MGB and Midget in the style, but somehow it’s a bit busier and less tidy than the MGs.
Is it just the light or are the rear wing profiles less pronounced on the cars in the advertisements?
Careful photography they do stand out though, there are one or two about locally amongst a sea of MGBs that still ply the roads here.
Great shots of a beautiful car. I’m sold – I like this. Great to see this one in action on the streets of DC (?).
That’s actually me! I’m the driver in the top photo, and photo #3! I’d just driven the little 1600 cross-country from Seattle to deliver it to my cousin in D.C. and it never gave me any trouble. Just a fun, joy-filled little adventure, top down the entire time, with people smiling and waving from coast-to-coast. I sort of doubt there’s a funner car out there! Great article! (here’s that exact car in Washington State – I talked the barista who made my latte into posing with it 🙂
Great story (and picture!). I figured there must be an interesting story regarding a 45-year old car with license plates from 3,000 miles away, so thanks for filling in the details. It’s great to see older cars being driven on such a trip – in fact I really enjoyed reading about the cross-country trip in a 1600 mentioned in one of the comments above.
Thanks for sharing! And if the car is still in the DC area, I’ll keep my eye out for it.