The Datsun 1200 and Toyota Corolla were Japan’s entrants in America’s economy car arms race of the early 1970’s. VW’s Beetle had long ruled the economy car sales mountain, but the Japanese were quick learners, and they had their sights set on American sales.
Although the Beetle’s sales were down, it was still selling over 331,000 cars annually. Its days appeared numbered though, as it was increasingly viewed as a car of the past, not of the future. The Ford Pinto and Chevy Vega were proffered by US manufacturers as just the thing to beat back the foreign invasion.
In an increasingly broughamtastic world, Datsun offered a set of fraternal twin sister models to Americans looking to save some cash at purchase and at the fuel pump.
The year was 1977, and my friend Dan was starting his third year of college. His younger sister (my girlfriend and future wife) was set to join him, and they needed a dependable car while away at school. It was 96 miles from their home in Riverside, CA to the college in Thousand Oaks, so good old American iron didn’t seem like a great idea in a time of high gas prices. The Vega had already been exposed as a Deadly Sin, and the Pinto was gaining a reputation as “the BBQ that seats four”.
Japanese cars were a far larger part of the automotive landscape in Southern California than elsewhere in the country. American manufacturers seemed to view economy cars as penalty boxes designed to provide transportation until you could afford to better yourself and move up to a “real” car. Japanese manufacturers however, viewed small cars as good cars on their own, just at a smaller scale.
Datsun had developed a good reputation with its 510 and 240Z models, and its 1200 Coupe looked like a late 60’s Mustang fastback that had shrunk 20% in the wash. Its sexy proportions looked just right to my eye, with no wasted origami lines as seen on its B210 replacement. Its butterscotch color was typical of the era – something that you don’t see much of today in the land of black, grey and white.
When we talk about that shrunk scale, it interesting to contrast the 1200 with a contemporary Ford Pinto. The 1200 Coupe was 150.8 inches long, 58.9 inches wide and weighed 1,630 pounds. The 1971 Pinto, the lightest and shortest of the series, was 163 inches long, 69.8 inches wide (!), and 2,015 pounds. Different strokes for different folks, but Ford and Datsun obviously had different visions of what a small car should be.
The interior was comfortable for two, and passable for four if the two students in the back hadn’t brought their legs with them to college. The interior materials were early 70’s black vinyl, but everything was screwed together well and didn’t make you feel like a cheapskate driving a second rate car.
Looking at the back seat, note that the seat folded down in the 1200 Coupe, creating a long loading area for college moves or cozy sleeping for two people on long college treks. This sexy Flight Attendant sister definitely had some tricks up her sleeve!
The dash sported three round pods for real gauges, an AM radio, carpet on the floor and a slick shifting four speed that fell readily to hand.
The 1200cc A series engine was about as honest and sweet of a powerplant as you could get. It too looked like 2/3 of a Chevy six cylinder that had also been shrunk in the wash. It had five main bearings for longevity and overhead valves for simplicity. 69 horsepower came at 6,000 rpm, and redline was 6,400 rpm, so it loved to rev – a marked contrast to the Vega’s peak power at 4,400 rpm – and the Vega had an overhead cam! These A series engines were also remarkably tough, perfect for non-attentive college students.
The four speed transmission shifted easily and accurately, allowing its driver to take full advantage of the little engine’s willingness to rev. The car’s low weight, light clutch and low shifting effort also made this the perfect car for a new driver to learn to drive a manual transmission.
The Datsun’s suspension was conventional, with Macpherson struts up front and a live rear axle with leaf springs out back. The ride was certainly not as smooth as the typical malaise era luxo-barge, but the flip side was that the car was fun to drive and loved being tossed through corners. Top speed was a little over 90 mph, and you really had to work to get less than 30 mpg in daily driving. Reasonable highway speeds could easily return in excess of 40 mpg.
The 1200 was also conventional in design and execution, no front wheel drive or fancy overhead cams for this one, but it was rock solid in its reliability and fuel economy. It was as honest as a car could be with excellent fit and finish – something that could rarely be said for contemporary American cars with their famous “beer cans left in doors” assembly quality. Long after the kids left college, the little 1200 stayed with the parents for a number of years, providing dependable and frugal service.
The Datsun 1200 competed directly with the Toyota Corolla, and both were very similar in many details. The Datsun was considered a bit sportier and to handle better, and the Toyota to ride a bit better, but both were excellent choices and above most of the competition. Toyota eventually realized that ‘Mericans always wanted “MORE POWER!”, so they dropped a larger engine into their Corolla (with 45% more power than the Datsun) and became the performance economy car. Datsun followed the 1200 with the bizarrely styled (to my eyes) B210 with a 1,288 or 1,397 cc version of the A series engine, which gave great economy, but was no match for Toyota’s superb 1,588 cc Corolla in the power department.
Non stock wheels and exhaust, but this angle shows off the 2/3 of a Mustang styling
The little Datsun racked up the miles as it went between college and home, college and spring break, college and friend’s families and all points in between. As 55 mph was the national speed limit, it could cruise at any reasonable speed for hours at a time without breaking a sweat. Being college age, any highway noise simply gave the driver and passengers even more reason to turn up the radio and sing along.
Oh, and today when we’re used to 15 or even 17 inch wheels on “economy” cars, the Datsun used 155SR-12 tires and wheels. I’m out of the fatherhood age, but I believe that this 12″ size wheel is still used on many baby strollers, so nothing has gone to waste.
In 1979, Dan was graduating and my now fiancé needed her own set of wheels. The little 1200 had been a great car, so what could I do for an encore?
Since this was still the dark ages (pre-interwebs), I scoured the LA Times, Auto Trader and Thrifty Nickle newspapers for a suitable replacement. I wasn’t interested in the newer B210, as its science fiction styling was a little too out there. After a few weeks of searching, I found an interesting ad – “1971 Datsun 1200, needs work, $750”. I drove out to the address provided and found a blue 1200 Sedan, not a Coupe, sitting forlornly in an apartment parking garage.
Its body was in good condition with heavily oxidized paint, and the owner said that their mechanic had diagnosed that it needed a new engine. In starting the engine it was definitely missing a cylinder, but otherwise appeared to be serviceable. We negotiated to $600, cash changed hands, and we arranged a time for my Dad and I to return with his truck and a towbar to retrieve this lonely, sad looking little car.
Taking the car to a friend’s house (who graciously let me use his garage for car projects), I pulled the engine to see what I had. The engine was actually in good shape, but something had definitely happened to the rings on the #4 cylinder. New rings, new gaskets, new clutch (while I was in there anyway) and everything was back purring the way it should be. Some rubbing compound made the single stage paint shine again, and in quick order the 1200 was smiling and ready for service.
The Sedan was the more practical, less sexy sibling to the Coupe. Where the Coupe was sleek and sporty, the Sedan was upright and straight laced, the practical librarian versus the flight attendant sister. The cars had the same engine, transmission, suspension and tires, but the body panels and dash were different given their different target markets. The windshield was also different, as the Sedan had more headroom and greater total height for greater comfort. The trunk was larger on the Sedan but the rear seat did not fold down, so long loads weren’t welcome.
Although just the Coupe and Sedan made their way to the US, Japan had a full range of vehicles with a Coupe, Sedan, 4 door Sedan, 2 door Station Wagon, 4 door station wagon and even a pickup truck. The 4 door and station wagons looked just like their 510 siblings, just at 7/8’s scale. These other models were also available in non-US countries throughout the world.
The Sedan was a fun little runabout, and my fiancé considered it to be just the right size to drive – much preferable to the Dodge D-200 truck that she had learned to drive on. The Sedan was also not nearly as tall as that D-200 & Camper combination, so she never had to worry about running into the McDonalds drive-thru overhang – repeatedly – as she was known to do when taking her younger siblings in the camper.
For all of the front wheel drive, space efficient cars that would come later, the 1200 Flight Attendant Coupe & Librarian Sedan did everything one could reasonably ask of them without complaint. They provided dependable service and got excellent gas mileage right through the day they were sold years later. A small pickup would be pretty handy in 1983 to help fixing up our first house, and my wife was good with making the switch.
But that’s a story for another COAL…
I still to this day, miss my 1970 Toyota Corona Mark II hardtop. What a cool car. And more power than a Datsun 510.
Ah, and that brings back memories of my friend’s family that had two of the Mark II’s. On that car, the accelerator came in the passenger side firewall and levered a rod that went across to the driver’s side (US version of course). As a passenger, I discovered that I could use one foot to work the lever and overpower the accelerator. Now, mind you, we’re both in high school, so when he’s trying to accelerate on the freeway – push the engine to idle. When he’s coming to a stop or entering a corner – floor the accelerator. I’m not sure how many other early Japanese cars might have been like that, but those Mark II’s were highly entertaining!
The 1200 sedan brings back memories of my autocross days, with a buddy running a stock orange model with a duplicate of the suspension that had been used to win at Road Atlanta the previous year. Maybe an inch of ground clearance, and rock hard to the point that you felt every grasshopper you drove over.
He wasn’t much of a driver, but his car technologically outclassed everyone else in C-sedan that he was virtually unbeatable (and hated). Until the day that a guy showed up in a bone stock Mini and shut him down. Said driver didn’t have to buy any of his own drinks at the bar after the day was done.
I miss basic simple cars like this. I loved your bit about $600 for a used one with a bad engine in 1979. I bought my fully functional 71 Plymouth Scamp from a dealer in 1980 for just a little more than that, so you show how these things held onto their value fabulously. A guy could have bought a really nice older big gas guzzler for that kind of money.
You make me wonder – if we have had a COAL of someone who owned a Japanese in decent condition from the 70s that was a POS money pit, I can’t remember it. Instead, those stories are all “bought it, it did what it was supposed to do, and then I finally sold/wrecked it”. The US made great car stories, but the Japaneses made great cars. 🙂
If you wanted dependable transportation back then, it was hard to go wrong with a Japanese car. The one strike that I can think of was that rust proofing wasn’t great if you were in a liberal salt area. California didn’t have that, so Japanese cars really kept their value – even with a bad engine.
And working on the car was stone simple, “a place for everything and everything in its place” if you will. I think that 90% of the car could be disassembled and reassembled with a screwdriver, 10mm and 13mm wrenches. Certainly simpler if somewhat noisier times.
They werent that great. Overhyped overpriced rust buckets. They were a lot more fun to drive because they were lighter, handled better, shifted quicker, and the engines revved quicker. But for durability a heavier American six banger such as a Dodge Dart, Rambler, or AMC Hornet was the way to go. Better yet a basic shortbox full sized 2wd american pickup was virtually unkillable and infinitely repairable.
Besides the thin sheetmetal prone to rusting, the other issue with those early Japanese cars was replacement parts. While it’s true that the parts themselves lasted substantially longer than their domestic counterparts, when they did let go or wear out, they were expensive and hard to get. Until much later when the manufacturers began sourcing parts, from more cost-effective areas, even routine items like oil filters were a problem, i.e., you could only get them from the dealer, and enormous price-gouging and mark-up was the order of the day.
But even worse was, most times, you couldn’t get the individual part that wore out, but had to buy and replace an entire assembly. A simple plastic bushing might be all that was needed, but you couldn’t get it by itself.
This may have been a regional difference, as Datsuns had been imported into Southern California since the late 1950’s. By the 70’s dealers and parts were common out there – very different than some other parts of the country. In the 70’s I rebuilt this Datsun 1200 engine, as well as a Toyota 18R and Dodge Colt (Mitsubishi) engine and didn’t visit a dealer for any parts.
“you couldn’t get the individual part that wore out, but had to buy and replace an entire assembly. A simple plastic bushing might be all that was needed, but you couldn’t get it by itself.”
Friend of mine had a ~10 year old Subaru. It had an electronically-controlled transmission via solenoids. GM does the same thing with their transmissions, starting in ’92 or so.
One of his solenoids dies. Trans won’t shift properly. On a GM, you buy the solenoid ($30–$60) each, and you drop the pan, replace the solenoid, maybe the trans filter, and replace the fluid.
On the Subaru, you can’t buy the solenoid. You buy a complete trans valve body. $750.
Not quite ‘70’s, but my ‘81 Datsun pickup blew a head gasket and then the transmission in well under 100K miles, and I remember a few friends with 510’s and 210’s that weren’t paragons of reliability. But certainly better than Vega’s and Pinto’s.
70’s Japanese cars weren’t that durable, which is why by the early 80’s, at least on the west coast, every city had at least one if not multiple places selling “low mileage, imported from Japan” used engines.
I also did way too many head gaskets on CVCC Hondas and Datsun L-series engines, in the early 80’s.
“…if we have had a COAL of someone who owned a Japanese in decent condition from the 70s that was a POS money pit, I can’t remember it.”
How about 1980?
Bought an ’80 Honda Civic 1300 hatchback in ’82. Paid somewhere over $4K.
Seatbelts failed to retract–NHTSA did a dirty deal with Honda, owners of faulty seatbelts were screwed. Honda promised to put a “lifetime warranty” on future seatbelts (but NO warranty on the already-failed units!)
Engine blew in 1985, at 58K miles, at 70 mph in 5th gear. In February. Three miles from the nearest town. In below-zero weather. At midnight. Eventually discovered that #3 connecting rod tried to escape through the oil filter area of the block. The only connecting rod I’ve ever held in my hand that broke (4 pieces!) WITHOUT breaking the rod bolts. All the main bearings, along with the other three rod bearings, looked like new–the failure wasn’t due to improper maintenance/oil changes/oil level. #3 rod bearing burnt black, overlapped, (spun) and sharp enough to shave with. Crank was totaled along with the block.
As time went on, the body developed rust holes big enough to push a cat through. The friggin’ VALVE COVER rusted through, I had to patch it with epoxy to keep the oil in.
Honda Junk. Never again.
Our family had eight or so rental Corollas in a row as we were in L.A. on a temporary work transfer at this same time (a new Hertz rental every month), those Corollas took us all over the western US on weekends and holidays. While small-ish, they were perfectly fine for my parents and us two boys (6 and 8 at the time) and seemed rugged and powerful enough for the time. I can’t imagine the Datsuns were any worse and you’re right, those two body styles, though so similar, couldn’t come across as more different. Great cars for the era.
Great looking small cars for the era. Datsun chose some very basic primary exterior colours for these, that I thought cheapened their looks. Their styling was elegant enough, to look good in silver, or light metallic blues.
As a member of a Part of the rest of the world, I can report that this Part was not infected with the 2-door sedan version in period.
Despite this merciful reprieve, all other types descended in numbers equalled only by the plagues of locusts in the Bible, and which further included pickups (or utes) to the list above. And in a typically malign twist of history in a world where a God can do such things, they were not easily killed.
By that, I tell you this by way of illustration: they conducted nuclear tests in the outback of South Australia here. The Datsuns present in that remote and forbidding place – at ground zero, no less – are still in use today as the local taxis. One has some slight burn marks and uses a little oil. Also, the radio is reported not to get all stations.
In all other parts of hereabouts, approximately 20,001 of the 19,000 originally imported are still running – even the ones buried in the local garbage dumps.
This is despite the fact that, though they were indeed not made with beer cans in the doors, the doors themselves and all other parts were made FROM such cans, some of them still with the Sapporo in them (accounting for the subsequent rust, I suppose). This, despite them being well-known to be largely powered by a gigantic and collective Datsun employee fart, compressed for export into the (hidden) gas reservoir (thus giving the false impression for years of spectacular economy, though also accounting for the awful pong they emitted). This, despite the gasping, parping sound they made, which awfulness has been banned in civilised countries ever since, this despite the seats of plastic torture, this despite the room of Those Who Steer With Knees interior, itself made of recycled Essence Of Glue, and this, despite the fact that they were sold new with an installed fear of corners or steering in a straight line, and a bouncing jouncing chiropractor-sponsored system of riding bumps called a “ride”.
I am given to understand that in other Parts these were largely eaten by the standard-fitment rust, but, alas, in this Part, there was never quite enough rust to go around, accounting in part for the obscene levels of its current existence.
Apart from these few minor quibbles, they were quite a nice little car, with the coupe a very decent-looking entrant in the field, and I share your enthusiasm, especially as I hear credible reports that at least 70% of the remainders here will be gone by 2079.
Datsun’s early ’70s lineup–1200, 510, 240Z, small pick-up. Has any auto manufacturer, ever, had such an awesome set of choices with no clunkers or ho-hum cars in the mix? And this with very little prior presence in the U.S., and only the Datsun Roadster, which was another winner, with any visibility in the auto marketplace before these cars came on the scene. Datsun’s quick slide to mediocrity, as Honda stepped up with the Civic and Accord, was one of the biggest automotive face-plants ever, given the product line and image that Datsun had created for itself in just a few years. Ridding themselves of the “Datsun” name brand a few years later, in favor of “Nissan”, sort of framed up the debacle nicely.
I agree on Datsun’s early 70’s product line-up. Everything was a sporty drive for their respective segments, and they provided a real counterpoint to Toyota.
Unfortunately, someone introduced their designers to hallucinogenics (see B210, F10) and fed their engineers weed so it seemed like they were just phoning it in at times (610,710). Their pickups were spared the mind altering substances (a story for a future COAL) but…I don’t remember another manufacturer taking such a hard turn as Datsun/Nissan did.
I drove one of these back in 1979 that had been from NJ. The floor board had rust holes that allowed the front tire to sling water into the cabin drivers side during rain storms.
During those episodes I would scoot as far to the right as possible to stay dry.
Ah, the self-washing interior option. I hear that was very popular on the east coast…
When I was starting high school, my older sister’s friend as well as her sister both got two of the fastbacks brand new for the start of their senior and college freshman years respectively. They were the first Datsuns in our little cowtown hamlet. I recall still seeing them in action 7-8 years later, which is pretty remarkable due to our heavily salted winter roads.
I’ve always liked Datsuns/Nissans. Simple, robust vehicles. I can’t predict how our new Rogue will do (I assume well), but my ’88 SE-V6 Hardbody went 11 years and 280k miles for me before I sold it for $2500 when I got a new vehicle (needed 4 doors and airbags for the baby). Otherwise I’d still probably be driving that thing.
For what ever reason the coupe was the most popular version around here. A guy I knew in HS got one as a hand me down from his grandmother. It was pristine and he added some stripes and slot mags.
Unfortunately he was a bit of an outcast/nerd being into punk rock and being a photographer for the school paper and year book.
For what reason I don’t know but someone or some people decided to take a bat to it and dented every body panel, broke out windows, tail lights ect. Of course everyone was pretty sure who did it, but nothing came of it.
Of course he got the last laugh going on to be a renowned photographer.
Nice! I drove my ’72 sedan “deluxe” for a year in 2009/10. Gobs of fun, a clutch job and first, very iffy, experiments with the MIG-welder. Served me well for commuting and ferrying myself and three friends to every open air festival in Bavaria that summer. Lively enough to keep up with german traffic and enjoy twisty b-roads (that without passengers and too much gear, mind you). Nothing I did could alter the fuel consumption from 7,5l/100km.
The tiny mill exuded willingness to run forever and sweetly at that, so the flatulent sound made in the process (exhaust manifold gasket was the main culprit) was easy to live with.
When time came for tech inspection, the percentage of actual, solid sheet metal in its body proved insufficient and into my mother’s second garage it went, which it finally had to leave when the house was sold, being picked up by some guys hoping to flip it. Great memories!
My grade 3 teacher In the early ‘70’s had a blue Sport Coupe, and I thought it was a neat little car. Years later in Grade 12, one of the guys at my high school bought the identical car, and it was in pretty nice shape for a 10 year old Japanese car in Ontario. I don’t know if it was my teacher’s old car, but it held up well considering how he drove. The car was an automatic, but he’d shift it manually and let it wind out in every gear. Good times.
In the early 1970s my mother and a friend of hers took a road trip in her friend’s Datsun 1200. Friend was pleased, and my mother was impressed, that it got 42 mpg.
In Australia,the 1200 Ute,or pickup was highly regarded,and was on sale here until 1984,in South Africa,it gained a 1.4 litre engine,and a 5-speed gearbox,and was for years South Africa’s top selling. Small pickup,until it went out of production in 2008.
These cars were a revelation in Britain. They looked just like our cars and had very similar simple technology, but everything else was different. I’d never driven a car with such a delighfully light clutch and slick gearchange, and a little ohv 4 pot that revved to the heavens. Pity about the rust, they were paper thin.
They did a van version too which had a very useful fold up rear seat.
One with 125000 and another with 250000 miles. Nuff said!