Photo by riveranotario from the Cohort
Colors, much like spices, are a personal choice, adding much needed variety to our lives. And just like spices, colors create a number of reactions not as unrelated as we might think. From bland delight (vanilla anyone?) to tasty joy, depending on our preferences. And regardless of spice, moderation is always needed, for when we least expect it we can choke.
Choke! Almost my dad’s reaction as he approached our house’s garage that late afternoon 1979. He definitely scoffed, that I am sure. Then a shaking of the head while swiftly moving past us, into the house. We remained outside at the garage’s entrance while washing our new car. He just walked passed us right into the house? Wasn’t this to be a moment of triumph? A brand new vehicle in the front porch, bought that same afternoon by Mom without his knowing. Yes, a new car. A gleaming, and eye-searing not-quite-radioactive-lemon-green 1978 Datsun F10.
And yes, I can understand his reaction. For I can still feel to this day my eyes watering just thinking about that car’s pungent color seasoning.
Image from the web. Color and wheels digitally altered to match the author’s memory.
The aesthetically malformed Datsun F10 2nd generation became part of our lives on an impulsive whim of my mother. A car that has made the pages of this site for all the wrong reasons (further links at bottom) was now ours for the next few years. And to think that just a few hours before it had been all excitement, me and my brother, led by our mother on a secret mission to purchase a new car. And to arrive at the dealer, and see those shiny 1979 Datsun B-210’s in line, all with styling echoes of Nissan’s greatest hit, the 510. Where did our venture go wrong?
Almost the image (off by a year) of what greeted us at the Datsun dealer in late 1979. Rows of B210’s waiting for new buyers.
In our house, unusual as it may seem, father either not cared, or was too content riding public transit, never bothering to learn the pleasures of motoring. Instead, he spent his whole life as a plain pedestrian. So mother was the one that took to the wheel, and from an early age. That in a time of still flaky quality control; the early 60’s.
And mother took much pride in the independence this brought her, even though her sense of direction was non-existent and never dared to push any motor above 35mph (Really). Still, she was the one that took the family places, at a snail’s pace, yes, but still… places!
And the cars before my birth were sort of a legend in her speak. The Chevy she learned to drive on which ended up in a ditch. The Hillman whose pieces basically fell on the road as she drove. A secondhand Opel that barely lasted a year in her possession. The Comet with an oil leak never to be fixed. Quality just had a different meaning at the time, and she was one of the many recently liberated women the Japanese discovered. For these many liberated women loathed getting soaked with oil and loathed unreliable and flimsy parts that cracked and fell on the road. Getting stranded on the road wasn’t some curious anecdote in the making to be told among friends while gushing in copious amounts of lager. Nope, my mother had kids to take care of, places to go, house chores to do.
And this is where Nissan, aka Datsun, came in. And so did I.
The author falls in love with Datsun’s 1200 fastback.
The 510 and the 1200 were new arrivals in the Puerto Rican marketplace around the time of my birth, with decent styling and more importantly, reliability. The tropical island was populated by large Detroit vehicles that took in too much gas and small Euro cars that overheated and fell apart. Nissan –aka Datsun- and Toyota arrived, being the right size for our roads, and more positively, they didn’t melt under the sun like European vehicles. On my childish book of preferences, Datsuns had the edge. The fastback 1200 coupe looked rather neat, and the 510 had sporty ads on magazines. And we’re not even counting the 240z. A mythical beast at my tender age only found in printed ads.
In the hands of a five year old the image of nicely lit 240z on a Reader’s Digest leaves indelible marks. Who makes a car like that? Only Camaros and Mustangs are better, and I had seen those! The 240z was just that, an image. An image of the coolest company in the world (In my kiddie eyes, of course, only rivaling GM, of course! But let’s not even get into that this time).
The stuff of childhood dreams. Nissan’s sporty image.
Yes, Nissan, Japan’s perennial number 2, whose vehicles still went by the name of Datsun. How was I, a 5-year-old kid, to know that the image was nothing but a mirage? A temporary illusion that not even Nissan executives seemed to believe in.
There are plans, and there are reactions. And being number 2 generally creates more of the latter. While those that achieve bronze seem happy to barely make the podium, silver always knows they could have gone full gold, with a bit of more effort, or luck. Some elusive quality had robbed their chance.
Japan’s market and the consolidation of their industries in the late 19th and early 20th century is a world away from our understanding. A mix of centuries of isolation mixed with a push to modernize must have made for interesting developments in a stratified society like Japan’s.
Datsun 14, 1935. Nissan’s early days.
The schemes to conform Japan’s industrial elite must have taken an intricate set of alliances and acquisitions, even putting to shame those of the Borgias and Medicis. Families with feudal nobility and with enough riches to commence industrial endeavors allied with prefect governments, in a tangle so woven that casual sleuths need not apply. Nissan’s consolidation reads just like that, and without the aid of graphs, it’s impossible to make sense of the whole thing. If one is to trust Wikipedia, there were about 5-6 main companies that gobbled each other, evolving into a new entity: Nissan’s nascent days. If one is also to believe Wikipedia, one of the companies that Nissan can claim as its progenitor happens to be Japan’s first auto manufacturer.
Through these alliances, Nissan became one of Japan’s major corporate entities. And along with many other Japanese endeavors, with the nation in rumbles after the loss of WWII, they took to industry and export with the same zeal they had devoted to their military pursuits. Kamikaze anyone?
Yes Kamikaze, indeed. Those first Japanese imports were nothing but DOA’s. Toyota had the good thinking of pulling out before the brand was tainted. Meanwhile, the rest, quickly sensing defeat, sent some Samurai-minded kamikaze employees with the mission to live in the West, the destiny markets, and provide feedback to their production lines. Well, that was the general idea. It is also said it was a good way to rid of those who didn’t quite fit the sedentary attitudes of the corporations they were working for. Apparently, Nissan’s Mr. K was such a soul.
Mr. K, in search of a place to fit in.
Two events take place here, first Mr. K., aka Mr. Yutaka Katayama, an outcast executive in his native land, was sent by Nissan to the US in the early ’60s, to find out what the Yanks enjoyed. And then, the acquisition of Prince Motors by mid-decade.
And so, Mr. K., on his American tour of duty, brought the notion to Yokohama of sportier motors and suspensions. Then, to change the Fairlady name on the new Datsun roadster (But we love Audrey? Don’t Americans do too?). Does the guy know what he’s doing? Oh well, there was nothing to lose!
And what’s that? Prince? A motor company for sale? Sure, why not??
The 60’s was a definitive decade for Nissan. In the US, their products turned sportier, starting with the Roadster and then the 510, a 2002 for the masses (a comparison that would haunt the company for decades). Yearly sales steadily improving. Then the acquisition of Prince Motors of Japan, moved Nissan upmarket and into some advanced engineering. Topping these, a good deal of success in motor racing in the US. This was heritage in the making.
The 510, Nissan’s image of the late 60’s, early 70’s.
One downside though, none of it (besides the increased sales) seemed to have been wished for. What Nissan truly wanted was to be number 1.
Our Datsun F10 was the second generation of Nissan’s Cherry. A project originally developed by Prince Motors before being acquired whole in 1966. With the project falling into their laps, Nissan had to ponder what to do with a front wheel drive vehicle, still a novelty at the time. Some, like Fiat and Austin, had pushed the concept into the mainstream. Others, like Oldsmobile or Cadillac, used this new engineering to portray such vehicles as ‘different’, even ‘advanced’. Nissan opted for this latter approach.
Now, individualistic and extroverted behavior doesn’t come to mind when we think of the Japanese. And when Japan incurs such efforts, it occurs in ways that seem rather peculiar to foreign eyes. The first-generation Cherry was such a vehicle. Appearing in 1970, it peppered the new layout with outlandish detailing that in spite of its transgressions, was to turn worse as the years went by.
Datsun Cherry first gen. Beauty was slipping, but still a few years away from meeting the Beast. Sales figures were not impressive, but still enough to bring on the sequel.
In 1976 our family moved to my dad’s native country, El Salvador. The country was populated by tons of mini trucks and pickups. Almost all vehicles were of Japanese make, and my mom’s first purchase was a brand new, much-recommended, Toyota 1000, or Publica in its home market.
While the Publica was –according to a few websites- not the firestorm seller Toyota had hoped for, you would have never known by looking at San Salvador’s streets. It was ubiquitous, in every single one of its variants, throughout the whole country, and quite a few examples are still found to this day on El Salvador’s streets.
A Toyota 1000 (Publica), still in daily use in San Salvador.
By late 1979 mother had tired of the vehicle, though my dad hadn’t relented on her intent of replacing it. A political event forced the events that followed. In October of that year, El Salvador’s political turmoil was hell-bent on breaking the nation apart. The government was collapsing, political assassinations were constant, and a guerrilla movement was on the ascendance.
One of many measures authorities took to keep the nation’s coffers in order was to curtail the import of goods. Therefore, sales of new vehicles were to cease altogether starting on 1980, and it would remain so until political conditions improved. Alarm bells rang in my mom’s head, the idea of not owning a new vehicle in the near future was just plain unacceptable.
– Kids, get ready, we’re going to the car dealer.
– The car dealer??? Does dad know?
– Why would he need to know?
Excitement, joy followed. What car would we get? A better one, for sure! No doubt! And so, we went…
Nissan’s last batch of B210’s (Aka Datsun 120Y) to enter El Salvador greeted us at the dealer.
The salesman at Datsun’s dealer obviously came to a number of preconceived notions as he saw my mother, a woman in her 30s, coming into the store with two kids… and no husband in sight. Whatever prejudiced notions he came to, they all turned out to be right.
Abruptly snatched away as we approached the glistening row of 1979 Datsun B210s (sedans, coupes, station wagons, and fastbacks!), we were steered towards a deserted solitary vehicle in a neglected corner of the compound. None other than a sole, leftover 1978 Datsun F10 in bright Mopar lemon green was there. What an odd-looking vehicle… this was a Datsun?? (Nissan’s coupes rarely made it to El Salvador and thus, I was shielded from their most outré offerings).
The salesman got into full Blitzkrieg mode, a full onslaught with no mercy! A relentless pounding of cheap salesman lines, one after the other, nonstop. A bombardment desperate in intention executed shoddily but in an unrelenting manner. My brother and I sat helplessly in the back seat as Mom drove around the block during test drive. Words like DISCOUNT, REAL DISCOUNT were repeated over and over, sputtered with machinegun precision over the victim, my mother. Also, some nonsense about the car being PULLED instead of PUSHED by its driving wheels, which was infinitely better (never getting too much into detail, I doubt the salesman got the concept wholly, not that it would matter with mother). Meanwhile, mother kept groaning, like a wounded soldier… ‘But… the color!’ It was painful to watch. Capitulation, I felt, was coming…
Eventually, the fortress fell, the walls came tumbling, as the word DISCOUNT came hitting the same weak spot in the foundation. The deed was done. The Allies in this case surrendered. Papers were signed. While the grownups did their stuff, it was my chance to take in what we had gotten into. Yes, it was a new car… I should be excited, shouldn’t I? But, the shape… and the detailing… Those googly headlight surrounds, the odd matching of chrome and black matte elements, was this luxury or sport? And those hubcaps? Some kind of nasty PVC plastic in black matte finish with flower-like shaping. Mopar styling had gone out for the night, went on a binge of sake drinking and by morning time, realized it had mated with cheap Japanese TV sci-fi props. The only upside, the car was a sedan, not the hideous coupe.
Where it all went wrong. Childhood expectations face the nightmare of reality. And those hubcaps… (image from the web).
In the following years, the car’s color was a never-ending source of discussion, both in family circles and acquaintances. A few basically gasped at the sight of the vehicle, but most kept their composure (facial expressions were always telling, however). Not my mother though, who lost hers after a couple of years, and went on a mission to get the car re-sprayed. Not an easy mission in a country in the midst of guerrilla warfare.
A bit of excitement and hope took over as we started the search for paint shops. She finally managed to get one that satisfied her stingy nature. The car was to be painted a deep metallic green. The color swatches looked good enough. Then again, you get what you pay for… Ineptitude was apparently the garage’s motto. Lack of skills their mantra. The eye searing menace was put to rest and instead, the car got sprayed with the thinnest and dullest layer of lacquer ever applied ‘professionally’ to a vehicle. Orange peel is too kind a term; the car was now in what I can only kindly refer to as ‘lottery-scratcher’ finish. One keychain scratch on the surface and you could have probably won a prize. Mother was furious, arms flailing into the air as she walked away, stewing in fury.
Success is, at times, a hard thing to measure. The car had gone from an embarrassing nuisance to… looking like pure junk. Had we added a few props on that matte finish our F10 could have been Mad Max ready (then again, maybe between my mother and Nissan, they were just foreseeing the current trend of matte and dull finishes). That said, the color never came again in conversation, at least with acquaintances. Success? It was around this time that I met my best friend for life, in 7th grade. His family owned none other than Nissan’s third-generation Cherry (still Datsun 120A in our market), a car that made a good impression of a hunkered down VW Golf –one of my faves of all time. This was a 120A? When did it start to look decent?
My friend’s Datsun 120A (Nissan Cherry 3rd gen) in 1991. Provoking as unlikely as it may seem… envy.
For all the grievances I place upon our poor F10, the engineering was sound. Whatever work Prince and eventually Nissan did on the FWD configuration, it proved to be a reliable one. The proven A12 1200cc engine never giving any upsets. The independent suspension, never put to the test by my mother on those 35mph sprints, did its work well for a family of four. One failed thermostat being the only repair I remember.
While looking a bit into the Cherry’s history for this piece, a few general discoveries: It never sold too well on its native market (too outré even for the Japanese?). Reliability was commendable as with most Nissans. On the search for photos, there appear to be more survivors in Eastern Europe and the UK, one can assume it sold better there (Was a working FWD enough novelty to spike curiosity on the Brits?). In full CC mode, I had looked for R&T’s review of the car all over the web just to find it on this site. Not the most glowing consensus, merely considering the car ‘adept’. That said, R&T does mention it got better reviews in the European press.
By 1986 El Salvador’s motor landscape looked like a time capsule of late 70’s Japanese motoring. The civil war was still ongoing. Yet, the government finally allowed a trickle of official imports. We finally parted with the F10 and got a Hyundai Pony pickup (fodder for another day). Not a tear was shed.
In late 1987 my mother, brother and I moved back to Puerto Rico. I was abruptly taken out of my late 70’s motor bubble and the 80’s overloaded my senses for weeks to come as I absorbed all sorts of new sheet metal. Among the many surprises, Datsun was no longer, now revealing its true self, Nissan. Also, their cars were uniformly dull, with styling that could easily be replicated by toddlers with rulers. The 240sx the only exception (in excitement, not the use of rulers), while the 240z, former darling of my dreams, had turned into a frumpy-looking 300z. Also, the Cherry was now Pulsar, and still continued a tradition of funky styling for the make.
Sedate styling was never to be Nissan Cherry’s destiny.
Because for whatever successes Nissan enjoyed in the late 60’s and 70’s they could never escape the curse of being number 2. As Toyota reentered the American market, it must have been incredibly painful for Nissan to watch as Japan’s number 1 stole their thunder away. Falling again into second place, behind their nemesis, in the largest market of the world.
And number twos tend to act in known patterns: occasionally mixing bold innovation and daringly searching for niche markets… or more commonly, a blatant ‘follow the leader’ approach, bringing almost copycat products of whatever number 1 sells. More in the realm of ‘reactions’ than ‘actions’, let alone planning. The identity that was once being defined turned murkier progressively.
‘If Toyota can make dull and reliable, we can sure make reliable and… duller!’ Or so it seemed was the rallying cry at Yokohama’s headquarters.
By the late 80’s, a lineup generally conformed of average-yet-reliable machines was Nissan’s offering. Lacking distinguishing features, Toyota and even Honda took over. Looking on the rearview mirror wondering what had gone wrong the company would take swift turns between exploiting their own legacy (Mr. K’s days were brought into Nissan’s 90’s advertising), to bold actions (the infamous Infinity launch), to blatant capitulation (discarding all sports offerings, selling only family haulers and trucks by the late 90’s). With Nissan on the ropes, the French came to the rescue, and while not a match made in heaven, it’s proven fruitful enough.
I don’t have particular strong sentiments about Nissan’s current crop of cars, nor of the company. Memories, good and bad, are all cemented in the past. One such, as I moved to California in 1990, on the college campus parking lot, one Datsun F10, the coupe version. A hideous thing I didn’t know existed ’til then and that brought haunting visions in my psyche. And as hideous as it was, I had only one thought: at least it wasn’t puke-inducing lemon-yellow green.
And to think that my mother only wished for reliable cars that would keep us away from colorful (no pun intended) anecdotes. May the vanilla gods look upon her with all their blessings.
Related CC reading:
What a great story!
It should be made into a movie.
+1
A co-worker who had one taught her friend’s toddler to exclaim “Nissan Pulsar! Big Mistake!” Her fiance had a Renault Encore. Little wonder the marriage didn’t take.
A delightful tale – isn’t it true that paint color can sometimes be the defining trait of a car. My family was much too conservative to buy such a car, but you could always see them out there.
This story tells me that you have more of them in store for us, and I look forward to them.
One of the best COALs of recent times! A cocktail of personal experiences, political events and automotive history, all stirred up and shook with excellent writing skills!
You made my day at 7:20 am.
Great story; nicely written. The cars of our parent’s lives have much to do with how their car-loving-kids see the automotive world (in good ways and bad).
And yes, after the last of the original Datsun Zs (the 1978 model year was the end) came the bloated (OK, frumpy is a good term) years of trying to be too “American”.
Thanks for the very well written story! These F-10’s were about the ugliest cars I had ever seen in the late 70’s. At least they were reliable, but the styling? I think that they threw every quirky science fiction styling theme they could find on it, rolling it all into one incomprehensible rolling nightmare.
If this had been Nissan’s only styling sin then they may have been more successful in the 1980’s…
Thanks for joining the COAL club! And a terrific first chapter.
The F-10 sedan was never sold in the US, just the coupe and wagon. Presumably because there would have been too much overlap with the B210, which was priced a bit lower.
Great story!
I especially liked this bit “Mopar styling had gone out for the night, went on a binge of sake drinking and by morning time, realized it had mated with cheap Japanese TV sci-fi props.” Just about choked on my coffee! Exactly what I was thinking of so much Nissan styling at the time but had never managed to put into words. Perfect!
Also ‘If Toyota can make dull and reliable, we can sure make reliable and… duller!’ That seemed to sum up early eighties Nissan in a nutshell.
These were strange looking vehicles. Strange but somehow cute. I wouldn’t have minded having one, maybe not that colour though. They started selling this range as the Pulsar in Australia with the following model, your friend’s car, which replaced the Sunny/B210 here. Gradually they built up a following, but Nissan’s glory days really seemed to be behind them by then. They went from “Why would you buy something else?” to “Why would you buy that?”
Whatever is in your mother’s personality, was passed along to you – so there is a little F-10 in your soul. That is a good thing. Just be a bit cautious when choosing an outfit for a formal dinner, remodeling your home, redecorating a room, or anything that could result in that F-10 coming out.
But it is a good thing!
Love that baby picture. Looks like little you giving that 1200 a “thumbs up”.
Thanks for the positive feedback, it encourages me to keep up with the series. Loved sharing this particular one with you all. The F10 was never a beauty, for sure… But it certainly left indelible marks
The F10 and Pulsar were both pretty nifty cars!!
Very enjoyable read – nicely done, Rich!
I first saw a Datsun F-10 in May, 1976. It could not be unseen. I asked a friend his opinion, and he said it just needed triangular headlights to complete the package.
I love that Toyota 1000 Publica. I see traces of the c. 1970 Mazda 1200/R-100 and the 1971 Toyota Corolla.
Yeah, Datsun sure managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory back then. They had solid hits with the 1600/2000 roadster and 1200 sedan and home runs with the PL510 and first gen Z car. Only to follow them with the 610, 710, B210, 310 and, drum roll please, the F10.
I remember seeing them new and wondering who would buy such a thing. Then again, I’ve thought that about more than a few cars over the years. The rest of the car isn’t great, but man that nose with those headlights.
This car might look less fugly with composite headlamps filling out the hexagonal nacelles, thus more strongly tying in with the hexagonal rear lamps.
Someone mentioned the similarity of the rear glass to that of the 1st generation Barracuda. I wonder about the likelihood that the front end was an attempt by Nissan to ape the early sixties pie-plate Mopar nacelles, specifically, those found on the downsized 1962 Plymouth.
And weird, fifties’ B-movie Japanese sci-fi styling lives on to this day. Just look at the 2022 Toyota Prius. Not to mention how Lexus’ hourglass grille sure looks like that of a 1961 Plymouth.
In 1977, you could walk into a Datsun dealership in the US and pick between a B210 Coupe, an F10 Coupe, or a 200SX. I’m still not 100% sure why you’d want to, but I guess it means that some current lineups that are heavy with compact crossover coupes aren’t unprecedentedly silly.
Thanks for sharing this story. I enjoyed reading it and learned a bit too.
Well it was a different time. 2dr small cars were very common. FWD was just gaining traction, so to speak. so it is easy to understand that they would want to hedge their bets, at least initially and keep the RWD B210 around for those who might be turned off by FWD. The 200SX of course was for the buyer looking for something sporty but still small and economical.
Toyota was a little later to the FWD game but they had the RWD Corolla and the FWD Corolla Tercel in showrooms at the same time and had the Celica as the sporty alternative.
We were a Datsun Family (later Nissan)…my middle sister still owns a ’97 240SX coupe she bought new. Between her and my (now deceased) youngest sister they owned 4 240/200 SXs. I had a ’74 710 while in College.
In 1976, we were living in Vermont (2nd time) and my Dad was in the market for a 2nd car. He wanted to get FWD, but Hondas and VWs were expensive, as was Saab. I had a bad experience with Fiat, so that was out as well. He looked at a new F10, you can say what you will about the appearance which isn’t great, but what queered it for him was a vent on the hood that looked to him to be a last minute engineering change, maybe for carburator icing (there was also an electric fan aimed at the carburator as I remember…though it was 45 years ago). Instead, he bought a new ’76 Subaru DL. The Subaru was OK, but it rusted quickly…and the hood latch came open in the wind (including the 2nd latch) which buckled the hood…he had a bungee cord extending between the front wheel well holding the hood closed.
4 years later, a co-worker had bought a Datsun 310 Coupe, which was the follow on to the F10…it was pretty plush, first small car with cloth seats that I knew of, plus AM radio, it was pretty well equipped for the time. We were in a carpool along with her boyfriend (soon to be husband) who had a Ford Fiesta…all 2 door hatches (I had a Scirocco)…kind of odd for a carpool, but we were young. I bought the Scirocco because my RWD 710 slid out on black ice and I no longer trusted a light RWD car up north…but a few years later we moved to central Texas, about the time FWD was taking over in cars…but in 1976 it was pretty rare.
I harbor no ill will towards the F10… In fact, its face sort of makes me chuckle a bit, in a good way. Datsun styling in the 1970’s was so far out there on so many (but not all) of their cars, that I had a hard time figuring out which one might be homelier than the next. From the B210 to the 200SX to the 710 to the 610 to the F10… the big cratered wheelcovers on B210’s and Grandma’s 710, or the oddly shaped rooflines combined with tunneled headlamps and origami tail lamps- Datsun was just letting it all hang out. They were common enough sights in all flavors when I was growing up, that it didn’t seem uncouth to be caught in one. They wore the often searing exterior and interior colors quite well, in my book… subtlety wasn’t an option.
The burnt-orange 2-door on the cover of the brochure (last pic) keeps on reminding me of the boattail Riviera in the greenhouse area.
That rear window reminds me of the rushed-to-market Mustang-fighting 1st-gen Barracuda.
That Barracuda hit the market about 2 weeks before that Mustang.
🤯
It’s good I’m not a betting man …
How wonderful! A great story, very well told, and funny with it.
Just between us, I bought a ’72 Datsun – admittedly the somewhat more normal-looking 180B/610 – for a sister in about ’92, as it was cheap n’ crappy and what she needed at that time after a sojourn backpacking overseas. As agreed, she repaid me, too, despite it being exactly this color. She just shrugged and called the car Lettuce, though in retrospect, it should really have been Nuclear Poison Lettuce, as it it not a terribly natural hue. Funny thing is, it didn’t seem too outre at the time, as there were still plenty of ’70’s luminescence on the roads then.
Still, it wasn’t exactly desirable, and after about a year or two of doing the Datsun thing of never missing a beat despite seemingly having been driven round Australia about 37 times, it was given away by that sis to the next victim, from whom we heard for years after that it was still a much-used and going concern. Paint unfortunately still excellent, too.
I remember seeing 70s F-10s and successor the 310 (in the US) which combined decent styling with novel cable operated rear side windows.
A side subject which deserves a full article on CC if it doesn’t already exist is a history of both the MITI enforced consolidation of the Japanese motor industry in the 60s and the metamorphosis of the aviation industry into car and motorcycle makers in the 50s. Nissan actually got two plane makers from MITI. The better known Prince was descended from Tachikawa, purveyors of mostly reconnaissance and utility aircraft to the IJA and as Prince makers of the Skyline and Gloria. The other outfit was Aichi makers of famous IJN dive bombers and less famous postwar kei cars before being acquired.
One that avoided acquisition was Nakajima, Japan’s largest aero engine maker and a significant plane builder as well, which ultimately became Subaru.
In 1979 it was no longer called the B210—it was just “210”. At least here in Canada—I’m assuming it was the same elsewhere, except in countries where the 120Y name was used?
My original comment didn’t seem to post, so I tried it again… and now I’m seeing the original. So if you see a duplicate comment from me here, sorry about that.
One correction: the 1979 and up version was just “210”—not B210. Or at least that was the case here in Canada… I assume it was the same everywhere else, as well, except in countries where the 120Y designation was used.
It did change from B210 to just 210, but it was a different car/body. A bit more angular, better looking to my eyes but I’m not sure it was as good a car.
Seeing the F-10s with woodgrain convinced me, they were genuinely taking their own styling seriously.
(Noel Harrison in a trench coat and turtleneck, appears the last F-10 owner.)
Great story. My Opel Manta Rallye was approximately Ford Mustang “Grabber” blue. When I needed to do some spot repairs, that’s what I did it with – from a rattle can. Very good match. Bought the car at the end of the month not liking the color (It had black trim). Not really needing a car to get to work in since I worked in Chicago’s Loop and lived in the city the young man at the VW dealer who sold it to me used got to keep his job after making his quota and giving me a very cheap price. I do think that small cars go well with bright colors though. Be seen and avoid getting into a collision. When I was single, remember passing up other great sounding deals on cars due to an odd color.
Growing up my colorblind father would show up with bargain cars in strange shades, made no difference to him!