(first posted 3/15/2017) Datsun’s 1st generation 200-SX found itself in the right place at the right time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite the right car. Sold in the US from 1977 to 1979, the SX joined a marketplace that seemed tailor-made for it, since Japanese imports, sub-compacts and bargain sports coupes were all hot items. Yet an awkward design and mediocre performance meant that the 200-SX ran far behind the leaders of its market segment. Largely forgotten today, this SX serves as an interesting example of a Japanese import missing the mark. The car’s relevance, though, lies not so much with itself, as with Nissan’s ability to learn from its missteps and hit the target with this model’s follow-up.
Among the reasons that Datsun entered the sports coupe market in the late 1970s was that its own Z car inched further upscale every year, eventually abandoning the quickly-growing affordable end of the sports-oriented market. Additionally, many carmakers at the time considered the affordable sporty car niche important because buyers were often young, and capable of being molded into future loyal customers. This was too important of a niche to ignore.
In the early 1970s, Datsun’s 240-Z revolutionized the US sports car market. But by 1977, the 240-Z had transformed into the 280-Z and had doubled in price. Meanwhile, other manufacturers poured effort into the lower end of the sports/sporty car market, and tens of thousands of Celicas, Mustang IIs, Monzas and Sciroccos rolled into customers’ driveways annually. Many of these cars were more “sporty” than “sports cars,” with actual performance taking a back seat to racy looks — but they sold well anyway. Not wanting to be left out, Datsun brought forth the 200-SX as a value-oriented sports coupe.
Upon its 1977 US introduction, Datsun’s sports coupe (known in-house as the S10) was not quite a new car, having been sold in Japan for two years as the Nissan Silvia. All Nissans were sold as Datsuns in the US, and regrettably Nissan’s expressive, Anglicized model names gave way to alphanumeric designations – hence the Nissan Silvia became the Datsun 200-SX.
Nissan officials wanted a design that would set their car apart from the rest of an increasingly crowded sports coupe field. They got it – for better or for worse.
The SX’s styling followed few trends. Over the years, some observers have seen traces of the Citroen SM, Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato, Buick Skylark, and various AMC products. But if there was one single styling inspiration, it has remained hidden after all these years. Let’s just say the SX’s design is… an eclectic mix.
The front end, with its relatively long hood, sharply creased fenders, and assertive grille, is conventional enough. But that’s where convention ends. Aft of the front fenders, the SX’s shape descends into a cacophony of lines. A crease line slopes downward from the middle of the front fender to the squared-off rear wheel well (whose top end follows this crease) – then the same line rises up again to finish off above the rear bumper.
Conversely, the car’s window line sweeps sharply upward with the triangular-shaped quarter window, and then an observer’s eye is drawn back downward by the long rear vent. Meanwhile, the car’s main beltline continues horizontally.
Other parts of the car were unabashedly futuristic-looking, such as the wrap-around tail lamp bar, the disc-style wheel covers, and aero mirrors.
While Japanese-market cars received subtle (and probably useless) bumpers, US exports were fitted with hefty chromed bars bracketed by 2-inch-thick plastic corners. With the slimmer JDM bumpers, the SX’s grille has a protruding appearance, while for the US cars it’s the bumper that protrudes, in a way that’s unhelpful to whatever qualities the original design could muster.
As opposed to the somewhat discordant exterior, the Datsun’s interior was harmoniously designed. This holds particularly true for the dashboard, with recessed instruments set into an elliptical-shaped panel. This was cutting-edge in the 1970s, and would seem perfectly at home in a car made 20 years later.
Our featured car’s seats are finished with the standard “breathable vinyl” in a pleasant burgundy color. Standard equipment was impressive for the Datsun’s day, and included cut-pile carpeting, AM/FM stereo, full instrumentation, an electric clock, rear window defogger, etc. This particular car also features two significant options – an automatic transmission and air conditioning (whose insufficient cooling was the source of many customer complaints). Other available options included cloth seats, a cassette player, and a “sports accent package” that included exterior tape stripes and upgraded wheel covers
Although standard and optional equipment was plentiful, room was not. Front seat passengers faced cramped accommodations, particularly in headroom, and the bucket seats suffered from thin padding and minimal support.
Conditions were even more confined in the back, where the high front seatbacks and wide C-pillars meant that rear seat inmates could scarcely see outside. The rear seat was more usable as a storage area, which the Datsun needed because the trunk itself was small.
With the SX, Nissan did a sports coupe on the cheap, as the distinctive design was wrapped around a familiar package – actually two familiar packages. While the 200-SX looked like no other car, it shared its wheelbase and suspension with Datsun’s price-leading B-210 and its engine with the 710. This approach had advantages in controlling costs, but there were drawbacks.
Handling and comfort weren’t among the B-210’s most endearing qualities. Featuring a solid rear axle with leaf springs, the SX inherited the B-210’s choppy handling characteristics, and its tendency to hop while cornering. Road tests measured cornering at 0.67g – unimpressive even by 1970s standards. While reasonably confident in around-town driving, the suspension could hardly be described as sporting.
The SX borrowed the 710’s L-series 2.0-liter OHC 4-cylinder engine, which developed 97 hp at a buzzy 5,600 rpm (the red line was a whopping 7,000 rpm, though it was pointless to push it that far). Coupled with the standard 5-speed manual transmission, the SX could accelerate to 60 mph in 13.2 seconds – the optional 3-speed automatic (ordered by one-third of SX buyers) slowed the car down by several seconds. While sluggish by today’s standards, such performance was acceptable for new cars in 1977, and the archrival Celica’s performance was similar. Well, at first.
Any hopes of the SX taking a lead in the sports coupe market sunk when the new 1978 Celica arrived. Suddenly Celica – arguably the class’s standard bearer to begin with – advanced buyers’ expectations with a sleek modern design and greatly improved performance. Celica outsold the 200-SX by a ratio of 5-to-1.
While US sales were less than what Datsun had hoped for, the 200-SX sold enough units to avoid being an embarrassment. Just over 30,000 SXs found buyers in each of the car’s three model years – about 9% of total Datsun sales. Like all Datsuns of the era, the cars were shipped from Japan aboard one of the company’s own ocean freighters.
So, with bizarre styling, choppy handling, and a barely-adequate engine, what was the SX’s appeal? Value. Ads emphasizing value were spot on – at a base price of $4,399 with a healthy dose of standard equipment, the SX was, in fact, a very good value.
Source: 1978 Datsun buyer study, reprinted in “Nissan/Datsun: A History of Nissan Motor Corporation in U.S.A.” Respondents could choose multiple categories.
A 1978 survey of Datsun owners (conducted by the company itself) revealed that about half of 200-SX buyers listed value as a reason for their purchase, with 30% listing styling and 21% fuel economy. At the other end of the spectrum, only 3% bought the car for its engine or for interior roominess, and 6% for its handling.
In short, the SX’s market appeal was as a distinctive, value-oriented small sporty car for buyers who didn’t want or need sports car performance.
The appeal of small sporty cars went beyond simply wanting to compete in a growing market segment. Such cars commonly appealed to young, often first-time buyers who were prime targets for developing into loyal future customers. Indeed, 12 percent of 200-SX customers were first-time buyers – a greater proportion than any other car in the Datsun lineup save the bargain-priced B-210.
But Datsun didn’t do the SX any favors by surrounding it with an overpopulated model range. Just where did the 200-SX fit into Datsun’s late-1970s lineup? Datsun itself probably couldn’t have answered that question. US-market consumers looking for a small 2-door car had their choice of the B-210, F-10, 710, 510, two different Z cars, and the SX – all within a fairly narrow price range. Though internal competition was not the 200-SX’s only source of sales struggles, a better-defined role for the car would have boosted its prospects, particularly from buyers who were already perusing Datsun showrooms.
Though the 200-SX wound up being a footnote character in Nissan’s US story, it did benefit from one piece of auspicious product placement. A yellow SX landed a leading role in the 1979 movie Sunburn, even making it onto the movie’s poster – seen above emerging from Farrah Fawcett’s legs before being gored by a bull.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2m23JQtLC8
Judging from this 4-minute chase scene through Acapulco, it’s hard to tell that the SX wasn’t particularly admired for its performance. Yet despite the Datsun’s best efforts, Sunburn didn’t receive enthusiastic reviews. Some reviewers seemed unimpressed by the film – interesting scenery wrapped around a thin plot – and wondered whether the movie was a serious effort or not. That critique is a fitting parallel to the 200-SX itself.
The 200-SX could be viewed as an interesting concept wrapped around an insubstantial package. Datsun did hit several notes just right with the 200-SX: It was priced competitively, offered excellent value, and embodied the durability for which Datsuns had become known. However, it was condemned to mediocrity in the sales race by lacking the power, handling and comfort of many of its competitors – and by a peculiar design that was as strange as it was unique.
Datsun, though, was a fast learner. In 1980, the 2nd generation 200-SX took Datsun’s sports coupe game to a higher level. Featuring a wedge-shaped design, larger dimensions, a fuel injected engine, and an improved suspension, the new SX addressed nearly all of its predecessor’s deficiencies. Sales nearly tripled, and the Celica got some tough new competition. SXs would remain in production – and competitive – through the late 1990s. Nissan learned its lesson, tried again, and succeeded.
It’s easy to forget about the 1st generation 200-SX. After all, it didn’t set any trends, sales records or precedents. But it is an ancestor of what became a very successful product line that long outlasted its own remembrance. Perhaps most importantly, the 1977-79 200-SX can serve as a case study of how manufacturers can learn from their products’ shortcomings and hit the target on their next attempt.
Photographed in Fairfax, Virginia in December, 2016.
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1977 Datsun 200-SX — The Many Faces Of Silvia Paul Niedermeyer
Is today World Ugly Car Day? First that abortion from Whitegoods International, now this.
Australia was spared these horrors, so I was ignorant of these until my first trip to the USA in 1988. I saw one in LA, and wondered who was so desperate for sales to stoop to this.
Fender mirrors aside, the JDM version is,lets say less ugly.
Looks like Datsun went to the Ford school of “how not to do 5MPH bumpers”
Aside from the Z-car, all Datsuns of this era were eye-meltingly ugly. Funny the F-10 would be mentioned, because that was the only thing uglier.
I totally agree re: the ugliness of this car and the F10. I could not believe Nissan would sell cars that looked that pathetic. But, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.
While I agree these and the F-10 hatch were eye-melting ugly, the 510, 710 and L’il Hustler weren’t too shabby. The B-210 non-hatchbacks were acceptable, and even the F-10 wagon was almost plausible. Of the Japanese manufacturers, Nissan easily tied with Mitsubishi and Subaru for funky heart-wrenching designs.
Even though I was aghast when these first came out (still am), that front quarter-picture shows a “design” mechanism I never saw before – almost like the back half of the car was shoved down on top of the front half and the edges are over-riding. WTH Datsun?
I see where the Juke and Quest got their DNA from….
Congratulations, you probably have photographed the only surviving example outside of California and Eugene. Although I’ve never found them desirable in the slightest, I’d love to show up to Cars & Coffee Richmond with one some Saturday morning and park it in the tuner section. The reaction would be interesting.
While value being given as the primary reason for purchase is not unexpected, that styling is actually ahead of fuel consumption perhaps reflects on how public tastes have changed since the late ’70s. The claustrophobic rear window line is not unlike pre-production Ford Capris, before they put the familiar curved rear window in: http://www.ponysite.de/fordgbx_bwkl.jpg
Plus, dependability was a factor in purchasing for less than 10% of the respondents and it’s fifth from the top (or fourth from the bottom).
I remember these when these were new(ish) and found them to be unfortunate in appearance. Eric is right; the next generation model in 1980 was much better.
When these were new, for some strange reason I found them attractive, and they were definitely different from anything else commonly seen on US roads. Now I’d describe my feelings for them as “intriguing;” not quite beautiful, yet not downright ugly.
Interesting thing about the photo spread of the entire Datsun lineup: No SUVs in what was considered a full line of Japanese vehicles for the time, and only one model available with 4WD or AWD. Quite a startling contrast to what you’d see today at the Nissan or Toyota dealer!
Excellent piece, Eric.
Looking at the non-Federalized versions, I can kind of understand their quirky, 70’s charm, aesthetically. Scrolling between pictures of the Japanese, home-market version and the one you found makes it clear just how badly the U.S. bumpers wrecked what visual appeal these cars had. And, my gosh, that back seat looks tiny.
I also remember thinking that the wraparound rear taillamp clusters looked very futuristic. They still kind of do.
I can’t even remember when I saw a running example of one of these, anywhere.
This car makes me think of some Korean efforts of 10-15 years ago. Odd styling, low cost and short model cycles in a confusing lineup.
I had completely forgotten that these ever existed.
This write-up perfectly nails the story of the 1st generation 200SX in the U.S.A.
As is often the case after these write-ups appear, there is speculation or what if….. in this car’s case I wonder if it might have sold just a bit better if it had hit U.S. showrooms the same time it hit Japanese showrooms? It would have beat the 2nd generation of Celica to market by more than 1 year and would have appeared just about the time the 1st generation of Capri was “winding down”.
But I agree 100% with the conclusion that Datsun/Nissan didn’t help themselves with so much in-showroom competition at nearly the same price point.
For those readers not old enough to remember these cars, you now know that Nissan made ugly cars long before the Cube and the Juke.
I kinda dig it. The dash itself seems better than anything out of Detroit at the time and looks like it’s held up pretty well
I guess my family likes Datsun/Nissans; I owned a 710 back in the 70’s and my two youngest sisters have owned a total of 4 240SX (one of them was a 200SX); one of them still owns a ’97 240SX that people keep asking to buy from her.
My first job out of college (while I was driving the 710) I used to see a lady who owned one of these original 200 SX models, I should have talked to her, or even took a photo of her car, but I’m quite shy and never did either. The inside of this 200SX is swoopier than that of my 710, but still has the “ovoid” shaped instrument panel (maybe Ford was inspired by it for their Taurus of 20 years hence?). Mine was also automatic and used the same shift lever as this one. Too bad it wasn’t a hatchback, especially if the trunk and rear seat was so small, at least it would have been more practical. Nissan seemed to start going with “controversial” (maybe Japanese modern?) styling starting in about 1974 with the B210, I would have preferred they kept the early 70’s styling (which they kind of went back to with the late 70’s 510 model) but maybe they were just trying to stand out .
In comparison to the 200-SX, the B210 and 710 were downright pretty! Though the interior of the 200 is small it does look pretty well-finished ( I didn’t see any bare metal, even in the back seat) and the instrument panel is quite nicely laid out. Haven’t seen one of these in years.
A most excellent find and write-up! And I thought I had found the last one. 🙂
I’m glad you showed the 1965 Lancia Fulvia Sport in your composite of design influences, as it was a very important and influential car. Its designer, Ercole Spada, is not often enough recognized for his profound influence on other Italian designers and elsewhere. The 1967 Alfa Montreal, which I see as the more immediate design “donor” to the Silvia, was in turn clearly influenced by the Fulvia Sport.
The US bumpers and grille clearly mar the Silvia’s design, which I don’t find that ugly at all, as in the JDM versions. And I’m not at all a fan of its successor, which had too many fussy details.
The Fulvia connection is interesting, as if you compare the predecessor, the distinctly un-fugly CSP311 Silvia, there’s more than a passing resemblance to the Fulvia Coupe…..
Also Silvia/Fulvia…. pretty close in name too!
Silvia
Fulvia
And last Siliva
Silvia’s prettier.
I had wanted to include something about the original Silvia in this article, but in the interest of space, I kept to the S10. But in the course of research, I came across this ad, which is too good not to include here.
I believe the ad was from a 1965 New York Auto Show brochure — Datsun showed the car at the show, and presumably was considering selling the Silvia coupes in the US. The name was changed to Coupe 1600, and the ad appears to show a LHD car, which supposedly is what was on display at the show.
The Silvia never was sold in North America, which is too bad. This was really a great looking car.
Well, the similarities are very high. But here’s the odd thing: the Silvia was first shown in September of 1964, and the Fulvia at the 1965 Turin Auto Show!
But note that the German designer Count Albrecht Goertz assisted with the Silvia. And there had been a lot of Italian influence, due to Pininfarina designing the Datsun 410 just a year earlier. And there are elements to both of these that can be traced back to previous cars. So it would appear that these looking so similar is mostly a coincidence, based on the fact that they were both influenced by other cars at the time. The Fulvia sedan appeared in 1963, so the name might well have been cribbed by Nissan.
I owned a 78 for 5 years and it was an awesome road trip car. Decent mileage, reasonable power, smooth and very quiet at highway speed. Near the end when the rust was taking over, I removed the trim strips, hub caps and the huge bumpers to try to improve the look. This was not helpful.
I think the side sweep actually resembles the 1969-1970 Mercury Cougar more than the Buick, the front end and bumper sculpting is similar too so I think it was more than a minor influence.
Wonderful write-up.
I cannot recall even seeing one of these in the metal, but I do recall seeing pics on the internet and wondering why Nissan to design an AMC on an etch-a-sketch. Thanks to this piece, I now know that ugliness is only skin-deep in the Silvia: the dashboard is really quite beautiful. And at least if you’re in it, you don’t see the exterior…
Put me in the (apparently limited) camp that likes these cars. A little Japanese weird infused with some distinctive global design cues. I also like the ’67-‘68 Mopar C body coupes, the ’71-’74 Mopar B body coupes, and even the Matador X (minus the Harry Potter front end). So, you know where I’m coming from. The second gen was bordering on mini brougham, and was awfully predictable in an ‘80s way.
The first gen was rare in the import adverse Midwest (insert comment on rust here), but the second gen along with Nissan / Datsun’s mini trucks are the vehicles that finally got Nissan a toehold on the Midwest market, selling well to my cohort as we were leaving high school or college. When the ’85 Pontiac Grand Am came along, it seemed like the Grand Am coupe and 200SX had the exact same demographic.
The whole S(e)X thing seemed like silly pandering at the time, and I wonder if it really sold any cars. But, then again, PN’s recent thesis on Dagmar’s once again proves there is nothing new under the sun.
Is it just me, or did the 1992 Buick Roadmaster steal the taillights straight off this car?
Never would have guessed that a 200-SX and a Roadmaster would have any design element in common, but now that you mention it… yes, I can see the resemblance.
Amusingly, in both cases, the tail lights look oddly inconsistent with the rest of the car, though in vastly different ways.
As much as its polarizing overall looks, it was styling more in tune with 60s design elements than the 70s, that made me cool to these at the time.
I think the exterior look could have been improved if Nissan took out the sculpted line on the side – it would have made it a cleaner look, as well as making the wheel wells rounder.
And the Federalized bumpers and grille didn’t help.
Agree that the dash looks quite good.
The should have plunked the name and market niche on an upgraded B-210 hatch instead of selling it as a 210. That car is better looking because it carries glass in the rear quarter instead of raw panel, which makes it look like cheapness trying to be space-age. Look at the purported Lancia influence, it is open there. Imagine doing a sedan delivery treatment to the Lancia and it gets similarly awkward, although it would stand that better because of the straight underline.
Interior-wise, Datsun did well during this period, I liked them better than the Toyotas I drove. But none of us (except for Z buyers) bought Japanese cars for style, we bought them because they were cheap, efficient, and engineered to last. The later Korean imports followed that same entryway.
I like these cars too, but then I owned and liked my ’84 Pulsar.
Back then I thought the styling somewhat bizarre, but now find it rather futuristic in a charming, quirky, period way. I had a friend who bought one new, and other than the obligatory stripe seen in the ads, it was identical to this car. Same color, transmission, etc. They had it for several years until marriage and babies brought the need for something larger.
A defunct car magazine from the 80’s called these 200SX’s “melted plastic” in a list of ugly cars.
I’d say this and the F10 are ugliest Datsun/Nissan cars ever. 😉 And the first Stanza hatchbacks.
Farrah Majors could drive stick shift!!! Apparently you guys didn’t get R32&R34 SILVIAs. great cars.
Um – the R-prefix cars are Skylines. Silvias are S-prefix.
Looks to be all original except for maybe some fender repair or replacement on the right front sometime in its long lifetime. Probably one owner for a long time. Amazing how the car has survived all these years with the huge blindspot and no right side mirror combination. Interior is well finished and has held up very well except for the dashboard crack, upholstery covers every area. The rear wheel well really intrudes into the back seat area of the already quite narrow back seat.
Japanese 70’s ugly for sure, but probably quite durable in non rust areas.
It seems strange to see Farrah driving anything other than a Pinto or Mustang II.
Shrinking the Skyline, 240K styling onto the smaller platform doesnt really work it looks bizarre, it took a while for Japanese styling to become mainstream or for westerners to get used to it one of the two.
If I were to drive this car I would put a paper grocery bag over my head and have two holes punched in so I could see out wow!
I know where that car’s parked! Hello Fairfax!
The uneven paint fade makes it look even more bizarre. It doesn’t look as bad in silver, though!
My family owned a 210 wagon of the same vintage. Great car until a piston gave up the ghost.
Yes, it’s right on Lee Highway! I suspect the car belongs to someone who works at the shop where it’s parked, since I’ve seen it there occasionally.
Ironically enough, the diner next door often has a vintage car or two parked out front in order to attract attention, but for me I’m more interested in the faded little Datsun parked up the road.
Wow, the 29 Diner! I’ve eaten there – a *real* diner made from former train dining cars, unless I’m confusing it with the other local diner I used to eat at in Silver Spring also on Rt.29.
What an odd placement for the fuel filler door, on the C pillar. I’m looking at the interior shot and trying to figure out where the pipe leading to the tank runs as there’s no obvious protrusion. My next-door neighbor had one of these when it was new for a year, then traded it for an F-10 wagon that made the SX look pretty by comparison. The interior was quite attractive though I prefer the Celica’s. But the next three generations of this car were all lookers, inside and out – and drove nicely to boot.
I’ve long suspected this Sylvia to be the intended basis for what became the defunct Nissan rotary. I have no proof, but the timing of it’s introduction compared to the press releases Nissan did give about “a new upcoming specialty car utilizing a rotary powertrain” is spot on. The Sunny test mules and their platform were very closely related. And just look at it; there are wedge (rotary) motifs everywhere. If I’m wrong then I am, but looking back with hindsight at the rotary Mazda Savannah coupes that preceded these, I don’t think it to be implausible whatsoever.
Period article:
Wow, I didn’t know that, but it would make a lot of sense.
An excellent hypothesis. I’d rather forgotten about Nissan’s rotary. But the Silvia really does look like it might have been designed with that in mind, with its decided efforts to look hi-tech/avant garde. Nissan’s Cosmo.
Sake and ‘shrooms in Nissan’s design department didn’t work too well back then…..
Wow, that’s a whole lot of… something. It’s not like Datsun/Nissan couldn’t design good looking cars, but I think the Japanese styling of the time was undergoing a bit of a change and Nissan stayed in the 60’s. Honda, Mitsubishi and Toyota were changing to a much more “international” styling theme and their cars reflected it.
I still can remember seeing these cars on the street back in the 70’s. So very much not my cup of tea. If I were stuck buying Japanese back then, a nice Dodge (Mitsubishi) Colt would have been my first pick. I had a buddy who had a B210 that we took to football practice. Imagine four 6 foot tall 160-185 lb. high school football players stuffed into that little death trap. No matter how hard he revved that motor, the almost 800 lbs. of passengers taxed that little motor. I can’t imagine the original 200SX would have done much better.
Another car’s styling ruined by the 5 MPH bumper edict. Well, it was not great before the bumpers…
The 1975–1977 RA23/RA24/RA29 Celica was somewhat quicker than the 200SX — comparing like to like, probably about a second quicker to 60 mph. Celicas didn’t have any more power, but the 22R engine had 10% more displacement and 20% more torque than the federalized B20.
Chris’s comment about the Nissan rotary is revelatory as to what Nissan was thinking with these cars — not only the styling, but also the decision to base the car on the Sunny platform rather than something a little larger and more sophisticated, offering so few engine choices, etc. (JDM Silvias had the B18 and B18E, not the B20.) If the car was planned for a rotary engine that was dropped at the last minute, much suddenly becomes clear.
Well. The best I can say is the F10 WAS uglier. Years go, I remember some critic remarking how ’70s Japanese car styling resembled the dragons and fishes of Asian mythology. Though by the late ’80s, I felt that this car’s successor – the 240SX – had become one of the best looking Japanese sport-coupes.
OTOH, I think today the original 200SX , facelifted with a few more curves, might fit right in with today’s bizarre motoring ‘masterpieces’.
Happy Motoring, Mark
Awesome write up. In my early years living in PR, I remember seeing one of these owned by a local guy. They were marketed in the caribbean as Silvias. Datsun were all over the island but even this model became somewhat of an endangered species….anybody noticed how similar is to the skyline “ken-mari” style???
I don’t recall ever seeing one of these in person, but was familiar with them due to ads that were in the old national geographics I checked out of my middle school library.
I had one of these in the late ’80s. It was so ugly that it was beautiful and even then there were not many of these around. In the end it was a project that never reached completion. I could not get over the huge ugly bumpers. Sure it was all complete with fresh paint but it could never pull my heart away from the 510. A part of it lives on though. The dogleg 5spd went on to move 3 different 510’s. Still have the 510 longroof and the transmission. Now if could only find another 710 coupe to put the 5spd in. No b pillar just like the 200sx.
Great write up. Thanks for the memory.
Great write up Eric, really enjoyed it. I’ve never seen one of these in the metal, although there’s at least one on the roads here, so if I live long enough and drive far enough I might spot it someday. I like the interior design, the exterior is hideous but really rather fantastic in a retro sort of way. Reminds me of one of those futuristic concept cars of the 1960s/70s. And let’s add the C110 Skyline coupe (not the GTR version with the flared arches) to the mix for possible design inspiration.
Eric, can you please put me in touch with the owner of this car. I want it to be mine. TIA. -BT
One of my friends in high school had a 200SX just like this one as his first car. It was yellow, too. Although I’d swear that the whole interior was black… His was very rusty (by 1988) but it always started and ran like a top. Most of the floor was gone (you’d get wet whenever it rained, or he drove through a puddle) and the trunk had big holes all around the edges, so things would fall through and end up on the road if he cornered quickly. It ran really well, though and got great MPG. It had a 5-speed, and I was jealous of that extra gear (and the really nice interior) when I’d get back into my Sunbird after riding in his SX. The heater was pretty much useless, and he took the belt off the AC because it didn’t work. The two colors of fading paint, are because the front fenders are fiberglass! We found that out the hard way after he crashed his SX, and we were gonna use metal from his Datsun to repair holes in his other car- both front fenders were fiberglass. It was a decent car for a 17-year old at the time. I haven’t seen another one since his got crushed in 1990.
Get rid of the US bumpers and whitewalls, ditch the pervasive Seventies Japanese accent trim made of soon-to-fade-and-crack plastic, paint it in something other pastel yellow or brown, and it doesn’t look too bad after almost 50 years. Which is not something I would have said whether cars were new. Time heals some wounds …
Wish granted. A rare case for Japan, where the Silvia was actually less busy than the export product:
An enjoyable re-read, and while refreshing my memory of the different models, I was intrigued to find images of a version with a body-kit that completely changes the appearance of that swept-up rear side window and rear fender. It’s labelled a 1976 200 SX/E, and I couldn’t find any other details about it. Not sure if it’s an improvement on the original or not!
In one of those weird coincidences, last night my wife and I watched “Sunburn” a 1979 movie featuring Farrah Fawcett. The car star of the movie was a twin to this one. What are the odds?
That’s funny. I have the Sunburn poster (which features the Datsun) here in the article, and when this was published in 2017 I included a Youtube link to a chase scene from that movie, but the link’s now broken. It was fun to watch.
Amazing that you saw this movie just yesterday!
I rather like the Syliva. Polarizing styling, to be sure, but no worse than the monstrosities Detroit had peddled back in the late fifties.
Where Nissan lost it was the grille. I mean, here they have this car with almost 100% avant-garde styling, then throw on this absolutely pedestrian grille? A truly ‘what were they thinking’ moment, particularly considering how much better the JDM grille looked.
The ideal car for the person who is ashamed of their children. No one will see them in the back.
I used to marvel at this car and the F-10. Someone once explained that “it’s so crowded in Tokyo you cannot see the entire car, so they overstyle every detail”.
1:26:15
Thanks — that’s it!
“Packaging” $ells, whether it be a box of cereal or a car! The second gen 200SX was a very pleasant looking car; still is. Apparently buyers felt the same!! 🙂 DFO