Datsun

Healthy and safety guides tell you that a car missing a full-width windshield should not be driven on public roads yet here we are, looking at a gorgeous open-top Datsun from the late ’60s that, courtesy of the SR20DET inline-four is so fast it literally blows your cap off.

And then there’s the soundtrack and the fact that you’re never fully in the car because the doors are low enough so that most of your upper body is exposed to the elements. Grassroots Garage gets a taste of this automotive guillotine.

Paul Newman wasn’t just a brilliant actor, but also a race car driver. And, no, not the enthusiast type, but a proper race car driver with victories on the track under his belt. The 1979 season was one of the most interesting ones, especially because of the number of races he won.

He raced and won at Summit Point, Watkins Glen, Brainerd Minn, Lime Rock, and Road Atlanta. The car used by Newman for these races was a 1979 Datsun 280ZX. Over a decade after his demise, this car has come up for sale at motorcarclassics.com.

Remember how the Lexus LF-A, even though discontinued since 2012, used to pop up at a handful of U.S. dealerships through 2018 and 2019? It’s a rare event, but once in a while old cars surface as brand-new several years after their production cycle ended.

Sometimes they are just a few years old, but other times they can spend decades hidden from sight. One such example is this Datsun 280ZX, a car built in 1980 but kept in pristine shape for almost 30 years.

To many car enthusiasts, the Datsun 510 is the quintessence of old-school cool. Produced between 1967 and 1973, the box-tastic 510 is a fantastic platform for creating any number of customized dream cars, from polished, chrome-trimmed cruisers, to stripped-down, lightweight speed machines. The owner of this particular ’72 wagon would agree. His focus was on performance, adding a roll bar and some serious suspension upgrades to help the plucky compact bring the goods at autocross events and track days. Under the hood is a 2.1-liter inline four-cylinder engine making around 130 horsepower and 130 pound-feet of torque, which is actually sufficient for a car that weighs just 2,000 pounds. Best of all, the majority of the work was done at home in the owner’s garage. All that and more is explained in this new One Take video from our friends over at The Smoking Tire.

Watching the video, you get a definite sense that this 510 is a labor of love, a work in progress that’s always improving, always changing, and always presenting new challenges. Matt Farah is a fan, calling it “responsive” and “lively,” especially praising the feel of slotting through the shifter. Overall, he even thinks it beats the venerated BMW E30 3 Series in several respects. The brakes seem a little sketchy though, requiring a “double-pump” action to actually get it to slow down. Then of course there’s the ever-present tear in the headliner seen towards the top of the interior camera angle… but hey, this is a project car. We call those things “character builders.”

I love a good engine swap. There’s just something pleasurable about finding the unexpected waiting for you when you lift the hood, like unwrapping a Pop-Tart to discover a fresh slice of cake. In this particular case, playing the part of Pop-Tart wrapper is a classic and very orange Datsun 240Z, while the cake is a Nissan SR20 engine. It’s a popular swap, and for good reason – the Z looks incredible, it isn’t too heavy, and it’s RWD from the factory, while the SR20 is stout and well-suited to living with high levels of boost. Larry Chen’s ride is one fine example of all these characteristics, as evidenced in this episode of Daily Transmission from the fine folks over at Hoonigan headquarters.

Power from the boosted four sits at 300 ponies and 300 pound-feet of torque at the wheels, which isn’t bad for a car that weighs a little over 2,000 pounds. Providing the extra air is a Garrett GT28 turbo (a.k.a. the Disco Potato). The set-up was pulled from an old Formula Drift car, and it looks perfectly at home sitting in the Z’s engine bay. With the hood open, the boys get pretty nerdy, delving into the various little factoids and motivation behind the build. But things get really serious towards the end when the orange Z starts burning rubber, and, well, let’s just say look out for the cement.

The 10,000-mile, 37-day Peking-to-Paris rally is without question one of the toughest races in all of motor sports. That has held true since the first race happened in 1907 and continues to be the case in its sixth iteration that’s scheduled to start on June 12, 2016. Needless to say, not everyone has the nerve to participate in the race. But there are those like Chris Bury who are embracing the ridiculous challenge of the rally race. But not only is he participating, this dude is racing with a 1973 Datsun 240Z. Of course, the car has been heavily tuned to withstand the rigors of the P2P rally race.

Bury and his father spent the last year restoring and modifying the 240Z to full rally specification and as The Smoking Tire’s Matt Farah finds out, it really has everything you need to conquer the 10,000 mile race. It’s got a full rally suspension, skid plates, off-road tires, a 26-gallon fuel cell, a period-correct limited-slip differential, and a bored out 2.7-liter straight six engine that not only produces 195 horsepower and 189 pound-feet of torque, but is also running on low compression to ensure that it doesn’t get stymied by bad fuel during the race. Seems like a smart idea if Bury doesn’t want to get stuck in the middle of the Gobi Desert.

According to Farah, the 240Z is currently in transit to China, but before it got shipped off, he got to spend some time behind the wheel of the rally racer with Bury riding shotgun. The whole episode is an interesting one because of what Bury plans to accomplish when the Peking-to-Paris rally race starts in June. It’s hard to imagine finding anyone who would willingly participate and even rebuild a stock 240Z specifically for the occasion.

All the best, Chris Bury. Here’s to hoping you get to see the checkered flag at the Place Vendome on July 17.

Sung Kang, better known to all of us as Han from the Fast & Furious franchise, was perfectly suited for his role in those movies because, unbeknownst to most people, he’s actually a pretty hardcore car guy in real life. That much was evident when he recently paid a visit to Jay Leno’s Garage to show off his resto-modded 1973 Datsun 240Z, which he proudly calls the Fugu Z.

Origin of the name notwithstanding, the story of Kang’s 240Z is incredibly fascinating. He scooped it up on Craigslist, thinking that it would be a cool project he could do with some of his car-loving buddies. The project escalated pretty quickly and soon enough, fellow car enthusiasts from all over the world began assisting Kang and his crew on the build. At some point, Greddy even got in on the fun and helped Kang turn the 240Z into a bonafide, wide-bodied track car that’s powered by a naturally aspirated RB26 inline-six engine sourced from a 1994 Nissan GT-R. Yep, the turbos were taken off the engine, but if you watch Leno driving it towards the end of the episode, you’re going to understand why Kang opted for a naturally aspirated option.

Nobody could seem to agree on what kind of output it has – 233 and 245 horsepower were being thrown around – but for the most part, everybody, including Leno himself, was in agreement that what initially started as a small-time build turned into what can only be described as a labor for love from Kang, his buddies, and car enthusiasts from all over the world.

This is the story of a 1971 Datsun 1600 that somehow found its way from the farmlands of Nashville, Tennessee to Nissan’s famous Heritage Collection where it now sits proudly with its peers. If its journey sounds a little too much like a story arc for a Hollywood movie, it’s because it is, at least to some extent.

See, the truck’s original owner is an 80-year old man named Mavin Askew. For the past 42 years, the 1600 has had no other owner other than Askew so naturally, there’s a lot of sentimentality attached to the truck. Ask loved the 1600 so much that he gave it the nickname “Sweet Pea” on account of its body color.

But, just as fate would have it, Askew met Nashville businessman Dan Tito when the latter inquired about the availability of Sweet Pea. After initially saying that he would think about selling it, Askew ran into Tito for a second time in the same gas station. That conversation eventually resulted in Askew finally letting go of his most prized possession.

For his part, Tito ownership of the 1600 didn’t last long. Upon realizing that space would be an issue for the pickup truck, Tito reached out to Nissan, who in turn purchased the pickup in order to have sit inside its Heritage Collection. It’s an incredible story of two men who thought highly enough of the pickup truck to understand its significance to the Japanese automaker.

It’s a fascinating story that got the happy ending it deserved.

Nissan made a prudent business decision with the relaunch of its Datsun brand last year. The thinking was that, while any company selling cars in North America, Europe, Japan or Korea would have to fight tooth and nail for every little share of the market, the company that learns not to treat emerging markets as an afterthought could dominate them with very little effort. So, Datsun was relaunched, this time to actively sell to markets in India, Russia, Indonesia and South Africa. Datsun isn’t completely unchallenged in these markets, but the fact that 420 new Datsun dealers have been added to the network since the brand’s relaunch, shows that there was a lot of room for growth.

So, Datsun is jumping on these markets before anybody else gets the idea, and also looking into expanding into more. A wider variety of products will help with this, so a new Datsun GO-Cross concept was just unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show. The concept is a crossover based on the existing GO+ hatchback. This is because, at the moment, the closest thing to an appropriate crossover that

Nissan has for these markets is the Dacia Duster, and that just isn’t quite right.

Continue reading to learn more about the Datsun GO-cross Concept.

The original Datsun 240Z is the sort of car that inspires deep loyalty among its enthusiast owners. The iconic first generation of Nissan’s two-place sports car was first introduced in 1969, and stayed in production for another nine years. The long-nosed coupe bears a passing resemblance to the Jaguar E-Type in its proportions, but established Datsun as a bona fide sports-car producer. The car itself has inspired cadres of fans as dedicated as Mustang, MG or Ferrari aficionados.

California car guy Greg Scott is a 240Z fan who’s gone above and beyond even by enthusiast standards. His 1970 240Z, known as "The Green Hornet," has been evolving for over 17 years while remaining true to the car’s original specifications and spirit, and the result is a modernized classic that’s capable of holding its own among much newer cars. This video shows The Green Hornet mixing it up with Corvettes and Porsche 911s at Laguna Seca. Though it’s track-ready, Scott’s car is impressive because it’s also street-legal, lacking the temperamental nature of many engines built for the track. The Green Hornet is driven to the track, towing its own spares, tools and fuel. Scott has retained the car’s sound deadening so the car’s comfortable enough for road driving.

Yutaka Katayama, former president of Nissan USA, better known as the “father of the Z,” died last week at the age of 105.

Katayama, or “Mr. K,” began his career at Nissan in 1935, working in publicity. After World War II, Mr. K pushed for the creation of a domestic auto show to help promote Japan’s car industry, and in 1954, the first Tokyo Motor Show was held.

In 1960, Mr. K was sent to California to start the difficult process of building a U.S. dealership network. He worked tirelessly, bringing the brand huge recognition stateside. In 1967, the 510 was introduced, setting the stage for the creation of the beloved 240Z.

"How can we transpose the relationship between man and horse into the one between man and car? Even after I was sent to Los Angeles in 1960 to establish Nissan Motor in the U.S., this question never really left me,” Mr. K would later recall. “Eventually I came up with the concept of the Z-car. It was a sports car with a sleek body with a long nose and a short deck, designed so that it could be built utilizing some of the parts and components that were already used in our other production cars, and it was a car that anybody could drive easily and that would give the driver that incredible feeling of jubilation that comes when car and driver are as one.”

Continue reading to learn more about the Datsun Z.

Last month we told you the story of Scott Fisher and his continuing journey around the United States in his beautiful 1967 Datsun Fairlady Roadster. At that time, he had just left Nissan’s headquarters in Nashville and was striking out again along some dusty road less traveled. Well, one month, some 7,000 miles, and one nasty encounter with a deer later, the automotive and photography wizards at Petrolicious caught up with Fisher and his Fairlady. The video above is a masterfully shot peek at what the journey has held.

Fisher’s Fairlady is mostly stock with only minor modifications. A five-speed transmission was swapped in from a later year Datsun, a ticker-core radiator for better cooling, and an electronic ignition module and distributor remain his only upgrades. The 1.6-liter inline four with pushrod valves has proved its worth, having never left him stranded.

Unfortunately, Fisher’s Fairlady encountered a deer with its right front fender, hood, and headlight one late afternoon as the sun set in the distance. “I definitely want to fix the damage that my friend the deer helped me out with,” he says. “I would like to eventually do a full frame-off restoration on it.” Fisher says his next dream includes shipping the car overseas after its restoration and continuing his road trip around the islands of Japan.

Fisher has gained a sizable following on his blog at RoadsterRoadTrip.com where he documents his experiences in words, photos, and videos. Be sure to check that out, along with our previous coverage of his journey.

Nissan’s plan to relaunch its Datsun sub-brand is moving along nicely with the introduction of the redo-Go Concept, a crossover-riding hatchback that could make its way into the emerging Indian market sooner than later.

Although Datsun has no immediate plans of turning the redi-Go Concept into a full-fledged production car, the mere development of the ride does point to a positive trend moving forward for the recently re-launched Nissan sub-brand.

We remember what Datsun was when it was around years ago, and while it’s got a long way to go to recapture its old magic, this new concept vehicle is a good way to start off its reemergence. If anything, the redi-Go looks like a crossover hatch that’s ready for production right now.

That is if Datsun is prepared to take that leap after just getting back into the game. It might hold off on it for a little while, but rest assured, a lot of people in the industry will be keen to see how it’s return to the game moves from here.

Click past the jump to know more about Datsun redi-GO Concept

We cover a lot of automotive-related material here at TopSpeed. From the latest and greatest vehicles with promises of fast quarter-mile times, insane 0-to-60 sprints, and the occasional gravel-shredding off-roader, it’s all about the newest and fastest.

But sometimes, you just have to slow down and enjoy the drive — to bask in every last mile of a pure driving experience in a pure sports car. That’s exactly what one man set out to do.

Scott Fisher and his beloved 1967 Datsun Fairlady Roadster are on a meandering mission to travel the United States in a clockwise fashion, while soaking in the experience on the timeless journey. No schedules needed.

Fisher started his epic journey last spring from his home in Las Vegas after selling his manufacturing business that he ran for 16 long years. It has since taken him over 30,000 miles through the American heartland, rolling over local highways and byways, while avoiding major routes and interstates “like the plague.” And it was all done in his beautiful ’67 Fairlady.

“I knew I needed to kinda’ get out, and unwind, and get my mojo back,” the 45-year-old man says. His journey has taken him north through the Pacific Northwest and over through the flyover states. Fisher’s goal was to stay up north during the summer months to avoid the extreme heat and sun exposure. “[It’s] allowed me to keep the top down, maybe 80 percent of the time.”

Click past the jump to keep reading about Scott’s amazing travels

Mission control: The Datsun launch is a GO. I repeat - Datsun is GO for launch. Ignition sequence…

The re-launch of the Datsun brand took a big step forward with the reveal of its new budget car, the GO. This compact, five-door hatchback will spearhead Nissan’s ambitions across some of the largest developing markets in the world, starting with India and Russia in early 2014.

The Datsun brand will form the low-cost and extra-reliable rung of the Nissan family that also includes the Infiniti luxury division. Datsun wants a piece of the huge sales numbers achieved by Maruti-Suzuki and Dacia with an eye on future expansion across Asia, Africa and South America.

The new Datsun ethos is fun, youthful cars that are extremely practical. The marketing is lifestyle focused with strong appeals to youth culture and breaking away from the norm. New brands and segments are easier to establish among young shoppers with fewer brand loyalties.

The Datsun GO must carve a careful niche to maximize its success in the Indian home market, where the car was also developed and will be assembled. A low selling price is king but customers will spend more to get the features they need, like a tailgate that opens for luggage access and of course, air conditioning. The slow-motion failure of the unpopular Tata Nano is a cautionary tale for the new Datsun brand.

How will Datsun’s launch model perform in challenging market conditions?

Click past the jump for the full preview of the 2014 Datsun GO, a new generation of compact cars from the legendary Datsun brand.

When word first broke out that Nissan was bringing back its once popular Datsun brand, the general feeling was a mix of intrigue and indifference. After all, it’s been a while since we last saw a Datsun out on the road yet the possibility of the return of the 240Z was too tantalizing to ignore.

Well, Nissan is dead serious about bringing back Datsun, so much so that they recently released the first teaser of the first model of the new Datsun. Unfortunately, Nissan has made it quite clear that Datsun will be an economy lineup for smaller markets, so don’t expect to see a 240Z revival any time soon.

The teaser doesn’t offer much in the way of giving us an idea of what the car is going to look like, but the first thing we thought of when we saw the teaser was that it resembled a Volvo. The angular headlights are there, as well as a vented hood and a small radiator grille with the Datsun badge attached to it.

About the only thing we’re interested in on this teaser is that Nissan is confident about turning Datsun into a brand with a strong independent identity. We’re not as confident as these guys are ,which makes it even more intriguing on how Nissan can pull this one off in time for Datsun’s expected 2014 return.

In the latest episode of his show, Jay Leno takes a break from all those supercars he usually has in his garage and turns his attention to a 1971 Datsun 510; not a standard one, but one rebuilt almost from the ground.

Alongside Jay you will see Greg Elliott, the owner of the 1971 Datsun 510 who is explaining all the updates he made to his car. Painted in a very cool blue, this 510 delivers a total of 150 horsepower and it is for sure a neat car to drive and a dream car for any car Datsun addicted out there. They also take the car out on the road for a test drive, with Jay driving of course!

Watch the video and see what Jay Leno has to say about this cool Datsun 510! Let us know in the comment section below if you agree with him!

We all know that Datsun is set to make a comeback and many of you likely started salivating over the possibility of seeing the resurrection of the compact, lightweight sports cars of yesteryear. Well, we’ll go ahead and curb your enthusiasm by telling you that Renault-Nissan wasn’t lying when it said Datsun would come back only as a low-cost competitor for second-tier markets, like India and Indonesia.

This is confirmed by a report that the first Datsun to roll on four wheels since the 1980s will be based on the ultra-low-fun and now-discontinued Lada Kalina. Per the reports, the Kalina’s interior and exterior will be changed to accommodate Datsun, but the mechanics will remain the same. This means it will feature a line of four-bangers that’ll pump out an unexciting 81 to 91 horsepower.

At one point, however, the Lada Kalina was the base for the concept car dubbed the Super 1600, which used forced induction to create somewhere between 200 and 300 horsepower, and 120 horsepower without the boost, so there is still some hope. But the chances of Datsun seeing anything like this are slim to none and slim is on its way out the door…

We expect to see the first Datsun putt-putt its way off of the production line in 2014.

Whether you love or hate Jay Leno as a “pop culture” late night show host, you still can’t help but love him in his position on Jay Leno’s Garage. In the latest episode, Jay makes it all the way around the world to Japan and test drives a Fairlady 240Z. Not only is the 240Z just one of those timeless and iconic sports cars, but it is revolutionary for the Japanese sports car world.

Jay then takes some time out to talk with his friend that heads up Nissan’s design team and he has a nice surprise for his friend, as he jokingly grills him on the rumored 240Z remake. We actually get a good glimpse at the preliminary design silhouette of what we can only assume would be a revived 240Z and a look at some of the concept drawings made of it and the current 370Z.

What’s cool though is that his friend does not play the denial act that most design heads would do. He all but confirms the fact that Nissan is planning something big for its 8th anniversary which comes about in 2013, and makes it clear that the 240Z revival may be said big thing.

Just seeing the Nissan design room was cool enough, but getting semi-confirmation of the 240Z – even if it was more of a non-denial than a confirmation – was pretty cool. Enjoy!

Not many Japanese automakers quite have the storied history of Datsun and Nissan. Even the now dominant Honda lineup is little more than a teenager in comparison to Nissan’s worldwide presence. With all of this history comes a lot of heritage, and it is obvious that Nissan and Datsun took and still do take this heritage very seriously, as they have over 400 various Datsun and Nissan vehicles dating back to the 1933 Datsun 12.

Recently, Nissan and Renault CEO, Carlos Ghosn, got to pay this warehouse turned pseudo museum a visit. He didn’t just waltz in and take a quick look at cars, as most of us do when we go to car shows. Nope, he hopped into a nearly 75-year-old, mint condition Datsun 17 Phaeton and went for a spin around the entire facility.

Seeing this warehouse full of classic cars that we rarely get to see is amazing in itself. The fact that Nissan takes special care to make sure these cars remain in impeccable shape truly shows how much Nissan respects its past. We all know that manufacturers hold back special models and keep them in good condition to show them off at later dates, but to see it on this scale and not dealing only with special models is impressive.

Nissan actually houses a staff full former staff and volunteers to keep about 70 percent of these classic imports operating. The warehouse also houses several classic Nissan rally cars and a wide array of Nissan-produced police cars.

The coolest thing about this whole visit is that Nissan filmed it and posted it online for all to see (the video is above). This is extremely unique, given the fact that the general public does not have access to this extravagant collection.

This lack of access may soon change, as former Nissan SVP, Kenichi Sasaki, stated that he hopes to see a Nissan Museum built so the public can enjoy these classic models. Our collective hats go off to Nissan for keeping these cars in this great of condition and allowing us a sneak peek into this restricted warehouse.

In the early-1980s, Nissan Motor Co. underwent a rather awkward changing process, as it dropped the well-known “Datsun” name in favor of its parent company’s name “Nissan.” Nissan added to the confusion by dragging the changeover process out for several years. For those present during the changeover, you will remember the confusing "Datsun by Nissan" days (i.e. Datsun by Nissan Pulsar, Datsun by Nissan 280ZX, etc.). Over the course of a few years, The Datsun name disappeared and it has stayed that way for three decades.

Surprise, surprise, Nissan has chosen to dig up the old “Datsun” name and breathe life into it, come the 2014 model year. Now, before you classic Datsun fans get too excited for the return of the 280ZX or the compact B210, for now the re-introduction of the lineup is only going to take place in developing markets, including: India, Indonesia and Russia. Given the recent trend of automobile companies experimenting in smaller markets before expanding to the U.S. market; don’t be surprised if a Datsun dealership opens up on U.S. soil in the next 5 to 10 years. Much like Fiat hung around in the European market for nearly three decades before reemerging in the U.S. with the subcompact 500.

From the looks of it, Datsun is going to be a big time competitor to the likes of Hyundai and Kia, as executives are claiming that the Datsun brand will feature vehicles in the $5,000 to $6,000 dollar range, which is a what we call "scary cheap." To date, there is no information on upcoming models, engines, design or any other specifics, but I think it’s safe to say that a revived 280ZX is not in the cards, at least initially.

Here’s to hoping two things happen. First, let’s see Datsun make a full comeback and make its way back to its fans in the U.S. Secondly, avoid conjoining two different names with "by," it’s really confusing guys…