Datsun 1500 (Fairlady) Walkaround

I last wrote about the Datsun 1500 (Fairlady) here.  I mentioned:

"Back in my graduate school days at Dear Old Penn, I longed to own a sports car.  But my budget couldn't be stretched far enough to justify the purchase of the current Datsun sports car, which seemed to be the best fit so far as price and features were concerned."

One set of alternatives included the Triumph Spitfire and Austin-Healey Sprite, but these seemed too small from a practicality standpoint.  As for the alternative: larger Triumphs, Healeys and Corvettes were much too costly.  The closest match was the MGB -- very slightly larger than the 1500/1600 Datsuns and more powerful.  But it also was priced too high.  So was the Datsun, as I mentioned, but to a lesser extent.  (Once I got a decent full-time job I bought a Porsche 914.)

Like the MGB, Datsun 1500 styling was not flamboyant -- or even very distinctive.  I would call the design "practical."  And slightly better than that of the MGB, as I will note below.

Photos below are via Bring-a-Trailer Auctions.

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This is a 1965 Datsun 1500.  The other Datsun photos are of this car.

Comparison photo of a 1963 MGB.  Headlight assemblies and related bodywork are similar.  The MGB grille is more interesting than that of the Datsun.  The latter's front end and hood are more compact and purposeful-seeming.  The Datsun fender line is more varied, more interesting.

A compact-appearing design.  The forward slope of the rear fender trailing edge adds to this -- if a stylist wanted to increase visual length, the slope would be in the opposite direction.

The rear end is unrelated to the sides.  That is, side-sculpting and detailing (the chrome strip) do not curve around to the rear and across parts of it, as is commonly found.

Lights are distinct, not placed in a multi-feature assembly.  In the context of the 1960s and beyond, this appears as a "cheap" solution.  The MGB was better here.

The subtle curve is the rear fender basically saves the design from being a bland box.

No guards on this car's bumper.  Other Datsun 1500s had them, however.

The grille design is functional.  Yet it could use something to make it less bland.  Even a slightly wider frame.  But not the elaborate frontal concoctions often found on 1950s Japanese cars.

Despite my picky comments, this is a nice design.  The faceted hood front is an interesting touch.

Aside from the chopped-off, cheap-looking rear panel, the car looks nice from this perspective.

An all-open view.

The dashboard.

Datsun 240Z Walkaround

Back in 2015 I posted about the Datsun 240Z and stated:

"It was the sensation of late-1969. The Nissan S30 model, known as the Datsun 240Z in the the USA, triggered an intense "I gotta have one" reaction for those of us in a sports car frame of mind.  Sadly for me, 240Zs were priced a bit higher than I felt I could afford, so I settled on a Porsche 914 in 1971.  But I really, really wanted a Z."

Besides what I wrote in that post, here is more background on the car.

Now that there are more and more comprehensive photo sets about cars listed for sale on the Internet, it's a good time for a walkaround post dealing with the Z.  Photos below of a 1970 Datsun 240Z are from Bring a Trailer Auctions.

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The grille is a simple extension of the hood.

No flabby lines.

Nice, long hood.  The driver's seat is close to the rear axle line.  Flowing fenderline with a straight character line crease below it: interesting contrast that helps transition to the lower body edge.

The rear panel area is functional.  Its details are not related to the nearby design.  Given the strong shape/color contrast to the surroundings, that doesn't matter as much as it otherwise might.

A hatchback, not a trunk lid.

Again, note the character fold on the side.

No kiddie seat behind the driver, so that fastback curve begins right behind his head.  This adds to the crisp design appearance.

A good design with no memorable features.  It requires being taken as a whole.

Dashboard with sunken instruments.

Design Classic: Datsun 240Z

It was the sensation of late-1969.  The Nissan S30 model, known as the Datsun 240Z in the the USA, triggered an intense "I gotta have one" reaction for those of us in a sports car frame of mind.  Sadly for me, 240Zs were priced a bit higher than I felt I could afford, so I settled on a Porsche 914 in 1971.  But I really, really wanted a Z.

Background on it and related models can be linked here.  A June 1970 Car & Driver magazine road test can be found here.

240Z styling was taut, sleek, and targeted to the expectations of the sports car market.  It had a long hood, following the tradition of classic prewar sports cars as well as what was found on desirable postwar types such XK120 and E-Type Jaguars.  As a result, the driver's head was aft of center and the entire passenger compartment and trunk occupied only 60 percent of the car's length.  The roofline dropped off to the rear, terminating at a vertical Kammback.  In true postwar sports car fashion, the fenderline featured a kickup towards the rear, hinting at the existence of a rear fender.   Along the sides was a horizontal character line at doorhandle level.   Headlamps were semi-sunken into the front fenders, but laterally; this allowed for a fenderline ridge that blended into the hood ensemble.  The grille was small, horizontal bars angled away from the sun (lack of reflection reducing visual prominence) and set into a simple opening.

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Datsun 240Z advertisement - ca. 1970-71

Datsun 240Z publicity image - ca. 1970-71

1970 Datsun 240Z - Motostalgia auction photos

Seen from 45 years later, the 240Z seems rather small and narrow, but that might be because current sports cars such as Porsches and Ferarris are quite wide.  In its day, the Z seemed properly proportioned.  And oh, so desirable.

Datsun's Cleanly Designed Fairlady

Nissan (in its former Datsun guise) built roadster-type sports cars from the late 1950s to 1970.  The most important and by far the best-selling was the redesigned Fairlady (its name in Japan) series introduced in 1963.  Its Wikipedia entry is here, and a Web site devoted to it is here, while the Nissan corporate site mentions it here.

Back in my graduate school days at Dear Old Penn, I longed to own a sports car.  But my budget couldn't be stretched far enough to justify the purchase of the Datsun sports car, which seemed to be the best fit so far as price and features were concerned.  Therefore, you are warned that I have a soft spot in my heart for Fairladies (odd name, but I'll use it in this post for convenience).

Some sources refer to Fairlady 1600s and 2000s as roadsters, but they weren't exactly that, because they had roll-up side windows.

As for the styling, I haven't found a name for the main designer.  Regardless, the design is clean -- not excessively fussy like some other postwar Japanese efforts.  English sports car designs of the 1950s and designs from other places that were influenced by them usually featured a front fender line that peaked near the front wheel and fell away towards the rear.  There was a distinct rear fender and usually a cockpit form for the passenger area.  The Fairlady has a hint of rear fender, but no strong fall-off for the front fender.  This near-horizontal profile had the effect of eliminating the cockpit design feature.

Gallery

This introductory view of a 1963-ish vintage car illustrates that the Fairlady has neat styling.  Nothing spectacularly different in terms of features.  No serious flaws.  No excitement, either.

This 1600 from around 1967 has a different set of grille bars and a shorter side chrome strip.  Which is just fine, because there was no need for a serious facelift.

A front view of the 2000 series featuring a larger motor displacement.  Again, slightly different grille detailing.

I include this Wikimedia image because it shows the rear of the car.  This to me is the weakest part of the design.  It's functional, and probably inexpensive.  But the three tail light / reflector units introduce a hint of Japanese styling fussiness.  An integral unit could easily have been substituted and the trunk lid / back panel relationship deserved some cleanup as well.

Mid-1960s Datsun Bluebirds

My first encounter with a Datsun 310 Bluebird was as a distinctly ill-at-ease passenger in one of Yokohama's famous kamikaze taxis as the driver snaked back and forth between the passenger car portion of the street and the central streetcar zone, narrowly averting the trolly passenger-waiting islands.

"Damn good car," I thought.

Months later, I rode a Tokyo taxi, perhaps a new Datsun 410, though the trip was less scary because traffic was so thick the driver couldn't speed.  It seems I have a soft spot for Datsuns from the time I was in the Army in the Far East.

The Wikipedia entry on the Datsun Bluebird (its name in Japan) line is here.  It mentions the change from the Datsun name (a contrived one -- no meaning in Japanese) to Nissan, a change that displeased me.  I dislike the name Nissan because I find it harder to pronounce than Datsun.  Besides, it has a weak sound to it, whereas Datsun has spark when spoken.

As for the styling of those early-1960s Bluebirds, it was neat and practical.  I think the 410, produced starting in 1964, was the better-looking car.

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The 310 appeared for the 1959 model year and lacked the fussy ornamentation found on a number of Japanese cars in the early postwar years.  I think the greatest visual failing has to do with the small wheels.

410s seem to have slightly larger wheels, and the wheelhouse openings have ridges around them, adding interest (contrast with the plain-sided 310).  Another improvement is the indented section along the sides.  It also adds interest and makes the car look a little longer and less tall, though I might quibble with the extent of its drop-off aft of the rear doors.

I include this image because its shows the rear of the 410 (click to enlarge).  For its time and market position, the 410 was a nicely styled car.