Motoring Middle East: Car news, Reviews and Buying guides

The Japanese nameplate is back, we remember the best of what’s gone before

By Shahzad Sheikh

Datsun 240Z

Now that Nissan has confirmed rumours that the Datsun brand, which was killed off in 1986, is to make a comeback in 2014, it seemed a good opportunity to remind ourselves what was great about this iconic Japanese brand. Actually there were a lot of crap cars (Datsun Chery anyone?), but there were some jewels too.

Here’s my top ten:

Datsun 240Z

1. 240Z
It’s the progenitor of the Z cars, and some regard the original 240Z as still the best of the lot. Dubbed the S30 is was sold in Japan at the Nissan Fairlady Z. Cheaper than sportscar rivals and still regarded as one of the most desirable Japanese cars ever produced, it was sales hit in the USA and instrumental in changing the image of Japanese cars.

Datsun Sports (Fairlady) SP310/311

2. Sports (Fairlady)
The Sports was also known as the Datsun Fairlady in its home market and ran from 1959 to 1970. It was intended to be a cheaper alternative to British MG and Triumph sportcars – you can certainly see the styling similarities and was probably much more reliable too. My favourites are the SP310/311 models from 1963 onwards. The last of the line Datsun 2000 could reach 193kph with 135bhp while only consuming 7.8L/100.

Datsun Bluebird 1600 SSS

3. 1600 SSS
Datsun Bluebird in Japan, the fabled 510 known as the 1600 to you and me, wanted to be a poor man’s BMW and aped the 1966 BMW 1600-2 in terms of its engineering. SSS models were not available in America, but featured better instrumentation and interior, as well as that evocative badge. The 1600 won the East Africa Safari Rally, one of the world’s toughest, and in the US the ‘Brock Racing Enterprises’ Datsun 1600 beat European racers like BMW and Alfa in the under 2.5-litre class of the Trans-Am series. It’s status as a legend was hence sealed.

Datsun 120Y

4. 120Y
Third generation Nissan Sunny was known outside Japan as the Datsun 120Y (B210 series) and owners around the world (and taxi drivers in Pakistan) would swear by them for decades to come after its introduction in 1973. Offering brilliant fuel economy, it arrived just in time for the global fuel crisis and earned its place in history. The two-door hatchback styling was pretty cool too.

Datsun 1970 510 Forza 4

5. 510
This 40-year old small two-door Japanese car is the second most popular car in the racing simulation game, Forza 3, after the Bugatti Veyron, in the list of the 99 most raced cars, ahead of luminaries such as the Audi R8, Opel VX220, Clio V6, Shelby GT500 and even the Ferrari FX! Because gamers can modify it, just like you can in real life, it’s lightweight and rear-wheel drive makes it popular in both the real and virtual worlds.

Datsun S110 240RS

6. S110 200SX
The 1979 S110 was the Nissan Silvia in Japan and the Datsun 200SX to the rest of the world, spawning the popular drift car, the S12 200SX in 1984. I like the squared-off no-nonsense stance of this thing, and I love it cause it eventually became the 240RS in 1983. With a 2.4-litre power unit, it became Nissan’s entry to the World Rally Championship from 1983 to 1985, and road versions had a brutal bodykit.

Datsun Patrol

7. Patrol
The second-generation 60 series Nissan Patrol (1960-1980) was also known as the Datsun Patrol in some markets, and became the first vehicle to drive across the Simpson Desert in Australia. It obviously evolved into the absolute legend in the desert that is the Patrol (not including the sixth generation Y62 – currently masquerading as the hero of all-terrain).

Datsun Laurel

8. Laurel
Whilst the second generation C130 Coupe (1972-77), with styling inspired by the Ford Gran Torino, looks the business and is popular with customisers, it’s actually the fourth generation C31 (1980-1984) that I’m thinking of and in a uniquely Middle Eastern context. When I first started driving back in Jeddah, KSA, I would always end up getting into races with local kids hanging out in these. The Laurels were powered by lusty in-line sixes, and I only had my dad’s humble first-generation 1981 Honda Accord saloon. They had the better of me, but off the line at traffic lights, my lighter Honda would always get the jump on them. Happy days!

Datsun Bluebird 910

9. Bluebird
A friend of mine in Jeddah used to drive around an early 80s Datsun Bluebird 910. Halfway through its lifecycle it became a Nissan everywhere, and its boxy style was considered modern at the time, but might be seen as plain now. However its platform was used for the 280ZX and 300ZX.

Datsun 720 Pickup

10. 720 Pickup truck
‘The Bedu’s swear by them’ I was told many years ago by a TOYOTA salesman in Jeddah. He had recounted to me a story of an old local who had walked into the showroom with a bag of cash and demanded to buy a brand new Datsun. Despite being politely directed to the showroom across the road, he persisted and eventually found and pointed out a Hilux pick-up. So iconic had the red block script ‘DATSUN’ become on the tailgate of the 720, that this old chap referred to all pickups as ‘Datsuns’. Not bad for a name the bosses at Nissan never really cared for and used only because of the connotations of Nissan-manufactured military vehicles in WWII.

Meanwhile, back to today, and Nissan is investing 33 billion Yen to revive a brand it originally took over in 1933. The idea is to use it as the maker of low-cost models for emerging markets, churning out 250,000 cars by 2014, starting with the Indonesian market, where they will be built. It will also be sold in India and Russia.