Jalopnik: Datsun 510

Miraculously Unhooned 1973 Datsun 510 Holds Still For Alameda Photo Session

Murilee Martin — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:30:00 EDT

While at the Motoring J Style show in May, I spotted an amazingly original Datsun 510 two-door parked in the exhibition hall. Turns out it was owned by David Swig, the guy in charge of the event, and now I've managed to get him to bring the car to the former Alameda Naval Air Station (where they now make absinthe) for some photos. The car was purchased from its original owner, who always garaged it and for many years drove it just once a month or so; this Datsun is solid Compare its condition to that of most 510s, which have spent their lives in glorious clouds of tire smoke and- all too often- wrapped around telephone poles!

Datsun XLink Concept Envisions Datsun As A Lifestyle Brand

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:20:00 EDT

Though you may not see it at Geneva, the XLink Concept thesis project hints at what Datsun could be if resurrected by Nissan. The challenge for Benjamin Nawka at the Nissan Yulon Design Center at Pforzheim University was to create a compact car that utilized "fresh design language" and unique features. The result is a four-seater compact hatchback with a bold presence and adjustable winglets above the rear that feature lights and rear mirror cameras. Nawka considers the XLink to be "the first product of the new lifestyle brand DATSUN, whose re-introduction is based on the excellent image of the 240Z and other cars which were mainly affordable, reliable and easy-to-use." We see more of the Datsun 710 in this concept, but in a good way.

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Though this is just a graduate project, it would be interesting to see Nissan use Datsun as way to launch a competitor to Scion and, possibly, Saturn in the USA. We also like the envisioned navigation system that not only lets you know where friends are, but also suggests random driving adventures — though that's probably the setup for an awesome lawsuit. [Benjamin Nawka via Carbodydesign via Carscoop]

Duct Tape Saves The Day For Vintage Racer's Datsun 510

Murilee Martin — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:00:00 EDT

A '68 Datsun 510 race car is a pretty good handling machine, but when you race in the sleet, rain, and snow of a Pacific Northwest springtime (as VintageRacer does) sometimes your car ends up taking an unscheduled detour off the track. Make the jump for VintageRacer's story.

Well, hopefully you'll have a better day at the 24hrs than we did (though we did finish up by running fastest lap in our group Sunday afternoon).

Saturday was a mix of rain, sleet, snow, wrong tire choice, and too much throttle in the wrong place....

A liberal application of dead blow hammer and duct tape later.....from a distance - you can't even tell... (but I've got a couple of weeks of sheetmetal and paint ahead. Fortunately no suspension damage) Gotta have it looking real good for the Under 2 litre Trans Am revival for next month.