We’ve gotten to the point that a classic Datsun 510, especially the high-trim SSS, is a collector’s car to be polished and preserved. But back in 1969, Datsun ran them in the grueling Baja 1000, and here’s how beat to hell they got.
It may not look like much, but the Datsun 510 was a legend. Ben Hsu, author of Classic Japanese Performance Cars, says it “put not just Nissan, but Japanese cars in general, on the map.” So now we should all watch TheSmokingTire hoon the 510 so we can reminisce upon a time when Nissan was actually cool.
[Current inspiration: a Datsun 160J races ahead to a top ten finish in the 1979 Rally Sweden. Photo via Nissan]
No power steering. No power door locks. No power brakes. It's just you, a 40-year-old rear-drive coupe, three pedals, a turbocharged SR20 engine with nearly 400 horsepower and the road.
You may remember those movie cars from a few weekends back. Lucky for us, artist Scott Park is both quite prolific and quite the automobile admirer. This week he brings us this Datsun 510, part of a series which includes a DeLorean, a Mustang, and a BMW 2002.
Wow, did Mr. K ever put together one awesome machine.
Southern California: it's too hot, too fake, and you commute everywhere you go. But it's all worth it for the cars, like this collection of surprisingly badass tuned 1970s Datsuns, happily shredding tires for the camera.
Judging from his garage, Duane Schaffer likes his vintage vehicles from The Land of the Rising Sun a certain way—slightly odd and extremely low.
After a several month hiatus Josh Clason's Depth of Speed is back with another fantastic video profiling one man's deep love of all things Datsun.
Datsun 510 wagons on vintage 13" wheels are all the rage in SoCal. We can get behind that. [Estevan Oriol via AutoCulture]
A Datsun 510, flat olive drab, with a giant single-turbo 2JZ. Stopping power comes from C5 'Vette-sourced Baer rotors paired to Viper Brembos hidden behind those great Racing Hart C2 wheels. HOVA! (H/T @saylnch!) [6speedonline via TCL]
There is an unofficial Datsun heritage museum in California. Which is unofficially fantastic. [Autoweek]
"If a Datsun 510 with minor modifications can take this kind of abuse that long, who knows how long a new 510 will last out there."
Even though the 510 wagon had a live rear axle (unlike its IRS-equipped sedan sibling), it still rates pretty high on the Cool-O-Meter™ in our book. Here's one whose street days are done.
This first words in this book come from the pen of Mario Andretti: "Paul Newman was one of us."
We're just starting to get updates from the action at Stafford Motor Speedway now. Apparently the inspections went smoothly, but cars started to disintegrate as soon as they touched the track.
So much speculation about the possibility of a Datsun 510 in the 24 Hours Of LeMons over the years, and now it's actually happening!
Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Here's the fourth Datsun 510 in the series.
We think Nissan should drag the admen who made this series of Bluebird commercials out of retirement and put them to work on their current product line. Yes, they're that good!
