When these modest Japanese subcompacts arrived on foreign shores back in the 1960s and early 1970s, not much was expected of them. Products from carmakers with no image, dubious backgrounds, and peculiar names; Toyota, Mazda, Isuzu, Honda, Subaru. The cars themselves usually seen as less refined than those from European builders. An in looks, very modest in appearance; if not downright aesthetically challenged. Flimsy things that naysayers often dismissed.
And yet, decades later, some of those flimsy, suspect-looking pioneers can still be found around in working form, like this second-generation Datsun 1200 wagon. While their makers are generally still with us, as well-known worldwide enterprises.
Not sure how a tiny utilitarian offering like this Datsun has made it to our days; these were bought and used as family workhorses, with most falling in the line of duty. And is not like at first sight many thought they were that solid. Must have something to do with those Japanese long-life genes, or actually, that culture’s attention to detail. Yet more precisely, their awareness that their products were lacking certain attributes.
As much of the automotive press of the period noticed, these were not as refined as several of the products that came from European makers. Still, they were noted for having above-average build and well-assembled, straightforward hardware. And in the years that ensued, their makers worked hard toward improving in the refinement they were lacking. Stuff CC has talked about with this generation of Datsuns (links below).
If you missed those earlier CC chapters and want a quick catch-up, what you’re looking at is the second generation of the Sunny, Nissan’s answer to Toyota’s Corolla. Both models launched in 1966 as a new line of vehicles aimed at the rising Japanese middle class. Cars that became the “popular class”, more or less as they were known in their native market.
Unlike the Corolla, the Sunny wasn’t pushed as hard outside of Japan until the 1970-1973 second-generation showed up; the first subcompact Nissan most foreign markets ever saw. The Nissan vs. Toyota fight is an old one, and the Sunny played the role most of the company’s products have for decades, second in sales by a bit, and missing a few points to be number one in its class.
Outside Japan, these Sunnys were generally sold as the Datsun 1200. From what I see in the US brochure, they arrived stateside in 2-door coupe and sedan bodies, with today’s wagon nowhere to be seen.
So this wagon body found in San Salvador is news to US eyes. And from this angle, I believe the taillight lenses come from a later Datsun.
The Sunny 1200s are also very tiny and low; no compact today looks like this. Still, it’s attractively styled in an Italian-esque sort of way. Cars like the Sunny and the legendary 510 show the ways Nissan’s stylists had made great leaps in their capabilities since their clunkier toy-like 1950s products had appeared. Of course, Nissan was about to veer way into the outré soon after these Sunnys came out, but let’s not get into that and let’s remain in happier styling-grounds.
As some may point out, the wagon body style was generally aimed at commercial needs in Japan, consisting of 3-door versions that sold as “vans”. Interestingly, for the Sunny’s second-generation, a 5-door line was added, which is today’s find. Not sure how this was received in its native land, but Nissan did try to push itself as modestly upmarket in Asia and South America, and the 5-door must have sold under the idea of an economy family-hauler in this region.
Power for these generally came via an A-Series 1.2L inline-4 (which would look overly familiar to any BMC fan), and at least in this region, usually came with 4 and 5-speed manuals. Suspension was via MacPhersons upfront, with semielliptical leafs at the rear, which along with the short wheelbase, made for serviceable if choppy handling.
Still, they’re small and they’re light, and the A-series can be pushed hard and souped up. Does choppy equal sporty? I guess it does in the eyes of many. As this survivor shows, these early Datsuns have a following, and they’re a way to get “sporty” kicks for little money.
In the end, these early Japanese offerings are seen as either insufferable, claustrophobic econoboxes with rough rides, or trusty things that gained them a loyal following. There isn’t much light between those two points of view.
But whichever side of that equation you sit in, what can’t be denied is that this wagon has beaten the odds. A rare one, a little wagon that could, that’s likely tuned and must still belting a loud noise when pushed.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1972 Datsun 1200/Sunny Coupe: The Yang To The 1972 Cadillac’s Yin
I actually really liked the styling on these back then, and still now. As you wrote, Rich, the 1200 and 510, as well as the pickups, were really well-proportioned and even had pretty clean details before Nissan went crazy. And like the 510, this 1200 style really lent itself to the “long roof” wagon shape. As well as a pickup – I saw a lot of them in Ecuador when I was there in 2018.
Those pickups are still very popular, it’s the most common form of old Datsun seen around here. Fun to see that it’s a South American thing too.
Really nice to see one still going and obviously so well loved .
I’d polish and wax that lovely blue paint to a mirror shine, the better to showcase the lack of dents & ripples .
-Nate
I’m always fascinated by the early Japanese iron in your neck of the woods, Rich. Whether it’s just barely mobile or the recipient of a lot of hard labour like this one.
I hate to be ‘that guy’, but one slight correction – the first gen B10 Sunny was sold in Australia (as the Datsun 1000) as well, and quite popular too. I rode in two back in the day, one sedan, one coupe. The sedan had an automatic that was skipping gears. When you only have 66hp to play with, you need every ratio you can get; going from redline in first to a fast idle in top doesn’t do great things for forward progress!
Yes, I had a lapse of memory on that. There was a nice B10 coupe at the Cohort found in Australia some years ago; I guess a survivor from those days?
Nice, I wasn’t aware the 1200 came in other flavors since I’ve only seen the fastback coupes. First in the 70s when my father almost bought one and last year when my son had one parked out front waiting to be shipped back to Japan. By modern standards these are tiny, although they were simply small back then.