The Datsun 510 was part of the Nissan Bluebird lineup sold in the US market from 1968 through 1973. The sheet metal was penned by Datsun in-house designer Teruo Uchino and the suspension was cribbed from the BMW 1600/2000/2002 -- MacPherson strut in front and semi-trailing arms in the back. It was the poor man's BMW when new and given the recent run up in BMW 2002 prices, that name rings true today. Find this 1972 Datsun 510 2-Door offered for $8,500 in Rochester, NY via craigslist. Tip from Sam. 
The 510 is mildly modified with a set of body painted bumpers; not to everyone's taste, but simple enough to fix if it isn't your thing. The dealer installed alloy wheels look good and the car hasn't been modified by the stance crowd.
This 510 lives somewhere between an original survivor car and a restored example, but the price isn't totally out of whack with either market. The SSS steering wheel makes a nice upgrade and the vehicle is equipped with the original L16 inline four, a 1.6L non-crossflow OHC tractor puller that made 92 hp brand new.
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Call me certifiable but I prefer the 4 doors here, with just a wee bit of stance for effect. That they are less spendy than the 2 doors is buttercream.
ReplyDeleteYeah, old nickel-dimes are cool, but my memory of that era of car has at least as much to do with the girlfriends who owned them as the cars themselves.
ReplyDeleteThere's a couple old Celicas out there somewhere that (if not shredded by now) that...well, we didn't have video phones and iCloud back then...thank God.
Wheels and springs could do wonders to this car.
ReplyDeleteWow, it is now down to $8K. This is interesting. Rochester is not too far from my igloo. Sounds like a road trip might be in order.
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