Datsun 1600 News

The on-again, off-again Datsun 1600 is back on! We think.

And it is not the baby boomer generation who are driving the growth. It is a much younger demographic, those in their 20s and 30s, who are into Mazdas, Datsuns and Toyotas of the sixties and seventies.Brett Montague has owned his 1972 Datsun 1600 for four years. He and his father, Jim, found it on a Victorian property after a long nationwide search for a one. "It was being used as a paddock basher car" says Brett.What appealed to Brett was that despite the dents and scrapes the car was mostly rust free. He is a toolmaker by trade so the restoration was no hassle for him. Whilst Brett wanted to keep the car as stock as possible, the desire to use car daily in 21st century traffic changed his minds about the direction of the rebuild.Jim takes up the story: "We wanted to keep it as stock as possible, however it soon became obvious that to make it easy to drive in today's traffic a few modifications were needed to ensure reliability and tractability." Brett says that the original 1.6 litre engine has been replaced by the 2 litre version out of a Datsun 200B. A couple of Weber carburettors have been strapped to its side to improve the power output."The disc brakes are slightly larger than original and the front seats are ex-Skyline. The gearbox is also an ex-Skyline 5 speed. It is a little beefed-up all round, except for the radio. That's still the original AM unit" says Brett.The attention to detail on the Datsun is compelling. The car looks brand new and whenever it is taken to 'show and shines' it draws admiring comments.The 1600 was the car that really put the Japanese maker onto the world stage. First released in 1968, it was marketed as the Bluebird in Japan, the 510 in the USA and the 1600 elsewhere.What set it apart was its independent rear suspension and standard front disc brakes in a world where solid rear axles with leaf springs and drum brakes were still foisted onto consumers. Datsun made no secret that they used BMW and the benchmark and inspiration. The good bit was they sold the 1600 at half the BMW price.The 1600's sophisticated suspension made them agile race and rally cars. They won their class at Bathurst in 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1971 and the rally successes earned them a 'must have' status in that arena.David Burrell is the editor of www.retroautos.com.au 

Datsun 1600Ok, so it’s officially known as the Nismo IDx concept but Nissan isn’t fooling anyone. Fans are going to call this the Datsun 1600 regardless of what badge is fitted. It even has a 1.6-litre engine (albeit turbocharged). It was designed by a team of 100 youngsters who grew up getting to know the Datsun 1600 -- a car that has been around since before they were born -- on video games. Here’s hoping the rear-drive Toyota 86 rival comes to market quicker than the Nissan GT-R, which took seven years to become a showroom reality.Nissan GT-R NismoYou could be forgiven for dismissing the latest Nissan GT-R as just another special edition, but that would be a big mistake. This one is the fastest and most powerful (441kW and 652Nm) version of “Godzilla” yet. The 0 to 100km/h times are yet to be published but there are rumours it’s as low as 2.5 seconds. Powered by massive, oversized turbochargers and with chassis input from the Wiliams F1 team, the GT-R Nismo can lap the Nurburgring is a staggeringly quick 7 minutes and 8 seconds.Honda FCEVIt’s 1997 all over again. Back then, Honda and Toyota were in a race to bring petrol-electric hybrid technology to the masses. Honda pipped Toyota to market but Toyota ended up producing a more successful hybrid system. Toyota has sold more than 5 million hybrid cars since. Now both brands are in a race to introduce hydrogen power to the masses, with a target of 2015. Honda has had a small number of hand-built Clarity fuel cell vehicles in customer hands since 2010, but this FCEV concept is a pointer to its replacement.Toyota FCVThis oddly shaped Toyota FCV sedan concept with its gaping mouth is the company’s play for the world’s first hydrogen car for the masses. Toyota says a production version of this concept will be in showrooms in 2015. Here’s hoping Toyota follows its tradition of toning down its concept cars by the time it makes full production.Daihatsu FC DeckIn Tokyo, small is big and big is small. That’s the case with the Daihatsu FC Deck, by far the coolest concept from the pint-sized car-makers. It looks like a shrunk semi trailer, or a candidate for a new show that could be called “Ice Rink Truckers”. It is, in fact, a cute way for Daihatsu to get customers familiar with the new design theme for its next generation of flat-nose vans. Which is a shame. Daihatsu should build it as is.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling _______________________________________ 

The iconic Datsun 1600 could be revived as a budget-priced rear-drive sports-coupe, if this Nissan concept car from the Tokyo motor show is a guide. The IDx Nismo concept took centre stage on the Nissan stand -- ahead of the updated GT-R -- with two models: a retro-themed lime green standard car and a sports model with hints of rally versions of early Datsun 1600s.The concept car is powered by a 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder engine which drives the rear wheels. Company insiders say it could fill the void left by the exit of the Nissan 200SX and be a cheaper alternative to the Nissan 370Z.Nissan says many of the designers of the IDx were people who "grew up playing racing simulation games" and fell in love with the iconic Datsun 1600, which is older than many of the people who designed the IDx.The original Datsun 1600 was a favourite among professional and amateur rally drivers because of its nimble frame, powerful engine and rear-drive chassis.Nissan has not confirmed the IDx will go into production but if early reaction to the car at the show is a guide, the Japanese company will be buoyed by the positive response.Here’s hoping the modern Datsun 1600 gets a green light faster than the Nissan GT-R did. Nissan showed the concept GT-R in 2001 but the production version wasn’t released until late 2007. Watch the desktop version of the Nissan IDx concepts video here.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling_______________________________________