1969 Datsun 510

Production of the Datsun 510 four-door sedan and wagon began in 1967, followed by a two-door coupe a year later. Initially the 1.6-liter L-series four-cylinder engine offered just under 100 horsepower. Teruo Uchino was instrumental in the design of the car, under the direction of Nissan's Head of Design Kazumi Yotsumoto. Uchino had been tasked with making the prior 410 Bluebird, which had been styled by Pininfarina, to appear 'less Italian.' Apart from the side crease (which Nissan described as the 'supersonic line') of the 410, the 510 was a new design.

Nissan's US President Yutaka Katayama, often referred to as Mr. K., was influential in the design. Mr. K was a motorsport aficionado and in 1958, took a Nissan/Datsun team to Australia to compete in the 10,100 mile Mobilgas Rally. Nissan's management were opposed to the team competing as nearly half of the entrants would not finish the grueling course. Katayma, on the other hand, argued that finishing the race would catapult the brand and stimulate sales. Of the two Datsun 210's entered, one won its class and the other placed fourth in class.

Yutaka Katayama nearly lost his job over the Mobilgas Rally, but instead was sent over sea's where he became the president of Nissan USA in 1965. The struggles continued, as Mr. K tried to convince Japanese executives that U.S. buyers had very different expectations and needs. Among those included the model names such as 'Bluebird' and 'Fairlady.' Upon arriving at U.S. ports, he had them replaced with numerical codes. Another concern voiced by Mr. K was the 1.4-liter engine, Datsun's largest available engine, which was far less than the 1.9-liter unit offered by rival brand Toyota. Japanese executives felt that the 1.4-liter unit was good enough for Japanese buyers, and would be sufficient for the American public. With much determination, Mr. K found a company executive ally named Keiichi Matsumura, who approved the creation of a 1.6-liter four in early 1966. A year later, the Datsun 510 was introduced with the 1.6-liter engine.

Backed by a four-speed manual transmission, the 510 was capable of going from zero-to-sixty mph in 13 seconds, and had a top speed of 100 mph. This made it faster than the Toyota Corolla and nearly as fast as the BMW 1600.

The Datsun 510 had an independent suspension setup, with semi-trailing arms and coil springs in the back and MacPherson struts and coil springs in the front. The 510 station wagons had a slightly different setup, with a live rear axle and leaf springs. In comparison, the BMW 'Neue Klasse' also employed a MacPherson strut front suspension and a trailing arms coil spring independent rear.

Front disc and rear drums provided the stopping power. Pricing for the sedan began at $1,996 while the wagon was $200 higher. This meant the Datsun 510 was about $300 more expensive than the Volkswagen Beetle, and $500 cheaper than a BMW 1600.

Mr. K recognized the importance of motorsports to promote the brand, so with the help of Peter Brock and Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE), the 510 captured the Under 2.5-liter Trans Am championship in 1971 and 1972. In 1970, a rally-prepared 510 won at Australia's 6,340-mile Ampol Trial, and the East African Safari Rally.

Mr. K's formula for selling vehicles in America was proven accurate when Datsun sales went from 45,496 in 1967, to 155,021 in 1970.

Production of the first 510 series came to a close in 1973.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2020