Otherwise known as a 610 or Nissan Bluebird, this 180B is a UK-market model with the desirable SSS trim. This denotes the 180B has the twin-carb version of the 1.8L L18 four-cylinder, along with a 5-speed manual and other sport-focused features. Rarity is high here, and the seller notes that there are only four examples still actively registered in the UK. If you find yourself bored and on YouTube, search for some videos – they make a glorious noise. Find this barn find example here on eBay with bidding at £6,400 and the reserve unmet.
We didn’t get the SSS here in the states (did we get anything fun in the 1970s?) so I’m sure this car will attract attention from multiple markets beyond just UK buyers. Although you might be expecting the worst based on that top photo, the Datsun looks reasonably tidy once extracted from its barn. The fender-mounted mirror, undamaged grill, original wheels and intact glass are all encouraging signs that this 180B hasn’t been modified like so many others before it.
Even the cabin appears more than good enough to simply plop yourself down in without too much cleaning. The wood veneer on the dash is in excellent condition, and the presence of factory items like the steering wheel and seats (in excellent condition, apparently) are all very encouraging signs. The 180B was marketed under a variety of names in different markets and remains quite popular today in places like Australia and Japan. Without the SSS trim, this would still be a rare find but not nearly as desirable; those twin Hitachi carbs made all the difference on a car like this.
Most of the Datsun variants we received stateside came with ugly rubber bumpers, but this one retains the pretty chrome units that accentuated the original body lines as Datsun intended. The 180B cleaned up quite nicely as you can see here, and the seller says it runs sweetly but still needs some fine tuning. Also, the “…ignition barrel key was lost so they broke the barrel to be able to move it,” so factor that into your repair plans. This is a rare find in any country and would be such a treat to see restored to OEM condition. I’m sure it will be – now, are any of our Australian readers bidding on this one?
Holy schnikes, nice find, Jeff!
We have cars like that here in Mexico as well.
If any of you are interested in these let me know.
Mexico is much closer than the UK.
Here is a wagon available here right now.
Here is the front end.
And the interior. $1800.00 USD is the price on this one.
Great price! Is it possible to import & register in the U.S.? Thanks.
Suttree, because of the new 25 year rule in the US, people are bringing in all kinds of cars from all over the world.
I am not sure how they get smogged in some states as this car is listed as a 1978 model.
Miguel, please stop repeatedly advertising in the comments section. Why? It is a real scumbag move…
@dgrass. I don’t entirely agree with you as Miguel doesn’t appear to be promoting his own vehicles but mainly giving you lucky Americans the chance to buy difficult to find, interesting vehicles, that are much closer to home.
@ken TILLY, if you were on the spectrum perhaps you might notice the subtle nuances too. Most people have a tendency to overlook things I see clear as day. *tips hat*
What am I advertising. I am showing the difference in price from the US cars or in this case a car in the US to cars here in Mexico.
Miguel, if you wish to post a car for sale, try talking to staff. Thanks.
Where did you get the idea the car was for sale?
I don’t own it.
If you haven’t, go back and read my other answer to you.
Dgrass – what “spectrum” do you refer to?? Asbergers??
A lot of these (but not all) were fitted with a very special version of the L18 engine. In standard trim the L18 featured dual valve springs and a double-row roller timing chain. The really special SSS engines also featured a forged steel crank. I had one of those engines fitted to a 180B sedan in the early 1980s. It was happy to spin to 8000 rpm all day. I’ve been racking my brain trying to remember how you can tell the difference between those with and those without the steel crank from the outside, but it’s eluding me at the moment. Curse this old age! Regardless of that, these were a really sweet handling little car.
Like Adam said, these were great handling cars in their day and quite comfortable to ride in.
Those L-Series four cylinder engines were bulletproof and could be made a lot of very reliable HP. There was even a twin-cam version that usually found itself in the Violet coupe (the same model as Miguel’s wagon, posted above).
Hopefully, the example above has the five-speed ‘box installed. This particular transmission has a dog-leg first gear (down, to the left), with the rest of the forward cogs in the traditional H-pattern. I replaced the four-speed in that Datsun pick up I mentioned awhile back with one and found it easy to flick the lever between gears.
One of you guys, stateside, should have a chat with Miguel about that wagon. I’d be interested in knowing what engine’s sitting under the hood.
I am not sure what engine is in this car. Here is a picture of the engine that is in a similar year and model. I know nothing about Datsun engines, so I don’t know what this one is.
If anybody does know, please tell me.
I had to look through 12 ads for Datsuns to find a picture of an engine. I guess they don’t think that is an important part of the car to show.
That’s an A series. Most common we the a12 and a15 varieties. Not as popular or arguably as good as the L series motors.
This is in my 180bsss (610)
Bob Sharp ran the 610 competitively in SCCA B-Sedan. Tom Cruise even ran one of Sharp’s ‘starter’ cars.
While watching Jay Leno’s Garage when he had the JDM Nissan on there, Jay mentioned that Nissan sent cars to the US under the Datsun name just in case the cars were a flop, they wouldn’t hurt the Nissan brand.
How does that explain the Datsun name used in Mexico?
It doesn’t Miguel. The Datsun brand was used globally until the mid-1980s, when the company decided to use the company name (Nissan) across all its products.
Previously, Nissan was used for its commercial vehicle range, and when Prince Motors was merged with Nissan in the 1960s, that brand was dropped a few years after. Probably a good thing, as how many of you guys would want to drive a Prince Gloria? On the plus side, Prince was also the creator of the legendary Skyline model.
Was the Datsun name used in Europe as well during the ’70s?
yes before they changed to Nissan, they were named “Datsun”, when they changed a while “Nissan by Datsun”
This is my 180bsss (610) sold in the U.K. 1975, not listed as a U.K. car now as it resides in Guernsey which is an island in the English channel.
My buddy was the local host for Jay Leno when he visited the Nissan Heritage collection for an episode of Jay’s Garage. I haven’t seen the show yet…guess it has already shown up online. Need to check.
My father had a 180b in the 1980s it was the first car I drove at the age of 12 although the reg is still on the dvla uk website Rnc366r I can only presume it was scrapped at some point loved the car