- Seller: Gerry J (Contact)
- Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
- Mileage: 69,586 Shown
- Chassis #: HLB210025988
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 1.3-Liter Inline-4
- Transmission: 4-Speed Manual
While not as sought after as its sibling, the Datsun 510, these B210s are starting to gain a dedicated following. Finding solid and clean original examples is nearly unheard of, as most were abused and sent to the recycler many years ago. This one isn’t in perfect condition, but it’s a two-owner car with just 69k miles showing and is in pretty impressive condition. It’s being offered here as a Barn Finds Auction, so if you’ve been hunting for a classic Datsun, be sure to bid below!
The B210 was marketed under several names, but it was most commonly known as the Sunny. The third iteration of the Sunny debuted during the 1970s oil crisis and proved to be a major hit with buyers globally, as it was efficient, affordable, and fun to drive. It was offered in several body styles, but North America only received the two-door variants. This Fastback Coupe looks sporty, especially for an economy-focused car.
The interior is simple and functional. As you can see, this one is equipped with the 4-speed manual transmission. The major components all look to be in good condition. The odometer is currently showing 69,586. There’s no documentation provided to authenticate the mileage, but the overall condition seems to back it up well.
In ’74, the only engine offered in the B210, at least in North America, was Datsun’s A-series 1.3-liter inline four-cylinder. Even though this was one of the most fuel-efficient cars on the market, it still received emission controls to meet US regulation, so it produced just 67 horsepower and 71 foot-pounds of torque. Given the car’s 2,000-pound curb weight, you don’t need much power to have fun zipping around town. The seller states that the engine is in good order and runs well.
The seller notes that there are a few cosmetic issues here that you might want to deal with right away. The paint needs some attention on the passenger rear corner, which the seller provided photos of. There are a few rust spots, one on the passenger side lower quarter just in front of the rear wheel, and the other in the front quarter lower behind the front wheel.
This looks like a great project! These are getting hard to find these days, and this is one of the cleaner examples we’ve seen in a while. With a bit of work, it could be a very presentable and fun car to have. Be sure to cast your high bids below and leave any questions you have for the seller below.
Bid On This Auction
RickA1965 bid $2,500.00 2025-05-29 09:14:20
Steve bid $2,100.00 2025-05-29 08:38:06- RickA1965 bid $2,000.00 2025-05-27 14:46:14
- Steve bid $500.00 2025-05-23 08:53:04
Great cars , a friend in high school had 74′ model , four speed. Fast ? No , Fun Yes. I drove it for a week straight. Great gas mileage , small gas tank. Nissan , sorry Datsun made great manual transmission back in the day. I believe Nissan still does make a great manual . It just needed another gear , a five speed would have been great. Gosh , I miss 1975 and driving fun cars. Another friend had a 70 el Camino SS454. Now that was a fast car. Story for another day. Great times
Datsun might have “made a great manual transmission” but it was borrowed from the British Austin gearbox. The 5 speed Datsun gearbox from a few years later is highly sought as a updated swap into A-series Sprites and Midgets. No more manual trannies from Nissan. VW had the last passenger car to offer them (in 2020 ish).
What? VW had manual last year, and I just test drove a manual Mazda 3. Plus subaru, Honda and Toyota.
And Nissan offers a manual in the Versa
Nissan still offers a manual in the Versa, the last 5-speed on the market. If you want a new one, hurry – it’s fallen victim to tariffs and the ones in the supply chain are the last.
Those 5 sapped transmissions are from Datsun 210s,
NOT B210s.
Haven’t seen one of these on the road in years, along with the 240/260Z… actually Datsun made some cool looking rides, affordable and good gas mileage…good luck on
I had a ’78 B210.It had a 4 speed.I found an NOS driveshaft ($75!),
& did a 5 speed swap that I got from a parts car I bought.After getting
the transmission in,I found out that the driveshafts are different for the
5 speed.Of course,the NOS one was for a 4 speed,so I ended up swapping
back the 4 speed.
After spending about $4500 (I got the car for $1),I ended up selling it
for $800,including a ton of NOS parts that i collected.
Never heard back from the buyer.It scares me to think what happened to the car.
Did you run it without side glass for very long?
I was going to go completely through it,but lost interest.
I did get all the glass back in.
This looks like something you can affordably tool around town in if you’re nostalgic for the 70’s. I’m not sure it’s worth much considering the paint and rust issues, the lack of a 5th gear etc. The cost to paint this alone would exceed the value of the car. All that said, I remember these fondly from my college years.
Always fun little cars you would be amazed at what you can actually fit in the back of one of these
my kids called my car “the Bomb” or the “b-2slow” either one fit pretty well. it was almost indestructable. I put 250k miles on my 76 in 8 yrs. Drove it from Lousiana to Tulsa to N. dakota about 20 times. It never failed me.
My friend had one in high school. We called it the “210Z “. You could fit 3 people in the back seat . But skinny people only. 2 football players sat shoulder to shoulder. Fun car , great on gas
My older sister’s first car was a Datsun 73 B210 and she swears by that that car even today.This car looks like it will make a great daily driver with a little touch up. Good luck Steve.
The first year of the B210 was 1974.
It had an A13 (1300 cc) engine,& no smog pump.
My oldest sister bought a 78 b210 new but it was a notch back not the more common fastback it was a honey bee special whatever THAT meant it was dark green very dependable little car but it dissolved in the Florida beach climate and by 84 there was barely enough left to take to the scrapyard never less though it was actually a fun little car to drive when I visited her quite different than my car back home which was a 71 El Camino with a 402 4 speed
They did import a 4-door model.
My parents bought a 4-door B-210 in Orange brand new. It was my first car in the early ‘80s.
They actually did import a 4-door model in 1974. My parents bought an orange one new in Bristol VA and it was my first car in the early 80s. Fun memories—especially those hubcaps and that dash!
All 3 body styles – 2- and 4-door sedans and this hatchback coupe – were sold in the US for the entire run, 1974-8.
There were wagon variations with both 2 and 4 doors, neither of which were imported.
In 1970 something I gained a lot of respect for these 210’s. Any car that can roll over four times out in the forest land on its wheels and keep going for the rest of the summer has to be a good purchase
I had a B210 after owning a ’71 Datsun 1200 (Sunny Coupe or B110). Loved that car. Rebuilt the engine with Datsun racing parts from the dealer (cam, lifters) and header from JC Whitney with 2″ exhaust. Was going to add a Weber side draft but never got around to it.
That cancer is a bit scary. Those are going to be some huge holes when it gets cut out. Some underside pics would be helpful. Could be too far gone to make restoration cost-effective.
On the plus side, I love that it still has all the original equipment…. radio, honeycomb wheel covers, steering wheel, etc.
A guy from work had one that he stripped out to be a racecar. It was lowered, an aggressive camshaft, header and the only glass was the windshield. He said that he weighed all the parts he removed and it totalled almost 600 pounds. That car screamed! I automatically had a new respect for those little overhead valve Datsun engines. If I ran into one local that was in decent condition. I would buy it just to play with it.
I have a ’77 B210 hatch in orange. 148,000 miles runs like a sewing machine. Zero rust (imported from California) and only repairs have been shocks. I get 30mpg with the optional 5 speed, so expect this one to get 25ish with the 4 speed, which is like 50mpg today. Good car!
I bought a new 1974 B210 Hatchback in very pretty metallic brown on brown color scheme. A lot of girls I met thought it was a Z and I did not feel they needed further explanation. Great little car, lots of fun and faster than the 1971 Toyota Corolla Coupe I traded in.
I don’t see how you’d ever confuse a B210 with a Z.
Did those girls have a white cane & seeing eye dog?
I lived in the SF Bay Area…if it wasn’t a VW Bug or Van, a lot of the hippie chicks knew nothing about cars ;)
LOL!!! Whoa — I needed a good belly laugh. — Thanks.
Back in the late 70’s, a friend had a Datsun B210 – dark green 2dr, but she knew nothing about how to maintain it and work on it, so I did that for her. — Unfortunately, every time I had to do something under the hood – besides change the oil or spark plugs – it turned into a labor of hate. — For example: the engine was overheating. The radiator was flowing perfectly, so it had to be the water pump or thermostat, and so I went to work on that – and it was a nightmare. There was no way to get to the thermostat without taking the front end of the car apart – including taking out the radiator, fan blade and water pump – which was exactly what the mechanics manual said had to be done. And so I did just that and finally got down to the thermostat, removed the housing and popped it out. Yep – it was stuck shut – actually ‘corroded shut’, which as probably due to her not having the correct amount of antifreeze in the cooling system. Since i had the radiator and water pump out, I checked that water pump and it was working fine, and flushed out the radiator.
After it was all done and put back together, a full work day had gone by, which made me even more thankful to have an American car that only took 30 to 45 minutes to change out the thermostat and not much more time to replace the water pump. So, most likely why the B210 and other engines designed this way are no longer on the road is they overheated and warped the head and/or block. — The steering coupler on her B210 wore out too. Ask me about what it took to replace that – or maybe not – it was just as difficult.
So – you may want to think twice about putting a B-210 in your collection – unless you love working on cars all day for a minor repair.
I’ve had mine for 4 years. It has 145,000 miles on it. Runs like a sewing machine. Only work I’ve needed to do has been shocks. I’m sure if it was my daily there would be greater issues popping up, but as a collector car its been great and gets lots of thumbs up.
So, you’ve never had to replace the thermostat on your B210? That’s amazing! And since the steering coupler on the B210 is two crossed pieces of layered leather sewn together, I’m surprised that’s never needed to be replaced. The gal’s B210’s steering was very sloppy, which I found was due to the coupler being deteriorated to the point it was tearing and not far from tearing through – which would have made the car out of the driver’s control. She was lucky to have it caught in time to get replaced.
The B210 could have been a very good car to have. It’s engine was plenty enough to power the car and its hatchback with the back seat folded down made it capable of hauling stuff most cars couldn’t. But, the design flaws I found in it were inexcusable to me and made me never to want to have one, as there were probably other bad flaws I had yet to find.
My former neighbor had one of these and he raced with it at Road America for years in the Brian Redman annual event. Just seemed to be a great little thing for a hobby like competition. Curious if he still does. He moved away over 20 years ago and I miss him. Thanks