This pair of Datsun roadsters have been laid up for years, and for good reason: the red one suffered from a cabin fire and the white car has had its motor removed and disassembled. The asking price for both is $9K, which seems like a strong ask to me. However, there could be a treasure trove of parts here, or the option to build a perfect car out of the two of them. Personally, I just want the vintage license plate frame. Find the pair here on craigslist in New Jersey.
The white car, which is said to have some rust, is the one I’d choose out of the two. At least with some metal fatigue of the rust kind you know what you’re dealing with; metal fatigue caused by intense heat is a different can of worms all together. The old-school New Jersey blue plates give some sense as to how long this pair has been sitting, and trim pieces like the luggage rack and bumper guard on the red car are nice accessories to have.
The red 2000 clearly suffered from a brutal cabin fire that interestingly didn’t scorch the front nose panel or the rear trunk panel. The seats are done for but the frames are still there; the dash is gone as is the steering wheel and door panels. This seems like a lot of work to correct, especially when there’s a second car that hasn’t been through a catastrophic event like a fire. Perhaps the red car is the engine donor if the white car’s motor isn’t savable.
Is there any chance the red 2000 could live again? The rest of the car appears to be in a high state of completion, and the seller calls it a “low mileage” example. While I’ve dealt with some basketcases in my day, I’ve never attempted a car that fell victim to a fire. There’s going to be a time when these classic Datsun roadsters begin to pick up steam value-wise, so perhaps this pair of 2000s is worth picking up to build one showstopper of a car to sell on.
Ugly lil MG wanna bes
I once commented that the Datsun was a ripoff of the MGB styling. I was severely and immediately corrected that the Japanese car actually predates the MG.
Both are highly desirable cars.
And if the Datsun were a rip-off copy of the MGB, it was a very poor one as they left out the overheating, oil leaks, shorting electrics, failing brakes . . . and all the other traits of little British sports cars we find so endearing!
Although the red one may have had shorting electrics…
The white one is a dead ringer to the white ’69 2000 I drove in the early ’70s. Being 19, I topped it out at 140 mph on a regular basis, 5th gear was a tall overdrive you didn’t shift into until about 70 mph, then it had long legs up to 140. MG wannabe? I think not,
Color me skeptical on the 140mph claim. Maybe if you shoved it off a very tall building.
About 1971 I passed a CHP on the San Bernardino Freeway through Ontario at about 120. My friend who was letting me drive said “No worry, he (the CHP) can only do 125, this is much faster! Granted his had the twin Solex carbs in place of the Hitachi SU copies, but otherwise it was a garden variety Datsun 2000 – and I’ve always found them much more satisfying to drive than the 240Z that killed the roadsters off. And the CHP officer – he never even tried to pursue us!
Must remember datsun is way more reliable and modifiable than mg plus the brits love lucas(prince of darkness) enough said
I had a tall windscreen and a short. I can attest to the high horsepower, tall gears. The 2 liter twin carb engine was the predecessor to the historical 240 Z engine. I sold both for a song. They were VERY well built cars.
Those darn firemen, always damaging burning cars!
Admittedly, I click on some of these BarnFinds links just to read the comments.
still….neat-o cars…..
Japanese been gettin Brit tech & ideas waaaay B 4 the 2 cars mentioned were around. ‘S OK tho – “world car” did not evolve in the ’80s, it’s been since Mr. Diesel’n, Mercedes or Benz…
Ck ur history books, pretty interesting (in my mind)…