Nissan built a series of roadsters in the 1960s that would be called the Fairlady, although in export markets like the U.S., it would be called “Sports” or 1500 as a call-out to its engine size. They were designed to give European entries like MG, Triumph, and others some competition from another continent. This example is from 1964 and has the rare third-passenger seating option, but the car would be scarce with or without that feature. Located in Longmont, Colorado, this Japanese-built project is available here on craigslist without a specific price as the seller is fielding offers (testing the waters).
The Fairlady was launched in 1959 and would carry Nissan’s sports car torch until the Z-cars came along in the early 1970s. It used a modified version of the Bluebird econobox sedan as its basis, The engine had a displacement of 1497-cc with an output of 77 hp, but that was upgraded later with an additional carburetor to get to 85 horses. And a 4-speed manual transmission was your only choice. When the seller’s car was built with left-hand drive, Nissan had only been in the U.S. market for six years, so you didn’t run across these little cars at every street corner.
We’re told this Datsun is a barn find that’s been sitting for some 25 years. Its fuel pump had given out and was never replaced. The seller has sourced a new part but hasn’t installed it due to being short on time in advance of an upcoming move. The status of the engine is unknown, and the seller is unaware if it’s seized after all these years. These cars had a choice of being either a hardtop or convertible, but the latter has taken flight over time.
The light blue paint could be original, but the body has some minor damage and rust as you might expect for being nearly 60 years old. There’s an aluminum luggage rack mounted on the trunk lid that could have been added by the dealer when new. The odometer reading is 15,000, but that seems too low to be accurate. This would be an interesting project to restore, assuming it doesn’t take a small (or large) fortune to acquire the 1500. Thanks for turning us onto this seldom-seen classic, Gunter Kramer
2JZ might fit with a little ingenuity.
;-)
Was thinking similar… But keep it in the Nissan family. An sr20det would be perfect. Resto-mod the rest.
Testing the water translates to I want more than its really worth lets see if someone is willing to pay my ridiculous price.
I know where there are two of them rotting in a parking lot probably only parts cars now
Every car … LS SWAP LS SWAP HhhhaaAa
These were all convertibles. Hard tops were after market produced.
One of my favorite cars. My ‘66 1600 with a roll bar. I later replaced the 1600 motor with a used 2000 forklift motor- not much difference in performance- but for 200 bucks….
The ‘66-‘67 are the best with lower profile chrome wind screen and flat dashboard.
I’m sick to death with people “testing the waters”, having replied to more than a few, only to be told “decided to keep”, or not hearing back at all. If you are testing, put it on E-bay, where everyone can see what’s on offer. Otherwise, I’m not interested.
I had one. Off white. The original 3 main bearing engine went bad, so I replaced it with a 1600 from a ’66 wreck. I miss that car. I got the hard top for use in the winter. The original soft top was of the erector set type, and totally non insulated….A real enthusiast doesn’t care if it’s snowing in his lap.
It is a sweet car that aspires to be an MG. The MG is the better option with a ton of very reasonably priced parts that are still in production.
I own a Midget and the darned thing can frustrate me at times but it is dead simple to keep running and parts are very reasonable.
I recently priced out bearings rotors and pads for my Journey…..
The Midget was 1/5th the price for parts.
If I’m not mistaken, that round emblem on the fiberglass hardtop is the Palmer Plastics Co emblem, they made hardtops for many European, British, & Japanese open cars.
Note that the car doesn’t have a folding cloth top. To install the top you had to remove the folding top assembly, so a potential buyer should ask the seller to look for the cloth top assembly.
Like the rare Mercedes-Benz 280sl California with the folding back seat [good for 2 kids], while the hardtop can be removed, there was no place to stow the top when down. I owned one of the 280sl California cars, and a few months after selling it the new owner called me wanting to pick up the folding top. Again I explained it was a California special and didn’t have a folding top. He was not a happy camper, because on looking at it closer, he saw that the car never had the opening lid for the top storage area. That area was taken up by the rear seat!
Raced against these cars for years and they were fast. Helped a friend restore one and the chassis was well done and very stiff but they didn’t pay any attention to rust possibilities.
Beautiful project. Guy needs to get it on tires that turn and hold air if he needs more than $2k as it sits. Transport difficulty should be minimized by sellers. Cars laying in the bushes or stuck to a workshed floor car still have value, but be realistic. I wouldn’t want to speak to him and say, “if you do this this and this, I’ll pay this much. Tires that hold air and a rolling car even if you have to pull the brakes you do it yourself to move it in the shop. That won’t take kindly to flatbed tow hook winch stuck like that.