British roadsters took hold of America’s heartstrings after WWII and remained popular into the the ’70s. Meanwhile Datsun offered its own delightfully sporty Fairlady, called “Sports” in North America. This 1968 Datsun SPL311 roadster in Prescott, Arizona presents as an never-restored original, but pop the hood and you’ll get a surprise in the form of a 1999 Mazda Miata engine and related components. Check out more pictures and details on Facebook Marketplace where you can own this upgraded ragtop for $18,000. Thanks to reader T.J. for spotting this restomod roadster.
Certainly the Mazda Miata and this Datsun share kindred spirits, including a longitudinal inline four-cylinder arrangement, making the Miata a natural choice as a driveline donor. The sporty 1.8L DOHC BP-4W Mazda mill cranks out 140 HP, about 50% more than the original Datsun 1.6L’s impressive (for 1968) 96 HP. Thanks to Wikipedia for some details.
Around 1983 I spotted one of these for sale at Big Joe’s Market in Warren, Pennsylvania, an establishment better know for watermelons than odd Japanese roadsters. I pulled my first car, a 1973 Mercury Capri, into the lot for a closer look at the strange diminutive drop-top. I’d never seen one. Popping the hood revealed a twin-carb intake missing both carburetors and who knows what else. The asking price was $2000 and it looked much worse that this specimen. I got back into my $600 Capri and drove off, curiosity mostly satisfied. Styling-wise, Datsun’s done a splendid job here, and some might say the Fairlady’s lines beat the Brits at their own game.
Other picures show original seats in rough condition, but check out that Vintage Air panel. Despite being rough around the edges, you get your choice of fresh or conditioned air. The Miata five-speed manual gearbox takes over for the original four-speed.
An oversized fuel cell should provide plenty of range. Gear-heads hoping to see the elegant and capable Miata IRS under here may take a sigh after seeing original drum brakes and a live axle, but these cars handled well in their day. Think of it more as an upgraded classic than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This Datsun shows well-executed and appropriate engineering overall, and the new owner can play the ragged classic card without drawing challenges from video-game-trained tuners. When appropriate, though, that extra power will ignite a smile, while overdrive keeps the revs down on longer trips. How would you enjoy this modernized, Miata-powered Datsun?
I forgot to mention my neighbor had one of these for a while and his wife refused to ride in it, calling it a “death trap,” so now his classic is a 2000 or so Honda S2000.
Really a beautifully executed build. The right car at the wrong time.