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.
My wife feels pretty much the same way with all my vintage rides… one of them, a Triumph GT6, I’ve owned for well over a decade, she won’t even sit in… Oh well…
1 ride down the highway in my (former) Miata and wifey refused to ride in it again. About that time Ford released the S550 Mustang so I was happy enough to change.
Really a beautifully executed build. The right car at the wrong time.
Nice clean build and a good engine choice. Car’s as clean as they get.
IMHO opinion the price is waaaay to high!
On the way to high, or just “too” high? I dunno, lots of nice mechanical upgrades and chassis looks fresh. Not a crazy asking price, who knows?
That is a nice clean swap. I’d like to feel that added power. I had a ’68 1600 that ran great until I missed a shift and jumped the cam. Oops. At Carlisle I saw a very nice early Sunbeam Alpine with a Datsun 2000 engine swap. Also nicely done. 18K is more than I would pay for this one, but I do like it.
What about my 1970 2000 fairlady?
She is all original and pumps out 150 hp
without playing upgrade games.5 speed gearbox standard equipment, a/c is outside.
I’m not selling her, cooler than a miata mixup….and quicker.
Honestly I wish I had that kind of money to drop on a toy like this because I would be bringing it home living here in Hells Canyon we have a lot of roads to just go cruise on its kinda fun living just a hour drive from the time zone change because your day gets longer or shorter depending on what direction you’re going
Interesting build and a swap that makes sense… but $18k is all the money.
We live in a world where appearance is foremost. This car is extremely clean in all the right places and the engine swap is an excellent choice. What hurts this car for $18K is the paint. If he painted it with a decent acrylic enamel, it would go a long way to helping it sell. It was Datsun’s version of an MGB!
Today the Miata is the newest MGB.😁
I preferred my 1966 with a lower chromed windshield. I swapped the 1600 for a 2000 forklift engine that bolted right up. I also preferred the simple flat dashboard and rear view mirror mounted on the dash sill.
My brother dragged home a 67 1/2 1600 at 15. Rebuilt the engine and drove it for 10 years. As a senior in college he bought a 2000 (with solexes) race car and we swapped the engines because he wanted to be in G production. I loved those cars.
Spring break we towed the race car with the streetcar (still with the 1.6) from Manhattan Kansas to Kansas City.
The 1970 SRL only produced 135 horsepower, same as the NB Miata.