Datsun 1600s are not necessarily rare, but honest, clean survivors do tend to stand out. This 1966 example is claimed to be an Idaho survivor that never saw road salt, indicating it was fair-weather car only. It comes with much of its original equipment, including the factory hardtop and numbers-matching dual carb motor. These can be bought cheaply all day long, but the good ones are worth the cost premium. Find it here on eBay with bidding just over $2K and the reserve unmet.
Inside, the first thing I noticed is how impressively clean the carpets are. And while you may hate the sheepskin, I’m guessing they’re period-correct and have kept the original seating surfaces in excellent condition. The dash, steering wheel and center console all look as the factory intended, and I love the left-side mount ignition key. Aside from adding some Coco mats, I’m not sure there’s much I’d worry about fixing in the cabin.
In addition to a robust enthusiast network and solid spares availability, the 1600s are also fairly inexpensive to run. Note I said to run, not to restore. They also accept a fair number of engine transplants, should you want to explore higher horsepower potential, but the dual carbs should offer all the fine tuning you could possibly want. The engine bay looks incredibly clean and while the seller notes it is original, little is said about its maintenance and/or rebuild history.
The trunk pan is impressively solid, and the presence of the original spare, jack and trunk mat are all encouraging signs as to its originality. The seller notes that beneath the factory hardtop is the original soft top frame which includes the original top, which we can only assume is somewhat tattered as a new replacement is included with the sale. The high levels of preservation and lack of visible modifications make this one worth a look, especially at the low current bidding.
These are nice looking cars, but back in the day they spent more time in the shop than on the road. Datsun, when the Japanese were more copiers than innovators, decided to “replicate” the great British sports cars such as Austin Healey, etc. and bake in all their problems as well. Later cars such as the 240Z were based on Mercedes designs (engine at least). Much better choice.
Ours was our only car when we were just married. We kept our ’67 after our first child was born. We bought an AUDI 100LS for family duties, and it was always in the shop. The 311 was bought used, and other than a clutch and a little carb work, ran as advertised.
Not as fast as the MGBs or Triumphs. Still, a lot of fun.
JP got to take issue, you are WRONG. These cars are reliable and fun. I have had an MGB and I own a 1600 in this color and it is so much better than the MGB. Dick, I owned an 100 LS as well, and you are spot on. I was a mechanic when the 5000 hit the used car market and just like all the Audis of the time, it was great when it worked and a nightmare when it didn’t. I am going to keep an eye on this one, those horrible seat covers not withstanding.
You can’t say JP was wrong because you got one of the good ones.
I for one knew somebody that bought one.
I asked him a little while later how the car was doing and he said it gave up on him, not the other way around.
I’m just remembering how it was back when these were new-ish. I’m sure running survivors have had many of the original kinks ironed out through the years, which may account for your impressions. I think the 2000 was a bit better, but can’t be sure. Early Audis sucked, no doubt, but that’s not much of a comparison…
JP I bought new 1966 1600, drove it 2 years, not one issue…..sold it went in Army. Came home and after a couple of years bought used 1966 1600 and drove it for years and years, never an issue over 100k and still have it.
Great, glad you got lucky. I’m sure there’s someone out there with a Yugo who’s enjoyed 250k trouble-free miles and would swear it’s the greatest car ever made. That said, everyone I knew who had a 1600 increased their obscenity vocabulary by at least 30% during ownership…
Que? Comparing a Datsun to a Yu-no-go? The 2000 was far more complex drivetrain-wise. Plagued with cracking ex manifolds and some cam chain issues, the 2000 was still better than my MGB. Our 1600’s pushrod engine and jackshaft carb adjustments were a dream compared to my 750 K-0. And it was stone reliable. I adjusted the valves on the 750 2÷1 over the 311. Neither one really needed much tweaking.
The Datsun/Audi comparo was an illustration between design philosophies, and customer base. The upscale Audi was supposed to be value-for-dollar. The only Chermann machine in my shop is my aging R 80 RT, and it’s quite fragile compared to my old R 75/5.
However, ” son, I say son!!! Pay attention BOY! (slap,slap), this 1600 will be worth more in smiles than any new sports car.” — Foghorn Leghorn
For those who have never experienced sheepskin seat covers, they are well worth the investment. I have had them fitted to every car that I have owned for the past 30 years. Here in Australia the sun can be quite vicious. It is not uncommon to sit in a car with vinyl or leather seats and soon find that your backside is cooked somewhere between medium and well-done! These prevent that and the fibres allow an air gap to develop between your skin and the seat, making for a much cooler experience. Even on a car fitted with cloth seats these are a major benefit. If you live in a hot climate and are prone to perspire, and staining will be on the seat covers, not on the valuable cloth seats, thus preserving the interior trim.
1 vote against the naysayers: best friend had one in the seventies and we couldn’t kill it. Even lost one of the black SU carburetor piston springs and, as we barely had gas money, replaced it with a screwdriver tied down with rubber bands. Drove all summer that way (twice to Yosemite) with no problems. Anecdotal to sure, but it’s what we do here!
I admit to having no personal experience with Datsun however a friend had a 67 Datsun wagon, that thing ran forever rust was what killed it, engine and tranny still worked perfectly with almost 200,000 miles on it he was a farmer and other than a pu which he sold,and used the wagon because much cheaper to drive and maintain