The ten best Datsuns of all time ...

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Love the Patrol, never seen one. Silvia is sleek and rare but they don't seem as well built (strong) as a Z.
 

AD240Z

Club Member
Anything like that is always going to be prettty subjective thread - Imagine the results /discussion over a 'Ten best pairs of boobs' article ......... ( imagine the mods working overtime on that one ) .

I love the look of the Patrol and Silvia too.
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
No GT-R ever wore 'Datsun' emblems when it left the factory.

All the 'Datsuns' cited as '10 best' in this article are, in fact, Nissans.
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
Only good thing about this article is that he spelled 'Kaishinsha' correctly. Nine times out of ten people write 'Kwaishinsha' because they have copied somebody else's mistake. 'Kwaishinsha' is actually impossible in Japanese.
 

AD240Z

Club Member
No GT-R ever wore 'Datsun' emblems when it left the factory.

All the 'Datsuns' cited as '10 best' in this article are, in fact, Nissans.

I did wonder about that myself - thanks for clearing up.

Whenever there seems to be an article written like this - there seems to always be endless inaccuracies - is that because the information is particularly hard to research( dont think so in this case ) because of language for example ,or just lousy and lazy journalism?

Perhaps google translate just doesnt quite do the job?
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
Whenever there seems to be an article written like this - there seems to always be endless inaccuracies - is that because the information is particularly hard to research( dont think so in this case ) because of language for example ,or just lousy and lazy journalism?

Probably a little of all of the above, but - in my opinion - the whole world seems to be confused over the relationship between 'Datsun' and 'Nissan' and this is what gets people off on the wrong foot. You'll even encounter people who are under the misapprehension that Nissan used to be called Datsun.

Worldwide, and even in Japan, there's very strong affection for the 'Datsun' name, but any 'Datsun' built after 1933/34 is actually a Nissan.
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
Surely Nissan is to Datsun as Rootes was to Humber back in the day, parent company of the 'brand'?

Different situation I'd say. Humber had a long history of its own as a manufacturer in the pioneer age (including racing, and employing future Sunbeam star engineer Louis Coatalen) before being bought up by the Rootes brothers in the late 1920s and eventually the Chrysler group in the late 1960s.

A 'Datsun' was only ever a product. First in 1914 as the 'DAT Car' by Masujiro Hashimoto's Kaishinsha Jidosha Seizo ('D', 'A' and 'T' being the initials of his three key investors) and later as the 'Datson' (son of DAT) then to the more patriotic and auspicious 'Datsun'. So the 'Datsun' name never represented the name of its manufacturers.
 

Bazzateer

Club Member
Different situation I'd say. Humber had a long history of its own as a manufacturer in the pioneer age (including racing, and employing future Sunbeam star engineer Louis Coatalen) before being bought up by the Rootes brothers in the late 1920s and eventually the Chrysler group in the late 1960s.

A 'Datsun' was only ever a product. First in 1914 as the 'DAT Car' by Masujiro Hashimoto's Kaishinsha Jidosha Seizo ('D', 'A' and 'T' being the initials of his three key investors) and later as the 'Datson' (son of DAT) then to the more patriotic and auspicious 'Datsun'. So the 'Datsun' name never represented the name of its manufacturers.
Fairy Snuff
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
If they were going to mention (Datsun) Nissans, they should have included the Prairie ('81) - it invented the MPV ('81) way before the Renault Espace ('84 albeit a project conceived by an English bloke in the mid/late '70s).
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Love the Patrol, never seen one. Silvia is sleek and rare but they don't seem as well built (strong) as a Z.

I have to say, I hadn’t either. It looks like a copy of a Landeover if the current Chinese BYD car company had made it!


A 'Datsun' was only ever a product. First in 1914 as the 'DAT Car' by Masujiro Hashimoto's Kaishinsha Jidosha Seizo ('D', 'A' and 'T' being the initials of his three key investors) and later as the 'Datson' (son of DAT) then to the more patriotic and auspicious 'Datsun'. So the 'Datsun' name never represented the name of its manufacturers.

Wow, I never realised that - always assumed it was a sub-brand! Thanks for the clarification. [emoji106]

If they were going to mention (Datsun) Nissans, they should have included the Prairie ('81) - it invented the MPV ('81) way before the Renault Espace ('84 albeit a project conceived by an English bloke in the mid/late '70s).

You know, I recall the first time I sat in an Espace in ‘87, I though bloomin’eck this is a gigantic car!!
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
You know, I recall the first time I sat in an Espace in ‘87, I though bloomin’eck this is a gigantic car!!

Not as big as my Kia. ;) And I can tow 2t legally with 165ch.

And here's a Prairie to stay on topic.
 

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Bazzateer

Club Member
If they were going to mention (Datsun) Nissans, they should have included the Prairie ('81) - it invented the MPV ('81) way before the Renault Espace ('84 albeit a project conceived by an English bloke in the mid/late '70s).
The title is 10 Best Datsuns so the Prairie fails to qualify on two counts, it's not a Datsun and even if it was, it would not be one of the best - awful car!
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
The title is 10 Best Datsuns so the Prairie fails to qualify on two counts, it's not a Datsun and even if it was, it would not be one of the best - awful car!

(my) 2nd post mate - Datsun Skyline GT-R (C10) – 1971

Not a Datsun either and I can hardly count the Datsun Go as 'one of the best so what would you replace the Skyline and Go with on the list ?

At least the Prairie was innovative....and available in 4x4.;)
 
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