that car is making me happy just watching it! I'm not a massive fan of Japanese cars but when they're honest & simple like this, then I do have an interest. I love how the indicator & switch gear snap into place & that horn is just pure cute
The "cyclists bottom"?,we were enjoying the road test until you mentioned it. Now I'm watching her on a continuous loop just to spite you. Mind on the job young Hubnut!. ps,loved the wee car.
I’ve watched this video numerous times just to hear this darling little car run! Third gear has a delightful little tune to it.... kind of like a mechanical orchestra personally!
I've owned a 1969 deluxe 2 door model in Australia for a little over 10 years now. Mine is a km dash right hand drive, so it's very similar to this one in all apsects, however it does have a column handbrake instead of a central floor lever. They do indeed have leaf suspension on front and rear, and the brakes are a little bit lackluster if they have aged. When i went to test drive mine, the brakes were actually so bad that i missed where i was told to turn to head back to the owners house. He just laughed and said i'd get used to it. I ended up completely refreshing the entire brake system and it did wonders. Not only for a better driving experience for myself, but as a safety measure incase someone else needs to drive it. It's nice to see another 1000 in such great condition on the road. Thanks for the video
Thanks for the trip down memory lane mate. My dad had a Dato 1000 here in OZ in the late 60's when I got my license, and after a little arm twisting, was the car I did my first solo in. He had it for quite a number of years and I recall it was very reliable. A Dato 120Y was his next car, and that was just as reliable.
The aunt of my old neighbour had one of those DATSUN models. Used to be a passenger in it occasionally. Was rhd. The platform would morph some years later into the 120Y.
Love the styling! Seems like a cross between a BMW 2002 and an Austin Maxi. Looks really well-made and well engineered. Not a single rattle or squeak. No wonder the Japanese made such headway into the British car market in the 1970's.
In Australia they were called the Datsun 1000. Haven't seen one on the road here for 30 years. They all rusted out even though we do not salt our roads. Great little cars. Engines hotted up well.
I'm going to hide this comment in someones reply section in the hope Ian does'nt spot it, but it did look a bit Austin maxi ish, oh, and what a lucky saddle!
I had the B310 which was the fourth generation (and the last rear wheel drive Sunny) and the gearbox whine sounded exactly the same, and yeah the Nissan A engine has to be the sweetest pushrod engine ever built - not the usual sewing machine ohv noises of a Ford Kent or an BMC A-Series. The basic powertrain package of the Sunny never really changed until the B11 in 1982 when they switched to front wheel drive and the overhead cam E engine came in.
Spot on comment, nut I'd maybe put the 850 reliant engine above it as the sweetest pushrod engine, that really is sweet, but definitely the sweetest 1ltr plus, just shows what bmc could have done if they'd developed the A series engine, rather than churn out the same garbage for a lifetime
This car was in retrospect the game changer for the car industry and heralded the demise of many British marques. Low cost, economical to run, easy to drive and above all reliable (in comparison to many) for the times these were a revelation. I often think we have gone backwards in so many ways since then. Great road test that brings back so may good memories. Thanks Ian.
Some Datsuns were considered the equivalent of a low-price BMW back in the day. In the US for example, the Datsun 510 has today just as much of a cult following as the BMW 2002. Most had very refined controls in general -- snickety-snack transmissions were a Datsun norm -- and were engineered as good as anything of the time, with a focus on low maintenence costs and long-term robustness. You can find these qualities in first and second-gen Micras, too.
Slightly off topic but maybe of assistance, my parents had a pair of Corollas in the seventies. My father's was a '77 Deluxe estate, and my mother's was a '78 non-deluxe saloon. Differences were: deluxe has cloth seats with built-in head restraints, the non has vinyl with no restraints; the deluxe had a push button radio with five presets, similar to that in your sunny, the non has to be tuned manually Apart from that, they were pretty much the same.
My first job in the automotive industry was at a Datsun dealer in Canada. We were servicing a few of these 1000s at the time, but the 510 and 1200 were taking over. We also had the 520 truck and the 240Z. What I remember of the 1000 was that they had a multi-leaf spring going from side to side for the front suspension. Thought that was pretty weird. Also, I remember somebody with a Mini coming in and buying a head gasket for a 1000 because he said they were better made, and a perfect fit!
I had a 2001 Sentra (B15 chassis, known as Sunny in some other markets), kept it for 15 years. QG18DE 1.8 liter, 5 speed. Engineered before the Renault hookup. Nice little car. Liked it enough that I sold it to a friend who can do the minor repairs it needs. He's driven it all over the USA (very long road trips) even though it has 200,000 miles on the odo.
Great little car, I do love those 60s and 70s Datsuns. they were so reliable. I took my test in a Datsun Sunny 120Y in 1977. Passed first time thankfully. Great video.
You always find the neatest little cars to drive! In the States, as I recall, this model was introduced ca. 1970 as the Datsun "Li'l Something"; there was a coupe model as well, called the "Something Special". Both had the 1200cc motors here. That 2nd gear whine is very reminiscent of our family's series of Datsuns, two 410-series Bluebirds, and even the 510s we had had a similar gear sound. And, umm, apologies in advance, for 7:30, but, cue The Mixtures and "The Pushbike Song"! Sorry...
I love those little Datsuns! Datsun was very popular in Australia alongside Toyota during the 60’s and early 70’s! I had a primary school buddy whose mum owned a blue 1000. What a darling little car, hubnut! Thoroughly enjoyed that little drive! I can see why some aussies back in the 70’s replaced the existing Vauxhall viva 1300 engine in their “Aussie Viva” it being Holden Torana with a Datsun 1200 engine and gearbox. They were just so much better and almost were a direct bolt in replacement for the viva engine. Hubnut, if you are able to get your mits on either a Toyota Corolla or starlet of the early 70’s, DO SO!! They are very much like a Datsun of the same era!
Really like these old Japanese cars, thanks for taking the time to upload all these videos while travelling around the Netherlands, love them. Hope you're having a great time out there.
I learned to drive in a '79 120Y Sunny with 450,000 miles on the clock. Bodywork was like a lace curtain but when the engine ticked over, it did so silently. It was less so when I tried to start it when it was already running! The quietness and smoothness of that engine always impressed me, especially as this particular car could hardly be described as being in its first flush of youth. Where are you now, JLG 510T? I can hazard a guess...
Another fantastic video! Thank you Ian. I really like the 'over the sholder view' when you're driving. Gives one the impression of very much being along for the ride with you. Excellent.
Good video that Ian, I really liked that simple little Datsun (Always had a soft spot for Jap stuff!).....what a nice car, certainly shows much better than anything built by BMC/BL.
My mother had the estate version of this car which I once borrowed to go visit a mate. To do that I drove it from Lusaka Zambia to Bulawayo Rhodesia - 600 miles in 12 hours. Loved it.
I’ve only discovered your UA-cam in the last month or two. Loving the latest instalment. I’ve currently got a mk3 Mondeo zetec-s saloon v6 that I’ve owned since 2010. Sadly rust has got into the pillars in the boot and is now sitting in my back garden as I’m convinced one day it’ll be a desirable classic. I learnt my lesson after scrapping my first car in 1991 ......a 1979 850cc mini that would probably be worth a bit of money as a shell.. keep up the good work and safe journey to Croatia and back
Thank you for this, it got me thinking how Japanese car like this managed to get traction in the UK and what is often forgotten also in the German market in the early 70s. The German market is more easily resolved, in those pre Polo and Golf days, you had the likes of the ancient Beetle, crude Opel Kadett and less said about the NSU Prinz the better. However in the UK by 1969 we had been able to buy for 6 years the superb ADO16, yet people were still scared off by fwd, despite it being around since the Mini, this was reflected in the fact that in 1969 BMC built 30k Morris Minors a car that was 20 years old. The reason I believe is that having built a reliable, robust and for its time rot free in the Minor, it introduced the Mini with things such as a leaky floor because they had got seam the wrong way round. Whilst the Ado16 was a truly great car, it carried on with the Mini reputation of being troublesome and difficult to maintain and of course a reputation for rotting. One wonders if BMC had come to market with the Mini and Ado16 having engineered them so they were at least as robust and cheap to run as a Minor, then I think it is hard to see how a car like this could have got traction in the UK market.
That bodyshape was standard for all the Japanese manufacturers back in the 70s, I loved my corolla ke20, but I remember the Nissan, Toyota, mazda and mitsubishi all doing something very similar
It looks completely original......50 years old? WOW. Absolutely gorgeous. Did the Datsun100A/Cherry replace this as their small 2 door offering.......only from what I remember, that didn't even have a temperature gauge (just a light I believe to warn that you were overheating). Many thanks for the test drive Ian!
A couple of notes about the Sunny: The B110 was the first generation sold in North America, beginning in 1971 powered with the 1.2l A12. Nissan's A engine was heavily cross-pollinated with the BMC A engine, to the point of having interchangeability with some components. (Which ones, I am not sure.) The A engine served as the basis for the OHC E engine which left service in some Asian markets within the last 20 years.
No, it's an oft-claimed myth. Nissan built the B-Series engine under licence, and parts can be swapped between a BMC and a Datsun B-Series quite readily. This A10 engine was all-new.
I owned a Datsun 1000 in my university days in Australia. Driving the car was very pleasant because the windows were lower than other models. The worst part was that the drum brakes needed regular attention as the drums may burst . Otherwise, Datsun 1000 was a great car. Your video reminds my driving experience in Australia.
My dad had one in dark blue when I was 4-5 y/o. I remember my grandparents sitting at the back with me in the middle, mum, dad in the front, heading to the coast....about 8 hours drive! He used to have a roof rack too.....or so he said!
What a beautiful little car. Please Mr HubNut bring one back for me... I had a Datsun Violet many years ago and I still rank it as my Favourite car ever,and I've had a few.....(50 or 60++).
my first car was exactly this. it was called the datsun 1000 here in canada. not very popular until it became the datsun 1200 with a bigger engine and macpherson strut suspension replacing the single leafspring front suspension. yes you read that correctly, double wishbone with crossmounted single leaf spring under the engine. similar in concept to the corvette rear suspension. yes it is a steering box(not rack and pinion), brakes all drum
Absolutely agree about the Mazda - when I had mine yonks ago I felt the gearing was odd and it got breathless on hills. Bad times when you live in the highest point in your town
Thank you for showing a lovely car - it really is a Happy Car. Reminds me of the Toyota 1000, which I've had three in succession. Loved every minute of it, as I loved every second of your video. If you could find your way doing a vid on one of those, it would be greatly appreciated. I really like your way of doing these vids - nothing fancy, no frills, no strong language, no disrespect, no negative bias - thank you, for doing what you do and how you do it. On a side note: I find it strange that in tight corners or sharp bends (in Gemert for instance, but I've seen you do it more in other vids) you put your hand 'inside' the steering wheel. That might very well bite you eventually. I find it odd with you, because you clearly know and dearly love your older cars - especially the ones without power steering.
I had a 1973 Datsun Sunny 1200 back in the day, wonderful little car , ultra reliable, easy to work on, I sold it privately and had over 50 phone calls in one day after it went into the local paper, the reason being they all got snapped up and exported to India for taxi work, hence there scarcity in the UK. I once saw a transporter with six used Sunnys on board heading for the docks. ( I loved the DAF collection walk round)
These travelogue videos are cracking Ian. BTW, congrats on the subs - they are creeping up substantially, I'm sure you have gained about 2K in a matter of days.
What a awesome review on this Datsun Sunny,for a 1.0 it goes alright, looks like the front end of a Simca 1100,I like the way the buttons are lettered to what it is.
Really nice car, and really liked the way owner has gone to town with the waxoyl, the car will now live forever as engines are bulletproof reliable too.
These were called the Datsun 1000 here in Australia introduced in 1967/68 and sold like hot cakes. My brother bought one brand new . They were one of the first cars in Australia that was Japanese that included carpeted floors other than vinyl, black bucket seats, radio and a heater as standard equipment without have to pay extra as with our Australian cars. We only had English cars Austen's, Humber, Rover, Vauxhall and our own Australian cars Holden Ford and Valiant back then.
Datsun: 58bhp from 1 litre. Hillman Avenger (which was by no means underpowered): 65bhp from 1.5 litre engine. The Hillman probably has more torque but even so, the Japanese were doing well with their engines. Such a shame that the Japanese cars rusted so badly in the early days. Datsun 120Y anyone?
Had a 120y auto from new, cracking little car. Mine was garaged and never rusted whilst I had it. I swapped it for a Datsun Laurel. Loved that too. First big Japanese I had , plenty of Lexus LS's since. Can't beat them.
Wonderful rear end 😆...I love the old datsuns . My mother had one many years ago and on occasion would let me have a little drive. So simple and just a pleasure to drive.
If this Sunny was a brand new car on sale today, I'd go out right now and buy one!!! Everything I want and need in a car and looks very well engineered. I loved the Mazda 1000 in your previous video but this Sunny is perfect as I would need a car that can cruise at 60 MPH.
Thoroughly enjoyed this one. The Japanese were so good at this between 1970 and 1990. I do get a Nissa Micra K10 vibe. You should definitely drive one of those. I think you'll love it. 1:18: As someone who owned a 2004 Fiat Panda with no Cigarette Lighter, there is a chance that even that is part of the Deluxe edition :D. 2:05: You don't need a lock if you just build shit properly. 4:43: More important than wipers? Are you absolutely certain about that? 5:08: No, it's not. Confused driver from the right. I think he may have wanted to turn left and couldn't get around you anyway. 6:27: That's properly impressive for a one liter engine of that era. 7:36: Go Ian :). 11:43: PtschTOOT!
I enjoy watching a Chris Harris video (he has a prized, much loved 2CV too) but living outside the UK, Ian's very easy-on-the-ear west country accent is an absolute delight to listen to and a reminder of home. I never thought I'd enjoy content with such old and average (admittedly characterful) cars - but I'm converted! I even got to see a DAF City Car yesterday (via Ian's visit to the DAF museum) which I had the Corgi version of as a kid in the early 70s)
Hi.You drive and test the grandfather off the nissan´s sunny and almera.that was the first sunny from nissan\datsun.great car´s today and on the past.nice video.Thank´s
I have to visit the Netherlands sometime in my life. They like all the same things I do (no, not exotic tobacco) including a love of cars. Even though they aren't allowed to drive quickly, when you are in an aging Nissan Sunny that is positively advantageous. No problems keeping up with"modern traffic"!
Nice Datsun, nice ride, nice reporter. I remember Datsun's quite well. I think in 1984 / 1985 approx, they were Nissan Sunny instead. Although I find the Datsun more unique and just a little bit nicer. I remember a Datsun Bluebird which changed to Nissan Bluebird. Or for instance, the infamous Datsun Cherry that changed into Nissan Cherry. Right, you can't have always a comfy ride like a Solara. That being said, I am looking forward to your next video, it's hard to keep up almost, but you can still keep them coming which is always a pleasure to watch.Must be said!
Wow, super interesting - it looks, sounds and feels like a cross between an Austin Maxi and an Austin 1100! Datsun really did their homework, I'm completely blown away! 😀
My father had a nearly identical red one in Australia. The main differences were: smaller tail lights, gear shift on the steering column and I don't think it had bumper over-riders. Obviously it was ride hand drive. I would guess it was made in Victoria.
In Malaysia, We have this car but the 1980s-90s version and it is called Nissan Sunny, its realiable and good?. The famous colour of this car (1980s-90s) is actually light blue and a plastic bumper
Yep can confirm they had a steering box and based on the BMC A series but much improved , sold a Datsun 1200 to a friend of mine and he did way over 100k miles with no trouble at all which for those days was very unusual , it still had it's original Yuasa battery and water hoses etc , he then traded it in at another garage for a TR7 ……….. say no more :o(
I'd love to see you drive an original 70s Alfasud. As a kid I desperately wanted one, but our soggy British ones were always destroyed by rust. You still see relatively unrestored examples driving about in southern Europe.
These were sold in Australia as simply the Datsun 1000 and were very popular, although I haven't seen one in years, until now! Thanks for that. How neat and pretty is the dashboard? Everything you say is true about the impact on British cars and the reasons why. Cheers.
Hard to say for sure but it sounded reminiscent of the Austin 1100 range with the engine and transmission notes. If you don't need to haul a lot, what more do you need in a runabout? Did they even do estate versions...?
The leaf springs on my old 80`s Sunny estate where somehow more fun than other cars in the way it handled. In other words it handled pretty well even if a little vague.
Another good one. Very interesting that it produced 58 bhp from that 1000 cc engine in 1969. My, new in 1986, Fiat Uno 60s made 58bhp from it's 1100cc engine.
A 4door version of that car (Datsun 1000 in Oz) was my 1st., and only, NEW car, I liked it a lot being small and nippy in the city. It had a transverse leaf spring in the front and you needed to change down a gear for sharp corners, I got distracted once by an erratic pedestrian and forgot to change down as I flicked it around a "left" and got a very good,close-up, look at the bitumen through my drivers side window before I got the nearside wheels back on the ground.
Looks to be a nice car of reasonable power, smooth ride judging by so little camera shake and likely easy to work on. They should start make these again!
I was working for the Department of Transport in 1988 shortly after Nissan phased out the Datsun brand and my supervisor, a lovely lady called Shirley always used to chuckle when she came across a record for what she referred to as a "Nice 'an sunny".
Nice view of the rear end, lol..well you did point it out lol..good video , nice to see an older datsun still on the road too..lovely car, reminds you what basic instruments and switches once were. Too much gadgets inside the car of today we dont need half of it..👍.good video ian.👍🍻
I was just thinking that lovely as this B10 is it looks worlds apart from the 1982 B11 that I drove about in as a teenager. A quick Google, however, shows that there were many other Sunnys with other letter and number combinations between B10 and B11!
I like that heater assembly - "what you see is what you get". Imagine taking that to a garage for a repair and getting charged "one and a half hours of work, 150 e + VAT". Would you complain?
What a sweet little Datsun! I do prefer the 1970s 120Y - especially in turquoise with dustbin lid hubcaps. Also worthy of note is how nice the road layout in some Netherlands towns and villages is. Not much traffic and nice looking houses with big windows. British town planners could learn a lot from the Dutch, add into the mix how to design proper cycle routes.
Wonderful little engine. I used to own a Datsun Cherry in the late seventies and I remember the sound and how it would pull from low down yet would rev and rev. And it could go pedal-to-the-floor for hours without problems. It seemed to me at the time that Datsun/Nissan had looked heavily at the BMC products and just rectified all the shortcomings (like on the engines the siamized ports and the cast iron heads. The Cherry also had a separate gearbox). And I agree with you they were very well put together. I suspect your little Datsun B10 owes a lot to maybe the Austin A40, only they have improved it everywhere. Everywhere that mattered to the buyers, that is. The British cars handled better but the general buyer were more concerned with ease of parking etc. Hence the steering box vs. the rack-and-pinion steering (sorry, the A40 was actually the same). When you say that the instrumentation is very simple you must remember that in the late sixties small cars were generally very spantan. Take a look at the Morris Minor/Mini/ADO16 where you only got a round speedo in the middle of the car - VW similarly (I know they get much better equipped towards the end of their production run). The B10 looks more like a mid-sized car. And importantly: A speedo to 100 MPH (160 KPH). Small cars generally stopped at 80 MPH (120 KPH) or maybe 90 MPH. This would impress the neighbor boy.
Had a Cherry A100 myself, but it didn't like high revs at all. No wonder it had only 3 main bearings and push rods. To compensate I mounted a sports exhaust, not loud but throaty and deeper sounding like the Mini Cooper :) Loved it in tunnels! Still the Cherry ( the frontwheel driven ones!) had a very refined dash lay out for the time and its class.
that car is making me happy just watching it! I'm not a massive fan of Japanese cars but when they're honest & simple like this, then I do have an interest. I love how the indicator & switch gear snap into place & that horn is just pure cute
And still the videos come. Thanks for the effort in what must be a very busy time.
The "cyclists bottom"?,we were enjoying the road test until you mentioned it. Now I'm watching her on a continuous loop just to spite you. Mind on the job young Hubnut!. ps,loved the wee car.
Hubnut knows his audience so he was trying to make a preemptive comment! 🤗
LOL!!
I noticed a few Austin 1100 styling cues. Very 1960s.
Yes - I was thinking the same. A bit of Austin Maxi/1800 too. As if Innocenti had done a makeover for BMC/BL.....
Appreciate all the hard work bringing us regular videos, Ian, thank you!
I’ve watched this video numerous times just to hear this darling little car run! Third gear has a delightful little tune to it.... kind of like a mechanical orchestra personally!
Such a lovely little thing, cheerful, tight, frugal and well-put-together. Oh, and the Sunny B10 isn't too bad either!
In Australia that was a Datsun 1000. The Datsun Sunny badge was used about 1980 on a later iteration of Nissan’s small car.
Same in Portugal and Spain
I've owned a 1969 deluxe 2 door model in Australia for a little over 10 years now.
Mine is a km dash right hand drive, so it's very similar to this one in all apsects, however it does have a column handbrake instead of a central floor lever.
They do indeed have leaf suspension on front and rear, and the brakes are a little bit lackluster if they have aged.
When i went to test drive mine, the brakes were actually so bad that i missed where i was told to turn to head back to the owners house.
He just laughed and said i'd get used to it.
I ended up completely refreshing the entire brake system and it did wonders. Not only for a better driving experience for myself, but as a safety measure incase someone else needs to drive it.
It's nice to see another 1000 in such great condition on the road. Thanks for the video
The Cyclist’s bottom? Now I have to rewind and have a look.
Same!
Guilty
7.35
nice view
Should have gone faster round that corner, got her rear end out
Now I know why I’m hanging on to my Nissan Micra for as long as possible. Brilliant little car.
I love driving my wife's K12, such a fun car. Shame later editions are just a Clio.
Love this generation of cars simple well made and metal, I miss my little cars...try a bmw 1602...they run like swiss watches.
Only problem is how much they would hurt you if you were unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane mate. My dad had a Dato 1000 here in OZ in the late 60's when I got my license, and after a little arm twisting, was the car I did my first solo in. He had it for quite a number of years and I recall it was very reliable. A Dato 120Y was his next car, and that was just as reliable.
Delightful little car, brought back many memories, thanks!
I think that the 1000 and later 1200 engines were based on the BMC A series.
The aunt of my old neighbour had one of those DATSUN models. Used to be a passenger in it occasionally. Was rhd.
The platform would morph some years later into the 120Y.
Love the styling! Seems like a cross between a BMW 2002 and an Austin Maxi. Looks really well-made and well engineered. Not a single rattle or squeak. No wonder the Japanese made such headway into the British car market in the 1970's.
I was thinking Autobiancchi and DAF. But very 60s and very cute. Wonderful proportions.
In Australia they were called the Datsun 1000. Haven't seen one on the road here for 30 years. They all rusted out even though we do not salt our roads. Great little cars. Engines hotted up well.
Lovely rear end on that......No, no, I mean the car. Hubnut, again drawing attention to things we not otherwise would have even noticed.
... and then expecting us not to comment...
Well, that was a stupid comment; this Brit is far slyer than I am...
I'm going to hide this comment in someones reply section in the hope Ian does'nt spot it,
but it did look a bit Austin maxi ish, oh, and what a lucky saddle!
I had the B310 which was the fourth generation (and the last rear wheel drive Sunny) and the gearbox whine sounded exactly the same, and yeah the Nissan A engine has to be the sweetest pushrod engine ever built - not the usual sewing machine ohv noises of a Ford Kent or an BMC A-Series. The basic powertrain package of the Sunny never really changed until the B11 in 1982 when they switched to front wheel drive and the overhead cam E engine came in.
Spot on comment, nut I'd maybe put the 850 reliant engine above it as the sweetest pushrod engine, that really is sweet, but definitely the sweetest 1ltr plus, just shows what bmc could have done if they'd developed the A series engine, rather than churn out the same garbage for a lifetime
This car was in retrospect the game changer for the car industry and heralded the demise of many British marques. Low cost, economical to run, easy to drive and above all reliable (in comparison to many) for the times these were a revelation. I often think we have gone backwards in so many ways since then. Great road test that brings back so may good memories. Thanks Ian.
Some Datsuns were considered the equivalent of a low-price BMW back in the day. In the US for example, the Datsun 510 has today just as much of a cult following as the BMW 2002. Most had very refined controls in general -- snickety-snack transmissions were a Datsun norm -- and were engineered as good as anything of the time, with a focus on low maintenence costs and long-term robustness. You can find these qualities in first and second-gen Micras, too.
Yes, the 510 is lovely. Lots of Prince engineering in them, so a step above the simple Sunny. Pretty advanced for the time.
This new style hubnut is great. Enjoy watching you round the UK but traveling around the world is fantastic
Slightly off topic but maybe of assistance, my parents had a pair of Corollas in the seventies. My father's was a '77 Deluxe estate, and my mother's was a '78 non-deluxe saloon. Differences were: deluxe has cloth seats with built-in head restraints, the non has vinyl with no restraints; the deluxe had a push button radio with five presets, similar to that in your sunny, the non has to be tuned manually
Apart from that, they were pretty much the same.
My first job in the automotive industry was at a Datsun dealer in Canada. We were servicing a few of these 1000s at the time, but the 510 and 1200 were taking over. We also had the 520 truck and the 240Z. What I remember of the 1000 was that they had a multi-leaf spring going from side to side for the front suspension. Thought that was pretty weird. Also, I remember somebody with a Mini coming in and buying a head gasket for a 1000 because he said they were better made, and a perfect fit!
I had a 2001 Sentra (B15 chassis, known as Sunny in some other markets), kept it for 15 years. QG18DE 1.8 liter, 5 speed. Engineered before the Renault hookup. Nice little car. Liked it enough that I sold it to a friend who can do the minor repairs it needs. He's driven it all over the USA (very long road trips) even though it has 200,000 miles on the odo.
Thanks again, Ian for being respectful to us two-wheel riding, four-wheel loving folk.
Great little car, I do love those 60s and 70s Datsuns. they were so reliable. I took my test in a Datsun Sunny 120Y in 1977. Passed first time thankfully. Great video.
You always find the neatest little cars to drive! In the States, as I recall, this model was introduced ca. 1970 as the Datsun "Li'l Something"; there was a coupe model as well, called the "Something Special". Both had the 1200cc motors here. That 2nd gear whine is very reminiscent of our family's series of Datsuns, two 410-series Bluebirds, and even the 510s we had had a similar gear sound.
And, umm, apologies in advance, for 7:30, but, cue The Mixtures and "The Pushbike Song"! Sorry...
I absolutely love how the horn is facing the driver.
I love those little Datsuns! Datsun was very popular in Australia alongside Toyota during the 60’s and early 70’s! I had a primary school buddy whose mum owned a blue 1000. What a darling little car, hubnut! Thoroughly enjoyed that little drive! I can see why some aussies back in the 70’s replaced the existing Vauxhall viva 1300 engine in their “Aussie Viva” it being Holden Torana with a Datsun 1200 engine and gearbox. They were just so much better and almost were a direct bolt in replacement for the viva engine. Hubnut, if you are able to get your mits on either a Toyota Corolla or starlet of the early 70’s, DO SO!! They are very much like a Datsun of the same era!
Really like these old Japanese cars, thanks for taking the time to upload all these videos while travelling around the Netherlands, love them. Hope you're having a great time out there.
I learned to drive in a '79 120Y Sunny with 450,000 miles on the clock. Bodywork was like a lace curtain but when the engine ticked over, it did so silently. It was less so when I tried to start it when it was already running! The quietness and smoothness of that engine always impressed me, especially as this particular car could hardly be described as being in its first flush of youth. Where are you now, JLG 510T? I can hazard a guess...
Another fantastic video! Thank you Ian. I really like the 'over the sholder view' when you're driving. Gives one the impression of very much being along for the ride with you. Excellent.
Yet another great little car and presented by Mr HubNut, many thanks.
The front end grill & headlights had resemblance to that of a Maxi!! Gr8 video Ian, keep them coming!!
Datsun Fairlady headlight binnacles were used on the Austin 1800...true fact
I knew nothing about the first gen Sunny before this video but I like this charming little car.
Lovely old Datsun Ian but in the video I’m blown away by how clean the Netherlands is I’ve not seen an unkempt garden
Good video that Ian, I really liked that simple little Datsun (Always had a soft spot for Jap stuff!).....what a nice car, certainly shows much better than anything built by BMC/BL.
My mother had the estate version of this car which I once borrowed to go visit a mate. To do that I drove it from Lusaka Zambia to Bulawayo Rhodesia - 600 miles in 12 hours. Loved it.
I’ve only discovered your UA-cam in the last month or two. Loving the latest instalment. I’ve currently got a mk3 Mondeo zetec-s saloon v6 that I’ve owned since 2010. Sadly rust has got into the pillars in the boot and is now sitting in my back garden as I’m convinced one day it’ll be a desirable classic. I learnt my lesson after scrapping my first car in 1991 ......a 1979 850cc mini that would probably be worth a bit of money as a shell.. keep up the good work and safe journey to Croatia and back
Thank you for this, it got me thinking how Japanese car like this managed to get traction in the UK and what is often forgotten also in the German market in the early 70s. The German market is more easily resolved, in those pre Polo and Golf days, you had the likes of the ancient Beetle, crude Opel Kadett and less said about the NSU Prinz the better. However in the UK by 1969 we had been able to buy for 6 years the superb ADO16, yet people were still scared off by fwd, despite it being around since the Mini, this was reflected in the fact that in 1969 BMC built 30k Morris Minors a car that was 20 years old. The reason I believe is that having built a reliable, robust and for its time rot free in the Minor, it introduced the Mini with things such as a leaky floor because they had got seam the wrong way round. Whilst the Ado16 was a truly great car, it carried on with the Mini reputation of being troublesome and difficult to maintain and of course a reputation for rotting. One wonders if BMC had come to market with the Mini and Ado16 having engineered them so they were at least as robust and cheap to run as a Minor, then I think it is hard to see how a car like this could have got traction in the UK market.
That bodyshape was standard for all the Japanese manufacturers back in the 70s, I loved my corolla ke20, but I remember the Nissan, Toyota, mazda and mitsubishi all doing something very similar
It looks completely original......50 years old? WOW. Absolutely gorgeous. Did the Datsun100A/Cherry replace this as their small 2 door offering.......only from what I remember, that didn't even have a temperature gauge (just a light I believe to warn that you were overheating). Many thanks for the test drive Ian!
A couple of notes about the Sunny:
The B110 was the first generation sold in North America, beginning in 1971 powered with the 1.2l A12.
Nissan's A engine was heavily cross-pollinated with the BMC A engine, to the point of having interchangeability with some components. (Which ones, I am not sure.)
The A engine served as the basis for the OHC E engine which left service in some Asian markets within the last 20 years.
No, it's an oft-claimed myth. Nissan built the B-Series engine under licence, and parts can be swapped between a BMC and a Datsun B-Series quite readily. This A10 engine was all-new.
That is one really neat Datsun, love the sound of the gearbox the way the engine sounds and it does seem like a great little classic.
I have 2.
1’s a delux.
It gets a heater and some more chrome trims and electric washers etc
That car has absolutely bags of character what a lovely thing all round.
I owned a Datsun 1000 in my university days in Australia. Driving the car was very pleasant because the windows were lower than other models. The worst part was that the drum brakes needed regular attention as the drums may burst . Otherwise, Datsun 1000 was a great car.
Your video reminds my driving experience in Australia.
My dad had one in dark blue when I was 4-5 y/o. I remember my grandparents sitting at the back with me in the middle, mum, dad in the front, heading to the coast....about 8 hours drive! He used to have a roof rack too.....or so he said!
Love the Datsuns with the A series motors. Great fun and so simple and cheap to work on.
What a beautiful little car. Please Mr HubNut bring one back for me... I had a Datsun Violet many years ago and I still rank it as my Favourite car ever,and I've had a few.....(50 or 60++).
my first car was exactly this. it was called the datsun 1000 here in canada. not very popular until it became the datsun 1200 with a bigger engine and macpherson strut suspension replacing the single leafspring front suspension. yes you read that correctly, double wishbone with crossmounted single leaf spring under the engine. similar in concept to the corvette rear suspension. yes it is a steering box(not rack and pinion), brakes all drum
Absolutely agree about the Mazda - when I had mine yonks ago I felt the gearing was odd and it got breathless on hills. Bad times when you live in the highest point in your town
The wiper parking ....... reminded our volvo's needed manually parking.
Haha took me back.
As did strip speedo and two temp tanks gauges.
Thank you for showing a lovely car - it really is a Happy Car. Reminds me of the Toyota 1000, which I've had three in succession. Loved every minute of it, as I loved every second of your video.
If you could find your way doing a vid on one of those, it would be greatly appreciated.
I really like your way of doing these vids - nothing fancy, no frills, no strong language, no disrespect, no negative bias - thank you, for doing what you do and how you do it.
On a side note: I find it strange that in tight corners or sharp bends (in Gemert for instance, but I've seen you do it more in other vids) you put your hand 'inside' the steering wheel. That might very well bite you eventually. I find it odd with you, because you clearly know and dearly love your older cars - especially the ones without power steering.
I had a 1973 Datsun Sunny 1200 back in the day, wonderful little car , ultra reliable, easy to work on, I sold it privately and had over 50 phone calls in one day after it went into the local paper, the reason being they all got snapped up and exported to India for taxi work, hence there scarcity in the UK. I once saw a transporter with six used Sunnys on board heading for the docks. ( I loved the DAF collection walk round)
These travelogue videos are cracking Ian. BTW, congrats on the subs - they are creeping up substantially, I'm sure you have gained about 2K in a matter of days.
What a awesome review on this Datsun Sunny,for a 1.0 it goes alright, looks like the front end of a Simca 1100,I like the way the buttons are lettered to what it is.
Really nice car, and really liked the way owner has gone to town with the waxoyl, the car will now live forever as engines are bulletproof reliable too.
These were called the Datsun 1000 here in Australia introduced in 1967/68 and sold like hot cakes. My brother bought one brand new . They were one of the first cars in Australia that was Japanese that included carpeted floors other than vinyl, black bucket seats, radio and a heater as standard equipment without have to pay extra as with our Australian cars.
We only had English cars Austen's, Humber, Rover, Vauxhall and our own Australian cars Holden Ford and Valiant back then.
Datsun: 58bhp from 1 litre. Hillman Avenger (which was by no means underpowered): 65bhp from 1.5 litre engine. The Hillman probably has more torque but even so, the Japanese were doing well with their engines. Such a shame that the Japanese cars rusted so badly in the early days. Datsun 120Y anyone?
Had a 120y auto from new, cracking little car. Mine was garaged and never rusted whilst I had it. I swapped it for a Datsun Laurel. Loved that too. First big Japanese I had , plenty of Lexus LS's since.
Can't beat them.
@@drdavecolly I like the Jap cars too. My modern car is a 1994 Toyota Celica, my old car a 1972 Hillman Avenger. Both lovely cars to drive actually.
Wonderful rear end 😆...I love the old datsuns . My mother had one many years ago and on occasion would let me have a little drive. So simple and just a pleasure to drive.
That’s a damn good spec. I’d wager a lot of those appointments you detailed at the beginning were deluxe spec only.
Driving that beauty in what looks like a very nice part of Holland. Lovely stuff!!
Great video, love the old Datsuns, really well engineered reliable cars. In the 1970s UK roads were full of 100A Cherrys and 120Y Sunnys.
If this Sunny was a brand new car on sale today, I'd go out right now and buy one!!! Everything I want and need in a car and looks very well engineered. I loved the Mazda 1000 in your previous video but this Sunny is perfect as I would need a car that can cruise at 60 MPH.
Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
The Japanese were so good at this between 1970 and 1990.
I do get a Nissa Micra K10 vibe. You should definitely drive one of those. I think you'll love it.
1:18: As someone who owned a 2004 Fiat Panda with no Cigarette Lighter, there is a chance that even that is part of the Deluxe edition :D.
2:05: You don't need a lock if you just build shit properly.
4:43: More important than wipers? Are you absolutely certain about that?
5:08: No, it's not. Confused driver from the right. I think he may have wanted to turn left and couldn't get around you anyway.
6:27: That's properly impressive for a one liter engine of that era.
7:36: Go Ian :).
11:43: PtschTOOT!
I enjoy watching a Chris Harris video (he has a prized, much loved 2CV too) but living outside the UK, Ian's very easy-on-the-ear west country accent is an absolute delight to listen to and a reminder of home. I never thought I'd enjoy content with such old and average (admittedly characterful) cars - but I'm converted! I even got to see a DAF City Car yesterday (via Ian's visit to the DAF museum) which I had the Corgi version of as a kid in the early 70s)
I must be hiding my West Midlands upbringing well then. 😉
That looked like a lovely ride in a proper car. Just 1000cc. Very cool.
Hi.You drive and test the grandfather off the nissan´s sunny and almera.that was the first sunny from nissan\datsun.great car´s today and on the past.nice video.Thank´s
I have to visit the Netherlands sometime in my life. They like all the same things I do (no, not exotic tobacco) including a love of cars. Even though they aren't allowed to drive quickly, when you are in an aging Nissan Sunny that is positively advantageous. No problems keeping up with"modern traffic"!
Nice Datsun, nice ride, nice reporter. I remember Datsun's quite well. I think in 1984 / 1985 approx, they were Nissan Sunny instead. Although I find the Datsun more unique and just a little bit nicer. I remember a Datsun Bluebird which changed to Nissan Bluebird. Or for instance, the infamous Datsun Cherry that changed into Nissan Cherry. Right, you can't have always a comfy ride like a Solara. That being said, I am looking forward to your next video, it's hard to keep up almost, but you can still keep them coming which is always a pleasure to watch.Must be said!
I hv a 1973 Toyota Corolla 1.2 KE20. Abs similar style with the B10. But the dashboard and centre panel arr way more 1960 style on the B10.
Wow, super interesting - it looks, sounds and feels like a cross between an Austin Maxi and an Austin 1100!
Datsun really did their homework, I'm completely blown away! 😀
My father had a nearly identical red one in Australia. The main differences were: smaller tail lights, gear shift on the steering column and I don't think it had bumper over-riders. Obviously it was ride hand drive. I would guess it was made in Victoria.
In Malaysia, We have this car but the 1980s-90s version and it is called Nissan Sunny, its realiable and good?. The famous colour of this car (1980s-90s) is actually light blue and a plastic bumper
Sunny B310
@@sequentialtt0415 No, B11
What a fabulous little car! Love the styling both inside and out 👍👌
Yep can confirm they had a steering box and based on the BMC A series but much improved , sold a Datsun 1200 to a friend of mine and he did way over 100k miles with no trouble at all which for those days was very unusual , it still had it's original Yuasa battery and water hoses etc , he then traded it in at another garage for a TR7 ……….. say no more :o(
I'd love to see you drive an original 70s Alfasud. As a kid I desperately wanted one, but our soggy British ones were always destroyed by rust. You still see relatively unrestored examples driving about in southern Europe.
These were sold in Australia as simply the Datsun 1000 and were very popular, although I haven't seen one in years, until now! Thanks for that. How neat and pretty is the dashboard? Everything you say is true about the impact on British cars and the reasons why. Cheers.
Hard to say for sure but it sounded reminiscent of the Austin 1100 range with the engine and transmission notes. If you don't need to haul a lot, what more do you need in a runabout? Did they even do estate versions...?
If I recall it even has horizontal leaf spring Front suspension too.
The leaf springs on my old 80`s Sunny estate where somehow more fun than other cars in the way it handled. In other words it handled pretty well even if a little vague.
Another good one. Very interesting that it produced 58 bhp from that 1000 cc engine in 1969. My, new in 1986, Fiat Uno 60s made 58bhp from it's 1100cc engine.
I may have been provided with duff info there...
That powertrain stayed with the Sunny all the way to the end of the B310 in 1982 - the last rear wheel drive generation
A 4door version of that car (Datsun 1000 in Oz) was my 1st., and only, NEW car, I liked it a lot being small and nippy in the city. It had a transverse leaf spring in the front and you needed to change down a gear for sharp corners, I got distracted once by an erratic pedestrian and forgot to change down as I flicked it around a "left" and got a very good,close-up, look at the bitumen through my drivers side window before I got the nearside wheels back on the ground.
Looks to be a nice car of reasonable power, smooth ride judging by so little camera shake and likely easy to work on. They should start make these again!
Lovely car Ian, great road test too.. 🙂🙂👍👍
Charming little car lovely happy design no comprise in quality always loved japanese cars especially this era great video Ian.
I was working for the Department of Transport in 1988 shortly after Nissan phased out the Datsun brand and my supervisor, a lovely lady called Shirley always used to chuckle when she came across a record for what she referred to as a "Nice 'an sunny".
That camera angle works really well, nice vid.
Nice view of the rear end, lol..well you did point it out lol..good video , nice to see an older datsun still on the road too..lovely car, reminds you what basic instruments and switches once were. Too much gadgets inside the car of today we dont need half of it..👍.good video ian.👍🍻
What a delightful little car.*
A cigarette lighter AND a Nissan-branded radio?!
* I said that before you said it at the end
What a lovely little car Ian thanks for the vid very quite
I was just thinking that lovely as this B10 is it looks worlds apart from the 1982 B11 that I drove about in as a teenager. A quick Google, however, shows that there were many other Sunnys with other letter and number combinations between B10 and B11!
Yes, Nissan's product history is a nightmare.
I like that heater assembly - "what you see is what you get". Imagine taking that to a garage for a repair and getting charged "one and a half hours of work, 150 e + VAT". Would you complain?
What a lovely little car. Though I sort of wish I hadn't seen it, because now I want one really badly.
What a sweet little Datsun! I do prefer the 1970s 120Y - especially in turquoise with dustbin lid hubcaps.
Also worthy of note is how nice the road layout in some Netherlands towns and villages is. Not much traffic and nice looking houses with big windows. British town planners could learn a lot from the Dutch, add into the mix how to design proper cycle routes.
IMO the British could learn a lot about many things from the Dutch.
Wonderful little engine. I used to own a Datsun Cherry in the late seventies and I remember the sound and how it would pull from low down yet would rev and rev. And it could go pedal-to-the-floor for hours without problems.
It seemed to me at the time that Datsun/Nissan had looked heavily at the BMC products and just rectified all the shortcomings (like on the engines the siamized ports and the cast iron heads. The Cherry also had a separate gearbox). And I agree with you they were very well put together.
I suspect your little Datsun B10 owes a lot to maybe the Austin A40, only they have improved it everywhere. Everywhere that mattered to the buyers, that is. The British cars handled better but the general buyer were more concerned with ease of parking etc. Hence the steering box vs. the rack-and-pinion steering (sorry, the A40 was actually the same).
When you say that the instrumentation is very simple you must remember that in the late sixties small cars were generally very spantan. Take a look at the Morris Minor/Mini/ADO16 where you only got a round speedo in the middle of the car - VW similarly (I know they get much better equipped towards the end of their production run). The B10 looks more like a mid-sized car.
And importantly: A speedo to 100 MPH (160 KPH). Small cars generally stopped at 80 MPH (120 KPH) or maybe 90 MPH. This would impress the neighbor boy.
Had a Cherry A100 myself, but it didn't like high revs at all. No wonder it had only 3 main bearings and push rods. To compensate I mounted a sports exhaust, not loud but throaty and deeper sounding like the Mini Cooper :) Loved it in tunnels!
Still the Cherry ( the frontwheel driven ones!) had a very refined dash lay out for the time and its class.
You give way whenever those little white triangles across the road are pointing towards you. I never worked out what white squares mean though.
I just try not to hit anyone and it seemed to work.