Story by Alan Cesar • Photo Courtesy Nissan
There’s a rumor that the first-year Mazda Miata was the fastest production car in the world. Press people on this, and they’ll say something about how there were no Ferraris, that the Corvette made a smog-choked 145 horsepower. Then they’ll tout the Miata’s low weight as the reason for its reigning speed. …
I always liked the idea of stuffing an SR20VE into one of these... give it ITB's and a nicely flowing exhaust to get that old school sound and hang on!
This is one of the first Japanese cars my 'merica-car loving brother really found something to appreciate in. Was fun seeing his eyes open to things he liked in unexpected places.
Also, isn't there one that is famously fast in SCCA for autocross? Bob Sharp's name comes to mind? Has a rather large plexiglass flap at the end of the trunk? You guys know the one I'm talking about.
A '69 Datsun 2000 was the first car I really worked on. My dad and I agreed to buy one, and I got to take the engine apart to find some problems. I didn't do a great job at that, but learned a WHOLE lot. And some PO in the past butchered the wiring harness, which made driving it a real adventure.
But this is the car that really got me started.
It wasn't until college that I got an Alfa. Which also had it's problems, leading me to get a Honda CRX HF for a DD, that lasted almost a decade.
Cool car, some good and bad memories.
When the Miata first came out at the Chicago Autoshow around 1989 I wanted one but the $20,000+ price tag hurt so being a Datsun guy I bought a $2500 1600.
Now cheap Miatas are $2500+ and Datsun Roadsters are $5-15,000.
I kept that ‘66 Datsun 1600 until 1995 and most days I wish I still had it but that’s life.
There are precious few Fairladys that haven't been beaten and left in a corner. The local CL ads are depressing to behold. As a late teenager I was seduced into buying a 1600 with a fresh red paint job, only to find such details as leaves floating in the brake reservoir and a fuse panel that had been entirely bypassed. It was a pretty POS whose primary virtue was that some chicks dug little red convertibles. I push-started it more often than not.
The 2000s OTOH were legendary to us pushrod kids. The one guy that I knew who had one would go hunting for Porsches because precious few of them could take the little 2000. It helped the subsequent success of the 240z to show that Datsuns could be serious sports cars.
Had a friend that had a 2000 back in the day, one of the versions with twin sidedraft Solex carbs and 150 bhp, and this engine had been worked on and had cosiderably more power than that at silly rpm - between 7500 and 8,000 rpm. Surprised quite a few American V8s at that time (1970s)
Superior engine design but inferior styling and finish compared to things like MGBs
In reply to wspohn :
Disagree about the styling. The fairladys look better to me than MGBs. Especially the low windshield models. The fit and finish is nothing to get excited about though.
A friend in college had a 1964 Fairlady (1500) and a 1970 2000. Liked them so I ended up with a 1969 2000 (in 1972) which did autocross and then SCCA racing service. Currently have a 69 again that is 1/2 way through a body off. But rather than stock, I've been playing a bit with suspension and engine (going with fuel injection).
By the way, I was told long ago that Datsun's (Nissan) original intentions was to build both the roadster and the 240Z but the 240 Z began selling so well, the Roadster was dropped to meet production demands of the Z.
That and at least at one time, the most popular body kit in Japan was one that made a Miata look like a Datsun Roadster.
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