How a Broadway musical inspired a Japanese sports car dynasty
In short: In the 1960s, Nissan launched a series of roadsters designed to challenge European icons like MG and Triumph. Named after a popular Broadway musical, the Datsun Fairlady eventually evolved from handbuilt rarities into a dominant force on the American SCCA racing circuit.
The Datsun Sports lineage began in 1959 with the S211, a rare model designed by Yuichi Ohta. This first generation was largely handbuilt in small numbers, with only 20 examples of the S211 ever produced. These early models featured fiberglass bodywork, a design influence borrowed from the Chevrolet Corvette. The S211 was originally based on the Datsun 211 sedan. This initial model utilised a 988 cc C-series straight-4 engine.
The brand's identity shifted significantly with the second generation, which debuted at the 1961 Tokyo Motor Show. Unlike its predecessor, this series was designed for mass production. It included the SPL212, the first Datsun sports car imported to the US in 1960, and the highly successful 1600 and 2000 Roadsters. These later models became staples of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) circuit, securing 10 national championships. The SPL212 model was specifically built using steel bodywork. This version was the first to carry the Fairlady name.
The 'Fairlady' name itself was a marketing masterstroke, intended to link the vehicles to the era's popular Broadway play, My Fair Lady. To promote the line, Nissan utilized showroom attendants known as 'Nissan Miss Fairladys,' a concept inspired by 1930s Datsun demonstrators. This era of motoring also saw the transition from the truck-based platforms of the early 1960s to the more sophisticated Bluebird-based platforms, eventually paving the way for the legendary Z-car. The SR311 variant featured a five-speed manual transmission. This model utilised a 2.0 L U20 engine.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Datsun Sports
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