620 ‘Datsun Truck’ appears on Nostalgic 2 Days

Nostalgic 2 Days, held 17-18 Feb 2024 at Pacifico Yokohama, is a major motor show starring old and out-of-print cars. Nationally renowned special shops, parts manufacturers, and restoration specialists exhibited and sold limited-edition goods as well as exhibiting vehicles. From this event, we will introduce the Nissan Datsun Truck, also known as the ‘Dattora’, which was revived for the first time in 40 years.

A survivor that had been dormant for a long time, with 1984 being the last time the car was inspected

One of the standouts at Nostalgic 2 Days was a blue Datsun Truck on display at the SwingingMotors stand, a 1977 Nissan Datsun Truck 1500 DX Long, to give it its official name. DX stands for Deluxe, and the line-up included a short version as well as a long one.

According to Swingin Motors representative Yokota, this Datsun Truck was last inspected in 1984 and then lay dormant for a long time. He found it last year and decided to show it off at this Nostalgic 2 Days because it was so beautiful.

“A friend of mine knew a mechanic who had kept this, one-owner, fully stocked Dattora for almost 40 years. It has a truly remarkable degree of originality, as it has never been rebuilt, with a mileage of around 13,300 km. A true miracle survivor. It’s a barn-find that was found after being stored for a long time, so it’s in time-worn condition. FOR SALE, so please feel free to contact us.”

The engine was in great shape as soon as it was put into the workshop

The Datsun truck is a small commercial vehicle, the first generation of which was introduced in 1935, and the tenth generation, the D22, was discontinued in 2021. The 1977 model is the seventh generation, the 620, which was introduced in 1972 and adopted a design strongly focused on the North American market. It had a bold character line named Wingline and was characterized by its stylishness, which did not look like a commercial vehicle.

The 620 was a big hit in Japan, where it was used as a hard-working car, but in North America, where the culture was different, it was also used as a cool private car. Due to its high performance and reliability, it was called the “Lil’ Hustler”, meaning a little workhorse, and became so popular that a plastic model based on the 620 (product name: Datsun Pickup Lil’ Hustler) was released

“The car had been lying in an uninspected state for nearly 40 years, but I woke up the day after I put it in the workshop. It’s a low-mileage car, so naturally, the J15 single-carb engine is in great shape, and it’s Nox/PM compliant. To make sure it runs well, the brakes, water, and fuel systems have been properly serviced. It runs well. I used to be a furniture maker, so I used the 620. At the time it was also used in tatami shops and other places. It’s convenient. It’s long, so it can carry everything. You can also carry bikes and it makes a good transporter. I’d recommend it to anyone who was seriously looking for a 620.”

According to Yokota-san, who told us this, he wanted the bike to be driven in its original atmosphere, so we may never have another encounter with a 620 Freak that he felt was “well kept in this condition”.

translated by DeepL