Rare 510 Bluebird, a 2-door coupe with the license number of the period
The first generation 510-type Nissan (Datsun) “Bluebird” was launched in 1967 and is still trendy. We found a 2-door coupe with a one-digit license number, so we talked to the owner. How does it maintain its one-digit license plate number?
Inherited the “Yokohama 5” license plate number from the previous owner 33 years ago
Old cars gather at Okutama Lake in Tokyo early in the morning on the third Sunday of every month. We focus on one of the cars we met at a parking lot in Okutama. This time, we will introduce a 510 2-door coupe that has inherited the original license plate number.
The 510 Bluebird (Datsun brand at the time), Nissan’s pride and joy, was produced in large numbers even back then and is still a popular model today. However, because it was a model popular among young people, it was often modified or had body damage, and as a result, there are surprisingly few examples in existence that retain their original condition.
In such a situation, we came across a rare 2-door 1600SSS coupe with the license plate number “Yokohama 5” when it was new. We immediately spoke with the owner, Mr. Yamaguchi.
“It has an old license plate number, but I wasn’t the first to drive it. I inherited it from the previous owner in 1991. At that time, I was lucky enough to inherit the license plate number as it was at that time.
A two-door coupe with “flowing blinkers” that was never exported to North America
The third generation 510 Bluebird was introduced in 1967. Initially, only 2-door and 4-door sedans were offered, but a 2-door coupe was added to the lineup the following year in 1968. Compared to the sedan, the C-pillar lay much further back, giving it a sporty silhouette that was very popular. The coupe was also characterized by the so-called “flowing blinkers” on the rear combination lamps, which was a hot topic at the time.
By the way, the 2-door coupe was not exported to North America, and the 2-door sedan was the base model that competed in American races at the time, such as the BRE. For this reason, the 2-door coupe was produced in small numbers to begin with.
Mr. Yamaguchi owns such a rare 2-door coupe with flowing blinkers. Incidentally, the flowing blinkers also serve as brakes and have red lenses instead of amber lenses, so they are surprisingly not very visible on modern roads. For safety reasons, orange indicator lights were added to the rear of the rear seat.
In addition to this 2-door coupe, he also owns a 2-door sedan
When Mr. Yamaguchi acquired the car, the body was beaten up, so he removed the rust, restored the body, and repainted it in its original color, and also redid the engine. The engine was also redone. Thanks to these efforts, the body is now as beautiful as if it were a new car. The engine compartment still retains its original paint, and the signature of Mr. K (Yutaka Katayama), who once had it painted, can still be seen near the strut mount. The suspension was kept at the stock ride height, and the wheels were kept with the stock steel wheel hubcaps. The beauty of the vehicle stood out even at the event.
By the way, in addition to this coupe, Mr. Yamaguchi also owns a 2-door sedan that his father bought new. This one has a column AT, and he is said to be living a life of two 510s, which is very rare in the world, having only two types of two-door cars. We are very envious of him!
