The story of a 50-year veteran owner and the historic car that made Datsun famous

The 210 Nissan Datsun 1000, equipped with an Austin-derived engine, was the car that brought the Datsun name to worldwide recognition. The owner, Mr. Kanoya, acquired the Datsun 1000 more than 50 years ago, restored it, and has been diligently maintaining it. We asked him about the story of his beloved car, which was the veteran owner’s first car of his own. 

The model that triggered a leap forward for the Datsun brand

“20th Century Meeting 2024 Spring Season” was held on April 14, 2024, at Sanjo Pearl Metal Stadium in Sanjo City, where the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Among the entrants who participated for the first time in this event, this one was a rather experienced car, a 1958 Datsun 1000 (model 210).

As you know, the Japanese passenger car industry stagnated greatly after the defeat in World War II. To fill the blanks, Nissan entered into a partnership with British automaker Austin in 1952 and began knockdown production of the Austin “Somerset” (A40) the following year, followed by the Austin “Cambridge” (A50) in 1955, accumulating know-how. The Datsun 1000 is the result of the technology accumulated at that time.

Although the body of the Datsun 1000 looked almost identical to the 110 Datsun, the engine used in the 210 model, which was introduced in 1957, was an Austin-derived 988cc straight-4 OHV. The success of the 210 was the catalyst for the Datsun brand to take off internationally as well, with two 210s competing in the 1958 Australian Rally winning first and fourth-place finishes in their respective classes. The success of the 210 led to the big hit of the 310, the first-generation Bluebird, but that is another story.

The car has been his beloved car for more than 50 years

“I got this 210 used around 1970, so that’s more than 50 years ago.”

Mr. Kanoya is a member of the “All Japan Datsun Club 210 Club” and a veteran participant in events around the country, but as mentioned above, this was his first time participating in this event. He has always loved cars, and after graduating from school he went into auto repair, but at the time there were many financial hardships.

“After working there for a few years or so, I switched to a more lucrative driving job.”

And then, when he was able to afford to live a little more comfortably, Kanoya acquired his first “personal car,” this 210 Datsun 1000.

The car was already more than 10 years old when he acquired it and was also immobile.

“I can tinker with it to some extent, so I did a lot of work on it myself, and I restored it once about 35-6 years ago. The mixture of British-derived inch and metric bolts is unique to the Datsuns of this era.”

Mr. Kanoya’s 210 has both the crisp appearance characteristic of a well-maintained historic car and the right amount of liveliness, which is a sign of the owner’s long association with the car.