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HomePick of the Day1976 Datsun B210 fastback figures to have Sunny disposition

1976 Datsun B210 fastback figures to have Sunny disposition

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Although it is being sold by a dealership in Holliston, Massachusetts, the Pick of the Day,a1976 Datsun B210 fastback coupe, is billed as an original and one-owner California car driven only 58,000 miles.

“Purchased new at Camino Datsun in Sunnyvale, California, this mint B210 stayed in CA with its original owner until 2017,” the dealer’s advertisement on ClassicCars.com reports. “Original bill of sale, manuals, brochure and owner’s maintenance logs.

“It is doubtful that there is another completely original B210 available in this condition,” the dealer says, adding that the car, “Starts, runs and drives strong. Fun to drive. Draws a lot of thumbs up.”

The car was built on Datsun’s versatile B210 platform as part of the third-generation of what was known in Japan as the Sunny model lineup. Datsun built Sunnys from 1966 until 2006. They were sold under various names in various global markets. 

The third-generation cars debuted during the 1973 oil crisis. It had a 1.4 liter 4-cylinder engine, 4-speed manual transmission, and reportedly averaged nearly 30 miles per gallon in town and around 40 on the highway. The cars were equipped with front disc brakes, and had reclining front bucket seats. 

The dealer lists the exterior color as yellow, although in the photographs it appears to be a more-desirable butterscotch shade. The interior is beige. 

The front section of the rear quarter windows pivot open, and what appears to be an untouched spare tire and jack are stowed beneath the rear cargo floor and under the rear fastback roof.

The dealer is asking $15,500 for this future classic. To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

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Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

14 COMMENTS

  1. How did she wind up on the wrong side of the country for cars ? Hopefully she finds a rust free home! She is in great shape ! Always liked these cars!!! Wished for about 50 more hp.

  2. If it’s not a classic now it never will be. Who determines that? Just an old car in my eyes. lousy styling and still ugly.

  3. Oh, so much hatred and snark and misinformation.
    No, Mr. Bochenek, Datsun/Nissan did not use "rusted recycled steel" in their manufacturing (the recycling process removes the oxidation anyway; check it ‘fore yer fingers outrun yer brain).
    And Mr.s Norris and Hollier: just because YOU don’t like it, well… Who made you the arbiters of taste for the hobby?
    My Dad spent his entire working life at the Delco-Remy plant in Anderson, IN, and was an Impala SS guy from the first in ’61 ’til his death in ’93 (he had a rippin’ ’69 427/4spd when he passed, in a hideous bland tan with a black vinyl top & interior. Brrr!). Me? I’m my father’s GM son, but am a serial GTO offender. I’ll own at least one until I die.
    But there’s room for everyone in the hobby. And I remember these when they were new. I was a sophomore in HS when a girl I wanted ever so badly- who (ahem) didn’t feel the same- was given one to celebrate her license. It was the presented car exactly, save for hers being an odd shade of blue/teal/turquoise. The "enter" icon on my Android phone is the exact color. A classic, and the value of any car (or commodity) is determined by the people with whom the market is comprised. Ah, unless you’re a multi billionaire with your own media empire, you’re not gonna be able to dictate what is or isn’t "classic", and markets determine prices, not your disdain.
    I always thought these B210s were kinda cute (those skintight Sergio Valente jeans might have something to do with that), and I certainly understand why this example is desirable. Japanese automobiles are now becoming the next thing, as the generations that grew up with them reaches their peak income years and midlife nostalgia.
    I wish things had been different, as then I might have some racy B210 stories; alas, was not to be. But just the intro pic of the butterscotch version did bring back some very bittersweet memories.

  4. I used my 76 Datsun B210 as my daily driver/ work car as well as competing in SCCA Solo II completion to become the Chicago Region H Stock champion in 1980. By the way, I aslo averaged about 39 mpg driving to and from work. I sold the car with 98000 miles on it.

  5. bought one in 1998 for $350. It is still my favorite car. I’ve had new ones and a few older ones but, this is still my favorite. My truck loves are a 1998 mazda b2200 and a 1998 isuzu, tied. anything similar you think i’d like? $15k for this is nuts.

  6. As a member of Gen X I may not be willing to pay that kinda money for this car, nor any Japanese import for that matter. But I grew up in a family where domestics were more favored over imports, even during the dark days of the 1980’s when America was falling head over heals for anything Japanese. However I can see where many other people my age would be willing to pay collector-car prices for vintage Japanese cars. After all, for many of us these were the cars that we either grew up in as kids and/or were handed down to us when we became of driving age. Enter the tuner fad of the 90’s when seemingly every male in his teens and 20’s had or wanted a hot rod Civic with a coffee-can sized muffler and a $5000 stereo system. Frankly I never understood that craze as I was more into watching fox-body Mustangs and Buick Grand Nationals eat those Civics for breakfast! I understand there were some professionally-built Honda’s and other tuner cars that could go quite fast but most of them were done by kids who simply thought they could throw a few bolt-on parts at Mom’s wore out econo-box and have a 10-second screamer. These were the cars that made me laugh the hardest.

  7. Wow…. the memories!! The first car I ever bought was a ’76 hatch with 81K on it; bought March 1983. Pretty amazing car in that it took me more than 33K miles in just under 14 months, and I had the real ownership cost carefully figured to $ 0.1084/mile, including the $1100.00 I paid for it, the $242+ I paid to Brangaccio Brothers for the new clutch, the $48 to a corner gas station for a new slave cylinder (the original quit two days after the clutch was installed, while I was at lunch from work), new brake pads/shoes I installed, a new pair of rear tires, gas and oil, and insurance. If only the floor didn’t rust out I would’ve had it a few more years, for sure. I made a deal with a coworker to sell it to him for $200 when I picked up the new ’84-1/2 Dodge GLH I had ordered but, alas, the very night before I was to deliver it some kids broke out three of the windows, including the rear hatch glass, while I was visiting a crosstown friend. Implemented Plan B- sold it to a lobsterman who loved those engines for his small (25 foot or so) boats. One memorable highlight- a hydraulically activated clutch on an econo-box….what? Sure as hell wish my new GLH had that feature- it snapped two clutch cables in the four years I owned it!

  8. had a friend once..he said ‘why would i sink good money into an old car’?? i was always peerplexed by his statement…unfortunately for this car, we can all pay a bit more than that asking price and get a Toyota corona…

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