10k: Fairlady Roadster: 1966 Datsun 1600 SPL311
You know what they always say, if you want to experience classic British roadster motoring, you should buy a Japanese car, but not a Miata…not today. Today, you are going to buy a mint condition Datsun SPL311 because sometimes style trumps measurable performance. Find this 1966 Datsun 1600 SPL311
in Palm Desert, CA currently bidding for $7,500 with 4 days to go.
The 1959-1970 Datsun Fairlady was badged as the Datsun Sports or Datsun
1600 Roadster in regions outside of Japan. It remains a fantastic and affordable alternative to 2-seat roadsters from Britain and Italy and this one looks really nice.
Under the hood of the SPL311 is the R16, a 1.6 liter inline-4 that was used in the
Fairlady roadster, Bluebird SSS and Silvia. The R16 pushed out around
90 horsepower and is fairly robust for day-to-day operation and will return good fuel economy in the lightweight 1600 chassis.
It will be interesting to see where the bidding is when the gavel hits the block, because this car is really nice looking and should be a good indicator of the higher end of the Datsun Roadster market.
See another well preserved Japanese ragtop classic? tips@dailyturismo.com
Seeing that gargantuan battery in relation to the engine reminds me yet again how comically small these things are. Be that as it may however, my friend who is 6' 4" and I (6' 1") have no problem fitting – with headroom to spare – with the top up.
This one looks great, and I'm all for glamour shots when it comes to car buying… but with cars such as these, where rust is a matter of "how much" vs. if/if not, to only have two undercarriage shots and zero under-carpet or floor pan is a bit tough to swallow. I'd gladly trade 50 pictures of this car enjoying a sunny CA afternoon for 5 shots that show the floors from the inside, outside, under the doors, and the entire length of the frame rails.
John Morton…Oh, wait, I meant this for the other site.