Del Camino: 1969 Datsun u521 Pickup
I love it when I’m proven right. It might take months, years or decades…but when I told everyone that the final state of all motorized vehicles is the El Camino they all laughed and me and said “Sir, this is a Wendy’s drive thru.” Well, who is laughing now? In case you don’t know, there are many super smart people who believe in what is known as the “Crab Evolution Theory” (aka Carcinisation), which elegantly posits that all life forms, over extensive time, undergo a transformative process leading to the eventual emergence of crab-like anatomical structures. Sounds fishy? I dunno, but I’m not one to snap to judgement. Do all the research for yourself and start your own breeding/evolution experiment with the crabs because I’ve already done the research on El Caminoization and the future is here -it starts with an L and ends with CAMINO! (Update 8/24 — I assumed this was a custom 510 built into an El Camino…but it appears that I was wrong it and its a factory u521 double cab pickup from Datsun — Thanks Stan and Mega Vonza for following your gut(s)!). Find this 1969 Datsun u521 Pickup offered for $16,500 in Tampa, FL via freakbook caminoplaceplace. Tip from Dave in Tampa.
From the seller:
1969 Nissan Datsun
$16,500
Listed 4 days ago in Tampa, FL
About This Vehicle
Driven 99,999 miles
Manual transmission
Exterior color: Blue · Interior color: Red
Fuel type: Gasoline
Clean title
This vehicle has no significant damage or problems.
This could pass for a strange factory option, which makes me wonder if it was in some remote part of the world. If someone built this in their shop, the must have started with at least two cars, possibly three. Listed on FB with no description or explanation, of course. Typical FB.
I think it started as the 510 4-door wagon. Welded the rear doors shut (like on this custom 2-door wagon) http://smclassiccars.com/datsun/7147-amazing-1971-datsun-510-custom-2-door-wagon-one-of-a-kind-east-coast-usa.html
And then used some 50s/60s upright but curved windshield glass for the rear glass.
Datsun U520/521. Stock from the factory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=0VWljyd2G-A
https://barnfinds.com/double-cab-cool-1970-datsun-u521-pickup/
-Stan (the *other* Stan…)
I keep coming back to this for another look. I seriously don’t believe this is a 510 and the seller isn’t listing it as one. It’s close, but it’s not the same. Compare the front grille, body lines, tail lights, etc. to a 510 wagon and you’ll see they’re not a match.
It doesn’t quite match a 410 either. The Costa Rica license plate makes me think there’s a chance this isn’t a custom and it’s actually some Latin American variation we never saw in the US.
If someone actually built this themselves, a lot went into the bed design and it’s awesome. But, my bet is that this is a rare non-US Datsun (even if later customized) but I haven’t found info on the web yet to confirm. Anyone concur?
oH WOW. This is a factory Datsuncamino? They were way ahead of their time. I was 98% certain that anything that ugly wouldn’t have come from the OEM factory, but I was wrong. Now to update the listing.
Looks like a PL411 to me
Web Site Rule #42: If the car is super-cool be sure it’s on the other side of the country.
Came this way from the factory. Datsun U520/521.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=0VWljyd2G-A
https://barnfinds.com/double-cab-cool-1970-datsun-u521-pickup/
-Stan (the *other* Stan…)
Thanks, Stan! Now I can finally get some sleep. It just looked too legit to me to be a custom.
Good sleuthing my man, when I first spied this in my local Tampa Faceballs I was gobsmacked: it looked far too thoughtfully executed to be a custom mod – yet I’d never seen one before. Considering that I once lived in Japan and attended every show in my region I thought I’d seen it all. Clearly I haven’t. I wonder if I should offer my pristine Z32 5-speed as a trade?
THAT is one weird mfer