Market Watch: Datsun 1600-200B

By: Cliff Chambers, Photography by: Prime Creative Media

Date: 27.03.2024

Is there a forest in south-east Australia – and many other places as well – that at some point didn’t echo to the sound of a Datsun rally engine on the cusp of detonation? We doubt it.

Datsun 1600-200B

The Datsun P510 (aka 1600) appeared on Australian roads late in 1968 and almost immediately began appearing in rally entry lists. During 1970, a SSS version shared victory in the Ampol Trial, but not until the 1980s when bored and stroked ‘Grunter’ engines were allowed, did 1600s begin winning at Australian Rally Championship level.

In 1968, not too many cars in the Affordable Four-Door category came with independent rear suspension, front discs, individual front seats, an overhead camshaft engine and top speed of almost 160km/h. The Datsun did.

The 1600s offered tough, basic transport with plenty of scope for owners to insert a bigger engine, add a carburettor or even a turbo for extra grunt.

During 1972, the 1600 was replaced by a more stylish, better equipped 180B version which outsold Toyota, Mazda and the four-pot Ford Cortina.

Had Nissan stuck with its 180B design, the world might have been a contented place, but its independent rear end was costly to make and 1977 saw a 200B version with rigid rear axle take over the role.

It, like the 180B, was sold in Australia as a sedan, station wagon or two-door SSS coupe.   

Neglect and rust claimed many Datsuns during the 1990s, encouraging enthusiastic owners to preserve and often modify those cars that survived.

Most 1600s will by now have had their original engine replaced, often by something larger. The four-speed manual or three-speed auto will likely have been swapped for a five-speed manual.  

Early cars are recognisable by their ‘clap hands’ windscreen wiper arrangement and these, when perfectly preserved, can reach $50,000. Later 1600s sell currently at $30-40,000.

The 180B and 200B sedans and wagons are easier to find in stock condition, with decent cars at around $15,000.

Less common and more valuable than four-door cars is the SSS coupe. A 1600 two-door in excellent order should top $50,000, with the 180B and 200B SSS generally below $30,000. A fully restored 180B SSS rally car offered recently at around $60,000 might spark some interest. 

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