1972 Datsun 510

There were very few changes to the Datsun 510 for the 1972 model year. Bodystyles included a 2- and 4-door sedan, and a 4-door station wagon with seating for five passengers. Power remained the same from overhead-cam four-cylinder engine offering nearly 100 horsepower from the 97.3 CID unit. A four-speed manual was standard and there were disc brakes in the front and drums in the rear. A three-speed automatic was available. Perhaps the most noticeable change to the 510 for 1972 was the price, which increased roughly $300 over the 1971 models, to $2300 for the 2-door sedan. The sedan sold for $2,450 while the wagon was priced at $2,650 (around $500 more than the prior year).

The Connecticut-based Bob Sharp Racing modified three Datsun 510s to contest the 1972 SCCA Championship season. Shared earned his second B Sedan national title that year and his teammate Jim Fitzgerald finished third.

John Morton would drive the Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) Datsun 510 to two SCCA Trans-Am series championship victories in 1971 and 1972, bringing an end to Alfa Romeo's rein on the Under 2.0 Liter Trans-Am Championship. The number 46 car raced 19 times in period races, and was the pole sitter in 16 of those races, of which it won 12 races overall.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2019