1965 Datsun Fairlady 1600

The Datsun 1.5-liter SP310 remained in production through January of 1955, with its replacement being the new 1.6-liter R16-powered SP311 and SPL311. It had been shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1964, and entered production in March of 1965. It wore styling by Count Albrecht Goertz, who was later involved in designing the first Fairlady Z. Just like the prior Datsun Sp310, the SP311 had numerous names. It was called the Fairlday 1600 and Datsun Sports 1600. It had 14-inch wheels, an independent front suspension with coil springs over hydraulic shocks, and a rear setup comprised of leaf springs, dampened with hydraulic shocks. The 1.6-liter engine was fitted with a pair of SU carburetors and produced nearly 100 horsepower. The early SPL311 engines had a high compression ratio and three main bearings, later having a five bearing setup. On the front hood was the word 'Datsun' in individual letters; 'Datsun 1660' was located on a rear badge; side badges said 'Fiarlady' for the Japanese market while export markets had 'Datsun 1600.'

Production of the SP311 continued through April of 1970.

The 1965 Datsun 1600 2-door sports convertible had a base price of approximately $2,550. Along with the 97.3 cubic-inch overhead valve engine, it had a four-speed manual transmission, front disc, and rear drum brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2019