Datsun Classic Cars

The muscular final evolution of Datsun's Fairlady roadster line — and the direct predecessor to the 240Z's sports car ambitions.

The last and most powerful of Datsun's open-top Fairlady roadsters before the brand shifted its sports car ambitions to the closed-body 240Z, the 2000 paired a genuinely potent twin-carburetor engine with a traditional front-engine, rear-drive roadster layout reminiscent of contemporary British sports cars — but with Japanese reliability increasingly winning over American enthusiasts who'd grown wary of Lucas electrics.

The "poor man's BMW" — a genuinely capable, race-proven sport sedan that punched far above its modest price tag.

Directly inspired by contemporary BMW sport sedans but sold at a fraction of the price, the Datsun 510 combined a rigid unibody, independent rear suspension, and a torquey overhead-cam four-cylinder into a genuinely rewarding sport sedan — a specification sheet no other affordable car of the era could match. Its competition success on American road-racing circuits cemented a reputation for handling that still drives strong collector demand today, distinct entirely from the later Z-car's sports coupe identity.