Datsun 510 (1968 to 1973)

The Datsun 510 was a series of the Datsun Bluebird sold from 1968 to 1973, and offered outside the U.S. and Canada as the Datsun 1600. It was a small sedan that solidified the sporting legend for Datsun and Nissan, with a powerful inline four that was easily modified for additional power. The 510 two and four-door sedans were especially well-handling sports sedans, with a sophisticated independent rear suspension allowing for excellent cornering performance. In the US, the 510 featured a 96hp 1.6L I4 (L16) engine, but many samples have now been upgraded to 1.8L (L18) and 2.0L (L20) engines, among others. JDM and ROW versions featured engines with displacement ranging betweent 1.3L to 1.8L depending on the market. The 510 was raced by privateers and factory-funded racing teams alike for many years to great success. Although it was succeeded by the Datsun 610 in 1973, the Datsun 510 name would re-appear as part of the Nissan Violet family of cars in 1977.