1978 Datsun 710 – Auction Car of the Week

Most of us have stood idly by and watched helplessly as prices of ’80, ’90s and indeed 2000s JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) heroes have skyrocketed. In a phenomenal spike that began around the mid to late 2000s (and continues to this day) anything remotely sporty from the land of the rising sun seemed to all of a sudden be tinged with gold, soaked in Dom Pérignon and parked in Mayfair, almost immediately placing all but the most mundane of Japanese cars (we’re looking at you boggo Galant) out of the meagre reach of us mere mortals.
And nobody even saw it coming! I myself owned a Nissan Skyline R32 GTR before all of this kicked off. In perfect condition with a few tasteful mods and low mileage I sold it in 2010 for £6,000. Six grand! That’s easily a £25K car now and yes, I do think about that more than is probably healthy. But ho-hum, we live and learn.
It’s not just the Skylines, Supras and RX-7s that have become ludicrously expensive though. Other, lesser known Japanese-built beauties have also begun to follow suit and now any Japanese car that even hints at a modicum of performance or rarity has jumped on the bandwagon and ridden the coattails of those giants of the scene into the stratosphere, with even humble runabouts rather cheekily adding a zero or two to their asking prices.
But what prompted this surge of stature? What caused such a deluge of demand and subsequent escalation in expense? Well, off the top of our heads we can think of a few reasons…
1) Millennials. This PlayStation generation grew up in the ’80s and ’90s amid a constant stream of these cars being glorified on TV, in the movies, in magazines and, probably most significantly, in video games, and if there’s one thing a millennial loves, it’s a big old warming dose of nostalgia. All of a sudden these guys were coming of age and could afford to buy the cars they had idolised in games like Gran Turismo and films like The Fast and The Furious, and as we all know, increasing demand plus diminishing supply equals higher prices.
2) The whole “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” thing. Motorsport has a huge influence on car culture and seeing cars like the aforementioned Nissan Skyline GTR dominate on track, along with other Japanese rear-wheel drive icons sliding their way to victory in various drift events around the world, people wanted a piece of that action and started scooping up performance Nissans, Toyotas and Mazdas a plenty.
3) They’re actually damn good cars. It’s as simple as that. They’re fast, well built, eminently tunable but also reliable, and perhaps most importantly, they’re cool, and have been for a while now.
So what can you do if you fancy a slice of JDM goodness but you don’t have a six figure income? Well, ladies and gentlemen, you either turn to less exciting models or you need to travel a little further back in time, say, to the 1970s, when Nissan was still churning out cars under the Datsun moniker. Cars like this Datsun 710 for instance.
The what now? Yes, we’re well aware that a lot of you won’t have even heard of the 710, but that’s kind of the point. Flying under the radar this ’70s Coke bottle beauty is rather more inconspicuous than anything listed above but that’s not to say it’s any less of a stellar choice when it comes to classic Japanese metal.
Known as the Nissan Violet in its native Japan, the 710 was introduced in the early ’70s as a smaller version of the Datsun Bluebird 610. Offered in a range of body styles it’s the desirable two-door fastback SSS model that is the one to have, and that’s exactly what we have here available via our auctions platform. Not only did the SSS feature independent rear suspension in place of the usual leaf spring setup, but it was also the most powerful model of the bunch.
The thing is, that’s all a bit moot because this particular 710 has blown all standard performance figures out of the water due to it being blessed with a twin-cam LZ18 four-cylinder engine – a rare example of Nissan’s competition engine that was predominantly used for overseas European rallies in period, not to mention being capable of producing up to 200bhp. Nice.
Part of a six year restoration that was completed in 2016, the high performing engine is the cherry on top of this particularly tasty treat. With low mileage, sound mechanicals and a sexy aesthetic there’s a lot to like here. Imported to the UK from South Africa post resto this Datsun 710 will need to be UK road registered, but that’s a doddle and there’s plenty of information online to help you.
Check out the listing for the full story but suffice to say this little gem, bolstered by a performance motor and a full, professional resto, is arguably cooler than anything featured in The Fast and the Furious, not to mention cheaper no doubt, so if you want in on the action before everything from that particular corner of the world slides well and truly out of your grasp, then here’s your chance.