When the very first Datsun was shipped over to the UK in 1968, the British car industry were in for a shock. At the time many of these cars (and it wasn't just Datsuns, but also Toyota, Honda, Daihatsu and slightly later Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Suzuki and Isuzu) represented excellent value for money and offered the punters exactly what they wanted - a car which started first thing in the morning and maintained that reliability throughout its life.

As the seventies progressed the sales of Datsuns flourished along with the size of flares and sideburns. By 1973 the government had to restrict the the volume of imports to this country of Japanese cars due to the damage to sales to homegrown tinpots. The fact that many British cars were poorly screwed together, unreliable, poorly equipped and underdeveloped - the exact opposite of what a consumer wants in a basic motor car. The Japanese wasn't just taking the UK by storm but did exceptionally well in the US, much of mainland Europe and Africa and was quickly among the top 5 of world car manufacturers along with rivals Toyota.

The 100A cherry and 120Y sunny were one of the best selling cars in 1975 with around 30,000 annual British sales, so where on earth have they all gone? Quite simply the vast majority have been sent to the crusher, a small handful had been exported to Africa, but most have died a death speeded up by the rust process. Reliable and good value for money they were, but due to the need of the authorities to spread salt all over the roads during the winter and poor quality steel it wasn't unusual to see three year old examples peppered with rust spots and by the time the car was 5 years old a birthday trip down to the scrappy was to be expected despite the engines running as smooth as the day they left the factory.

What was once a familiar sight is now a positively rare one. With interest gradually increasing (thanks to the Datsun owners club, Jeremy clarkson, and the interest in anything vaguely retro) it seems like many of the last few remaining models are destined to be saved. Despite the rarity of some models, they'll never command excessive prices and can be bought for very reasonable money. However the main problem facing Datsun owners isn't just the scarcity of some parts but also theft. Many cars according to the Datsun Owners club are being stolen from the streets and shipped to Africa. Added to the fact the banger race fraternity like to use rear wheel driven seventies and eighties large cars haven't helped the cause. Owners of rear wheel driven Datsuns and Toyotas beware! Numbers will continue to dwindle.

December 2000