MEET THE OWNER – RYAN DAYNES AND HIS DATSUN SUNNY 1200

“I came across it locally for sale with another Datsun Enthusiast - he had purchased the car from the original lady owner who bought it new after learning to drive. She kept it for 42 years so must have liked the car and felt that it met all her needs”. And today, Ryan owns one the rarest cars on the road in this country – a 1973 B110-Series 1200 Sunny.

Not that Datsun GB intended it to be an exclusive machine, as they regarded the Sunny as a rival to the Ford Escort Mk. I, the Hillman Avenger, the Triumph Toldeo and the Vauxhall Viva HC. The original B10 debuted in 1966 as Nissan’s alternative to the new Toyota Corolla and was replaced by the B110 four years later.

The 23rd of July 1970 edition of Autocar found the latest Sunny offered excellent performance and outstanding economy, but the ride, handling and brakes had room for improvement. The article noted, “As one of our staff said, if he had been led blindfolded to the Datsun, he would have concluded it was a Ford Escort with a better engine and inferior steering. This just about sums up our opinion”. However, the Sunny was also “one of the liveliest and most economical cars in its class”.

Many potential buyers were also probably impressed by a car with two-speed wipers, electric washers, a cigar lighter and reversing lamps as standard, all for just £875 14s 7d. One problem might be a formation bout of curtain-twitching from the neighbours and mutterings in Liptons about “one of those Japanese cars”, but the Sunny was not uncommon sights in the early 1970s.

Nissan began exporting cars to the UK, under the Datsun brand, in 1968, and a few years later, several former Austin-Morris dealers signed an agreement with the Japanese firm. BL decreed that any outlet that could not sell 150 cars per year would lose their franchise – “let them fold up their tents and disappear into the night”. As a result, long-established customer bases were converted to the joys of Sunny motoring.

And any former BMC driver would have probably felt quite at home in the Datsun. The B110 made no claims to represent a significant technical breakthrough, but it did offer reliable and very agreeable transport. As Ryan points out, “It drives superbly and is surprisingly roomy inside despite its diminutive exterior. It’s also been very reliable for me so far, being the only car out of my small collection that starts for me every time!”

The quasi-Plymouth looking B210 replaced the B110 in 1973, and you would be hard-pressed to find many examples on the road in this country. To quote the proud owner of CBM 533 L:

I haven’t got too much to compare the Datsun to in terms of early ‘70s cars; however, it is certainly a better drive than the Morris Minor 1000 I owned recently and has its own charm, it feels solid yet tactile at the same time.

Not to mention the brochure’s promise of “handsome hubcaps”.

With Thanks To: Ryan Daynes