History of Datsun 1200

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Category: General Information

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The Datsun 1200 car was made by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.. Why "1200"? Because it had an engine size of approximately 1200cc. In Japan it was known as "Datsun Sunny 1200". The car was Nissan chassis code B110. The left-hand drive version was labeled LB110.

Contents 1 Market Names: Sunny, B110, 1200 2 Model Years Produced 3 Sunny Model Line 4 Sunny Excellent (PB110) 5 Racing History 6 Sunny Truck 6.1 Trucks By Country 7 Sales Dates 8 Sales Figures 9 Nissan History re: Datsun 1200

Market Names: Sunny, B110, 1200

B110 has different names in different markets:

• Japan & Aisa markets: Sunny
• Australia: Datsun 1200
• USA: Datsun 1200

"Sunny" is the name used in Japan and some other countries for all B-series (sub-compact) vehicles, including:

• 1967-70 B10 (Datsun 1000)
• 1971-73 B110: Datsun 1200
• 1974-78 B210: Datsun B-210 (USA) or 120Y (many markets)
• 1971-up Datsun B120 and its derivatives B121/B122/GB122/B140 (Sunny trucks)
• 1979-1982 B310: Datsun 210 (USA) or Sunny (ANZ) or 120Y/130Y/140Y/150Y (various markets)
• 1983-present front-wheel drive [Sunny/Sentras] (B11-B15)

Nissan's Sunny was the perennial rival for Toyota Corolla. In some years Sunny sold more, other years Corolla. Sunny was generally always a bit lighter, but Corolla had more engine options.

For a more detailed history of the Sunny family, see the History section at http://RatDat.com or Nissan_Sunny at wikipedia.org.

For a more detailed history of Nissan/Datsun, see the History section at http://www.nissanfanseite.de or Nissan at wikipedia.org.

Model Years Produced

The "Datsun 1200" line has been produced from Model Years 1971 to 2006 (so far ...). 1971-1973 was the regular run for the Coupe, Sedan and Wagon production.

NOTE: Model Years (MY) generally runs from October to September. So the 1972 MY was from Oct 1971 to Sep 1972

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• A few 1200s were sold by Nissan New Zealand as "1974" models.
• South Africa: Datsun 1200 GX coupes (with twin SUs) may have been produced into 1975.

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  Chris Snyders from South Africa says that Datsun 1200 GX coupes (with twin SUs) were locally produced in large numbers from 1972 to 1975. The Datsun 1200 4 door deluxe (2 barrel Hitachi) and the 4 door GX (SUs) were also produced. All versions came with a 4.1:1 diff ratio. Chris still has his A12, but has replaced it with an A15. Chris says that the Datsun 1200 ute (called a 'bakkie' in South Africa) were produced in South Africa from 1971 onwards. The name was changed to 120Y in 1976, and they had a slight facelift in 1982, with the engine being swapped for an A14. Since then, there have been more minor changes: 5 speed gearbox, 3.9:1 diff, higher roof, bucket seats, etc. The Nissan 1400 bakkie is still in production today, and sells at a rate of about 2500 per month.

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  ...Datsun 1200s were sold in Portugal in the years 1972 - 1974. The models available were the 2-door sedan, 4-door sedan, 4-door deluxe, 4-door GX and the wagon.

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  ... tells me that the Datsun 1200 ute was sold as a Roadstar in New Zealand upto about 1988, with an A15 and a 5 speed gearbox.

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  ...The 1200 ute was also imported into Central America until about 1993, when emission regulations started getting too tough.

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• After 1975, only the 1200 trucks were made (see Truck section below)

Sunny Model Line

The "Sunny" models started in 1966 with the B10 "Datsun Sunny 1000". The "Sunny" name was a trademark owned by Sony, so Nissan had to make a deal to get access to the name. Why go to all the trouble? Because "Sunny" was picked by consumers in a Japan-wide contest!

http://www.ratdat.com/history/1959to1972/1959to1972.html Quote:]

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1966 was also the year that the very first Datsun Sunny arrived. The B10 model was a simple but well engineered car that was received well in both home and export markets. It provided just the right combination of comfort, performance and economy for a small car and in Japan heralded the beginning of what was to be known as the "my car" era, a time when everybody could have their own personal car. The name "Sunny" was actually chosen by the general public after Nissan ran newspaper ads inviting people to name the new model to be launched soon. Nissan received nearly eight and a half million reply postcards in a month! The name Sunny was finally chosen because it fitted the cars image of "bright, lively and youthful".

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Next came a larger model, all the better to compete with Corolla:

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B110 - January 1970 Commonly known as the Datsun 1200, this was the second generation Sunny in Japan. The new Sunny sported MacPherson strut front suspension and the A series engine had grown to 1171cc. The body had attractive, simple styling and the car was a great sucess worldwide. the B110 range included both two and four door sedans, a coupe and a wagon. The wagon actually came in three versions ...a standard four door wagon, a two door wagon and a van (although the latter only in a few countries). The van version had the rearmost side windows panneled in and was based on the three door wagon. The B110 always came with the A12 engine and although there were many different specifications the cars remained relatively unchanged throughout production. Initially in Japan, the cars could be had in Standard, GL and Deluxe trim and then in April 1970 the GX models were introduced with higher specification trim and black back panels and a broad stripe down the side. In January 1972 the GL and GX cars recieved a redesigned hood as well as new grilles and tail lights. The last B110 version intoduced was the GX-5 which arrived in August 1972. The GX-5 had improved interiors, sports stripes and most importantly a five speed transmittion. The GX-5 is the most sought after model these days and can command high prices.

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The biggest change was to front-wheel-drive starting in 1983 with the B12 model. Regular Sunny Production ended in Japan in September 2004 with the last model, the B15 (Sunny Super Saloon). Sunny production continues in Mexico with the B12 "Tsuru" Sentra. The last model sold in USA was the B14 Sentra with QR25DE power. The replacement is the Tiida (called Versa in USA).

But the "Datsun 1200" production continues with a truck form in South Africa -- now with 1400cc power -- and so is Nissan chassis code Nissan B140, named the Nissan 1400 LDV but commonly called the "Nissan bakkie".

Sunny Excellent (PB110)

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PB110 - April 1971 In addition to the standard Datsun Sunny B110 there was also a different L series engined version. This model came a year after the A series cars and consisted of four door sedans and coupes with revised styling and L14 engines. These were sold as the "Sunny Excellent" in Japan and are readily identified by the presence of side marker lights mounted in the front edge of the fenders. Three main specifications were available, GL, GX and Deluxe. All models feature different interiors to the normal B110 sold worldwide and have unique grilles and tail lights.

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For more information on the PB110, see the What body styles did the 1200 come in? article.

Racing History

For more information on Datsun 1200 racing history, see the B110 Racing History in Japan article.

Sunny Truck

• B20 February 1967 a.k.a. Datsun 1000 ute
• B120 February 1971 a.k.a. Datsun 1200 ute
• B122 November 1986-1994 (Japan)
• B140 1986-2003 (South Africa) a.k.a. Bakkie

Datsun 1200 type	Model Years
Sedans, Coupes and Wagons (B110)	1971, 1972, 1973
Datsun 1200 Ute/Truck (B120)	1971-1986
Datsun Sunny Truck/ute (B122)	1987-1994
Datsun Bakkie ute (B140)	1987-present

Sunny Trucks

B120T	1975 10 - 1979 08
GB120T	1975 10 - 1979 08 Longbed
B121T	1979 08 - 1981 10
GB121T	1979 08 - 19881 10 Longbed
B122T	1981 10 - 1994
GB122T	1981 10 - 1994 Longbed
B140	1987 - present Nissan South Africa

Trucks By Country

• Australia: B120 production ended with 1985 models
• Japan: Sunny Truck (B122 & GB122) production ended in late 1994
• South Africa: Nissan Bakkie 1400 (B14) still in production as of 2006

Sales Dates

Sale starting

• B10: April 1966 (1967 model) a.k.a. Datsun 1000
• B110: January 1970 (1971 model) a.k.a. Datsun 1200
• B210: May 1973 (1974 model) a.k.a 120Y or "B-210" (US)
• B310: October 1977 (1978 model) a.k.a Sunny (Australia) or 210 (US)
• B11: October 1981 (1981 model) a.k.a. Sentra fwd Sunny

Since the focus of this Encyclopedia in on Datsun 1200, we won't discuss its front-wheel-drive descendents in very much detail.

NOTE: In some states, early models like the January 1970 1200 were registered as a "1970" model. This appears to have been a determination of the government, and not of Nissan or the Datsun dealer.

Reference: Sunny Model Changes: Nissan Japan document Ff_fy01e14.pdf

Sales Figures

In North America (US and Canada), there were an average of 44,000 Datsun 1200s sold each year for three years.

 * Coupe: total sales 89,541 
 * 2-dr Sedan: 43,761

Photo Album

Finland (see http://www.automotiveforums.com/t11554.html)

 * standard coupe 2-door: 217 
 * 2-door: perhaps 1000

Nissan History re: Datsun 1200

 For a full history of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd, see Nissan @ wikipedia.org

Nissan was incorporated in the 1934 and from day one owned the Datsun name. But Nissan mostly made trucks until the late 50s (previously trucks were nearly all of the japanese market). In the late 70s Nissan managment in all its wisdom decided to 'leverage' the Nissan name and tossed the Datsun brand name in the trashcan. The name drop was complete in 1984. There is some evidence this was a bad move ...

The Datsun name was thereafter only used for a JDM line of pickup trucks, up to around 2002 or so as previous discussed here in this club.

The name "nissan" was the stock market symbol for the zaibatsu (combine) holding company's name: Nippon Sangyo (translation: Japan Industries). In 1934 Nippon Sangyo created Nissan by merging some of its holdings together. The Datsun name is earlier still, having been the "2nd gen" product of DAT Motors (the renamed Kaishinsha company), one of the two original auto manufacturers licensed in Japan in 1911.

Nissan was created by merging Tobata Casting (auto parts) with DAT Motors (car maker). At the same time DAT's factory was sold to Isuzu. DAT had earlier merged with Jitsuyo Motors which was a Kubota company. These were all small-scale companies: Jitsuyo only made 450 cars over seven years, and DAT only made 10 Datsuns in 1931-1932.

Interestingly, during WWII, Nippon Sangyo involved 74 companies including Hitachi. The "new zaibatsu" Nippon Sangyo grew so big during the war that it surpassed the traditional zaibatsus of Mitsui and Mitsubishi. Note that zaibatsus were officially dissolved after the war by the Occupation forces, but ties between related companies still survive. Hence Nissan still relies heavily on Hitachi parts, while Toyota favors Nippon Denso.

The Prince merger in 1966 was the partial result of Japanese government encouragment of mergers in the auto industry in the 1960s. However, this was the only merger that occured due to that campaign. Most likely Nissan chose to merge with Prince to get access to Prince's Murayama factory, as Nissan was expanding faster than anticpated by the mid-60s and even though they had just opened the state-of-the art Zama factory, they needed even more capacity to fulfill the demand of Datsun sales.

The other fascinating fact how Nissan invested in Fuji Heavy Industries stock. In turn this led to the assembly of Datsun 1200s in the Subaru factory. It is well known that the B10s (Datsun 1000s) were made in Nissan's Zama plant, but "beginning in 1970", 100,000 Sunnys were made in Fuji factories. I don't know at what point this stopped however.