Quote:How about the Japanese engineer that is improving the Austin engine?

Remember, Nissan produced more than 20,000 Austin engines, before they created the J and A engines. Is the A a "clean sheet" design? Or is it partially based on the previous engines? Including the bore centers. The Austin rocker cover even fits... except for location of bolt holes.

I count two degrees of separation between Austin engine design and Nissan A engine.

well Derrrr.. one is red and one is green... LMAO..

Well with a camshaft on the opposite side of the block & an internal oil pump in one, & external on the other being only minor & insignificant differences so I guess they are pretty much the same.

Well after all they are both liquid cooled inline four cylinder internal combustion engines. Surely that's close enough isn't it?

In reality there is NOTHING of the BMC design that was used in the Datsun A series engine.

Yes, the Datsun A-series is obviously not based directly on the Austin A-series.

Austin A -> E-series -> J-series -> A-series. So our Datsun 1200 engine is three generations more modern.

a > e > j > austin a

If using the six degrees of separation rule we can link the Datsun A series engine pretty much to the 1928 Chevrolet engine.
Both are OHV liquid cooled inline four cylinder engines with a single carb & two valves per cylinder. Both had a Kettering ignition system with the distributor driven by the cam, a water pump, oil pump & both rotated clockwise when viewed from the front & both had a three bearing crank. [the original A10 had three main bearings] The Chevrolet even had a cross flow design cylinder head.
A much modified 1926 based Chevrolet 4 cylinder engine was used on the salt to crack it for 140mph [225.302kph] in 1940 & I don't know how many A series Mowog's or Datsuns are up for that little task, unblown, on 82 octane fuel today.

See, same basic engine design.
The A series datsun was an all new, ... clean sheet of paper design that owes nothing to the British design other than an abject lesson in what NOT to include in a new engine design.

Surely even a 'What not to do or include to improve' could be considered a link?