man they are cool..I saw one in tas once! should have bought it !!!!

how rare are they?

i saw one in my travels one day and didnt think much of it, a little too classic looking for my liking, plus they wouldnt be strut front would they, maybe i should look at the links..

Now I know what to pack if I should ever come to Australia.

what sort of power plant do these thing have? is it basically a 1200 drive line? they have gotta be lighter than a1200 sedan,coupe,wagon or ute? imagine putting a CA18 or an SR20 turbo motor in one!
is that the exprssion would be on everyone faces?

SR20DET Fairlady

Well there you go.

The old Datsun Roadsters/Fairlady's are fun little cars! They came as both 1600cc and 2000cc models. The 1600 OHV was called the R-16 and had twin SU's with a 4 speed tranny, H190 rearend, and front disks/rear drums. They also have a full frame, not a subframe like all the other Datsuns. The 2000 engine was called the U-20 and was one of Nissan's first single overhead cam engines and was mated to a 5 speed overdrive tranny. Most models came with SU carbs, but some could be ordered with dual 44mm Solex carbs, a 7 quart oil pan, and factory tuned extractors starting with the 67.5 year model. My dad had a 1600 Roadster about 20 years ago, we all loved that car a lot. He rebuilt, balanced, and tuned the engine and claims to have gotten it up to 130 mph with more pedal left! Anyway, they do not weigh less than the 1200. The Roadsters were actually built really heavy duty for a Datsun, and the frame weighs it down a lot. I don't know the exact weight, but I think they're around 2000 lbs. I took a fairly stock 2000 Roadster w/5 speed for a test drive last year in Texas. It really was a fun car, something that small and convertible just was an absolute blast. Unfortunately my A15 powered 1200 could easily smoke it, but it did have a little more low end grunt. Of course if it was built up just slightly it would have no problems taking my 1200 down. My dad raced one in Washington once in his Jap-model 280ZX with me and my bro in the car. Our Z would run low 15's in the quarter mile and this Roadster beat us out, but not by too much. Some day I would like to have one, they're easy to find in the US, fairly affordable, and lots of resto parts available too. Would be a really fun car with a strong SR20 or similar, but I think a torquey, well built, loud NA motor suits the car's personality better...just my opinion.

They are great cars though! My mom and dad always tell their story about how awesome it did in the snow, my dad drove it 50-60mph on glare ice after a big storm w/no problems and my mom driving the FWD Datsun 310 couldn't get it over 35mph following behind.

-Andy

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Not to nitpick, but they also came as a 1500 in the early '60s, with a J-15 pushrod engine. Also, I am relatively sure you had to buy a 2000 to get front discs. I think all the 1600's (at least the early ones) had front drums. I know for sure all of the 1500's did.

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Also, they are cheap to buy, but not to restore. I've seen U20 timing chain sets sell for $2000 USD

Most all of the trim pieces/interior are available for (relatively) affordable prices, but it's still WAAAY more expensive than building a 1200 or 510. The real problem with them is they are more expensive to build than their British counterparts, but are worth less on the open market.

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L20B, or "L22" hybrids are a good fit and since it looks nearly identical to the U20, most casual glances under the hood won't reveal the secret.

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Put one in for me too.

As you might have guessed, fairlady roadsters are abundant here in SoCal, and $20k examples are not uncommon. There is, in fact, a restoration shop only a few minutes away from my house. Sadly, I have had to pass on buying one of these because they are not at all suited for tall drivers.

and big hats lol

One of my favorites...

Here's a link to a very large pic of my favourite sporty...
Jason Lea's historic racer

There was also a rare 3 seater fairlady 1600, with the rear seat mounted east-west!

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In the USA that was the 1500 I mentioned, sold in the early '60s. My friend Pat has one in immaculate condition.