Chanced on this insightful blog about the Sunny B210 and whey there were so many options offered for it compared to the handful that you could get for the B110
Parl-siro's Page (translated)
Parl-siro's Page (original japanese)
Quote:
In a nutshell, even in the mass-market car class, it was becoming an era in which luxury on par with advanced cars was required. The design, which is reminiscent of the Kenmeri Skyline and Bluebird U, is surely the answer
...
The oil crisis and the emission regulations that followed greatly changed the shape required for mass-market cars, but I think it was difficult to foresee this at the time of the development of the 210.[/url]
thinking on this, and the american market I grew up in, i see the similarities. At the time, US cars got more ornate/luxurious -- although the cars were always one size bigger than JDM (we didn't have the smallest class, and they didn't have the largest class). Yet at the same time (1973) the oil embargo hit, ultimately resulting in accelerated down-sizing. I wonder how Japan reacted? He mentions it "changed the shape" of cars
Also see tape-stripe specials

As an american, the B210 styling always seemed weird. But compared to the Skyline C210 as "corporate styling" it makes sense
And Yes! I remember those psychedelic graphics. My older brother had a similar one in 1973, the famous Dylan poster. Which actually came out in the sixties, but by 1973 the style was used in Datsun advertising. Just as the style was on its way out. Which reminds me that car styling is always about 5 years behind the times. It takes a while to design a car and bring it to market
1973 JDM

1973 USA

1971 USA

1970 JDM
