[Roadsters] 310 Roadster - 1962 or 1963?

[Paul Kort]

  *The Complete Datsun Guide *by Michael F. Hollander shows the 310 began
in 1962, but does not differentiate between Japanese and USA sales.
  *Fair Lady, Japan's First Sports Car *by Phill Brook, lists a 1962 model
of the 310.  But it lumps the production quantities with the '63 model.
  *Datsun Roadsters*, Brooklands Road Test Books, compiled by R.M. Clark,
also lists the 310 as beginning in 1962.

  So, if you want to wait until next year to make a 50th grille badge, go
right ahead.  Who knows, I may even buy one.  But for now, I'll gladly
display David & Ed's design on my '69 roadster!

Paul Kort
1969 1600 (now KA24E powered)
Ohio

On Fri, May 4, 2012 at 1:01 PM, David Patten <futofab at gsinet.net> wrote:

> There has been some disagreement on the first year of the 310 series
> Roadster.
>
>
>
> The 310 Roadster was first introduced to the public in the Fall of 1961 at
> the Tokyo Auto Show. The US public saw the car in April 1962 at the New
> York Auto Show. (There is a short video, more of a newsreel, of the 1962
> New York Auto Show on the internet that shows the 310 Roadster, but I was
> unable to find it for a second time to provide a link.)
>
>
>
> Based on information provided in the book  Datsun Fairlady Roadster to
> 280ZX, the Z Car Story  by Brian Long, he states that the first SP310
> roadsters (RHD) were 1962 with a total of 187 cars but the first to be
> exported were in 1963. So it is quite likely that the LHD SPL310, exported
> to the US was marketed as a  63 model but the original SP310 Roadster was
> considered a 1962 in the Japanese domestic market. Long admits that the
> earlier edition of his book had errors in production dates and numbers,
> which with the help of Nissan Shatai, he calls his later book to be  the
> definitive details .
>
>
>
> Another source of stating the 310 as a 1962 is the Heritage Collection part
> of on Nissan s Global website. There you will find the SP310 shown as year
> 1962.
>
> Link: http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/HERITAGE/datsun_fairlady_1500.html
>
>
>
> So while the SPL310 may have been marketed in the US as a  63 model it
> appears that Nissan considers the 310 Roadster started in 1962.
>
>
>
> While this information may not satisfy all, I feel comfortable that 1962
> should be considered the first year of the 310 series Roadster when looked
> at on a global basis.
>
> --
> Dave Patten, Owner
>
> FutoFab, LLC
> 199 Stark Hwy So
> Dunbarton, NH 03046
>
> Website - www.FutoFab.com <http://www.futofab.com/>
> e-mail - dave at futofab.com
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