Datsun Sunny: the 1200, 120Y and 140Y

The Datsun Sunny was Nissan’s small car, launched in 1966 as a direct answer to the Toyota Corolla. In its rear-wheel-drive generations it was exported as the Datsun 1200, 120Y, 140Y and B210, and it was the car that first made Japanese small cars popular in Britain.

Datsun Sunny at a glance

History of the Datsun Sunny

The second-generation Sunny, the B110, was launched in January 1970 and became the Datsun 1200 in export markets. It was slightly larger than the first Sunny in every dimension to match the Toyota Corolla, and the two companies kept up a game of one-upmanship over engine size that gave the Sunny its 1,200 cc engine and a memorable advertising line, “the car next to me looks small”. Underneath there were MacPherson struts in front, optional disc brakes and a five-door estate alongside the three-door one.

In April 1970 a GX trim with a twin-carburettor engine was added for Japan, and in August 1972 a GX-5 with a direct-fifth five-speed gearbox. The 1200 made its racing debut at the Fuji 200-mile race in November 1970, where a works car won its class against the Corolla. It was highly regarded as a rally car in Australia and New Zealand, and in South Africa a 1.4-litre pickup derivative stayed in production until 2008. In Britain the Datsun 1200 was the first Japanese car to sell in large numbers, helping Datsun’s sales there jump from just over 6,000 cars in 1971 to more than 30,000 a year later.

In North America over 133,000 Datsun 1200s were sold in the three model years from 1971 to 1973, 89,541 of them coupés. The Environmental Protection Agency rated it the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the United States in 1973 at 28.7 mpg, although the agency had not yet tested the Honda Civic. Power at launch was 69 hp, dropping in 1972 as anti-pollution equipment was added.

The third generation, the B210 of 1973, arrived just as the oil crisis made small cars fashionable; it was exported as the Datsun 120Y and, in North America, as the Datsun B210. It came with 1.2 and 1.4-litre engines and six body styles, from two- and four-door saloons to a three-door van, and American cars were the first Sunnys with the larger 5 mph bumpers. The last rear-wheel-drive Sunny was the B310 of October 1977, sold abroad as the Datsun 120Y, 130Y, 140Y or 150Y and as the Datsun 210 in North America; it replaced the leaf springs of earlier cars with a coil-spring four-link rear axle on most bodies. In 1981 the front-wheel-drive B11 took over, and the Sunny line continued until 2004.

Design and features

• Corolla rival: each generation grew slightly to answer Toyota’s small car.
• 1200 coupé: the fastback that made the car a favourite with young buyers.
• Economy: rated the most economical car in the United States in 1973.
• British breakthrough: the model that made Datsun Britain’s leading Japanese importer.
• Last rear-drive Sunny: the B310, with a coil-spring rear axle on most versions.

Datsun Sunny versions

• B110 (1970–1973): the Datsun 1200, with the 1.2-litre A12.
• B210 (1973–1978): the Datsun 120Y and B210, with 1.2 and 1.4-litre engines.
• B310 (1977–1981): the 120Y, 130Y, 140Y and 150Y, the Datsun 210 in America.
• Sunny Truck: a pickup derivative, built in South Africa until 2008.

The Sunny sat below the Datsun Bluebird and was joined by the front-wheel-drive Datsun Cherry. More models are in the Datsun collection.

Video: DATSUN SUNNY 1200 B110 TOMEI RACING

Video by мɪᴄʀоsᴛʀаᴛеɢу on YouTube.

Sources

• Nissan Sunny, English Wikipedia: B110, B210 and B310 generations, sales, engines
• Nissan Sunny, German Wikipedia: generation overview and market names