The Nissan Caball was a light commercial truck built from December 1957 to December 1981. It was sold mainly in Japan, Hong Kong, South-East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and a few European countries, and shared the platform of the Nissan Junior. Its 2–4 ton replacement took the Nissan Atlas name.
Nissan Caball at a glance
| Production | December 1957 – December 1981 |
|---|---|
| Layout | cab-over, shared platform with the Nissan Junior |
| First engine | 1.5-litre 1H four, 50 PS |
| C40 range | C40, C42, C43, from 1957 to 1960 |
| C140 range | from April 1960, 1.5-litre G engine, 71 PS |
| C141 | 1,883 cc H engine, 85 PS; SD22 diesel from 1963 |
| C142 | 1,982 cc H20 engine, 99 hp; last car with rear-hinged doors |
| C240 | from August 1966, front-hinged doors, quad headlights |
| C340 | from May 1976, H20 and ED30 diesel, ED33 from 1980 |
| Also sold as | Nissan Clipper; Nissan Diesel Bison (1979–1981) |
| Replaced by | Nissan Atlas |
based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Nissan Caball.
History of the Nissan Caball
C40 and C140
The Caball appeared in December 1957 as a cab-over version of the B40 Nissan Junior, using the 1.5-litre 1H four of 50 PS. The C42 of August 1958 raised power to 57 PS and the C43 of 1959 brought a larger grille, cabin air drawn through the grille and a flat cabin floor. The C140 of April 1960 looked almost the same but used the new 1.5-litre G engine of 71 PS and became the first Caball to sell outside Asia, with success in Australia and Central America; bus, van and microbus versions were built. In 1962 the C141 dropped “Junior” from the name and moved to the 1,883 cc H engine of 85 PS, with an SD22 diesel option from 1963. The C142 of late 1965 used the 1,982 cc H20 engine of 99 hp and was the last Nissan with rear-hinged doors.
C240
The third generation arrived in August 1966 with quad headlights and, for the first time, front-hinged doors. Its interior was designed with American buyers in mind and could seat three, although the truck was not sold in North America. The same engines as the C142 were used, the grille changed in 1969 and the Echo bus version continued.
C340
The last generation came in May 1976 and ended in late 1981 without a direct successor. It used the cab and chassis of the C240 with a different front and a slightly longer body, and was sold also as the Nissan Clipper through Prince stores, and between 1979 and 1981 as the Nissan Diesel Bison. Engines were the two-litre H20 petrol and the three-litre ED30 diesel, joined by the larger ED33 diesel in June 1980. The C340 was assembled in South Africa as well.
Design and features
- Cab-over layout: a short truck built to Japanese dimension rules.
- Junior base: the same platform as the Nissan Junior pickup.
- Clipper twin: sold through Prince dealers under another name.
- Long life: four generations over 24 years.
Nissan Caball versions
- Caball C40 (1957–1960): the original 1.5-litre truck.
- Caball C140 / C141 / C142 (1960–1966): G, H and H20 engines.
- Caball C240 (1966–1976): quad headlights and front-hinged doors.
- Caball C340 (1976–1981): H20 and ED30, later ED33.
- Nissan Clipper and Diesel Bison: the same truck under other badges.
The Caball shared its base with the Nissan Junior and was replaced by the Atlas, whose lighter versions were sold as the Cabstar. More cars are in the Nissan collection.
Video: NISSAN CABALL C340
Video by YouTube on YouTube.
Sources
- Nissan Caball, English Wikipedia: generations, engines, markets, Clipper and Bison
_truck_(2015-06-18).jpg){kind=link}