Quietly stylish, with echoes of Britain's MGB, this super-low mileage Datsun 1500 Roadster will turn heads wherever you take it. Not just that, but this tiny convertible played a major part in Japanese sports car history. Minimalist 1960s drop top motoring has rarely come in a more elegant form, and the condition of this rare left hand drive example marks it out as a very special Datsun 1500 Roadster. And then there’s the unusual seating arrangements.
There’s no doubt that fans of MG might cry foul given similarity from certain angles to the MGB, launched just before parent company Nissan began work on the Datsun 1500 Roadster. Known as the Fairlady 1500 SP310 in Japan, the basis was the more prosaic Bluebird saloon and the lines were self-consciously based on European sports cars. MG, though, went for conventional seating arrangements, unlike the Datsun 1500 Roadster.
To the front there are two leather covered seats, as you’d expect, with the driver enjoying a form follows function four dial dashboard. To the rear, quarters are somewhat more cramped so designers at parent company Nissan chose to instal just the one rear passenger seat, placed sideways, maximising legroom and offering a unique view to those brave enough to occupy it.
That rear seat places this innocent Datsun 1500 Roadster among stellar company in the sparsely-populated category of three-seater sports cars. Among them is Gordon Murray’s celebrated McLaren F1, albeit with its three passengers to the front and rather more power to the rear than the Datsun 1500 Roadster can boast under its long bonnet. Datsun 1500 Roadster drivers had just 85 bhp to play with, deemed sufficient in its day if no rival for the McLaren’s 618 bhp. But power isn’t everything.
Datsun 1500 Roadster drivers could revel in nimble handling, courtesy its light weight and independent front suspension, and this example has covered a mere 6,338 miles making it virtually as good as new. For Nissan, this was the first of a stellar series of sports cars, from the Datsun 240Z to the Nissan NSX. You might say that Mazda might not have built its best-selling MX-5 without the success of the Datsun 1500 Roadster.
These little sports cars have become highly desirable and values have increased substantially, not least because so few examples of the Datsun 1500 Roadster survive and because of that important place this elegant convertible has in Japanese sports car history. With this 50-year-old example in pristine condition, a relatively hefty price tag is no surprise. At evocatively named dealers Eau de Petrol of Luxembourg you’ll need to hand over £34,000 - about the price of a new Mazda MX-5 but substantially more interesting - and this three-seater Datsun 1500 Roadster can be yours. We’ll have that side-facing rear passenger seat, please.
