Datsun Fairlady 1500
Before the Z-car, this little open Datsun mixed a Bluebird chassis with a Cedric engine and went racing.
1965 Japan Datsun Fairlady 1500 · Charles01 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
The SP310 appeared at the 1961 Tokyo Motor Show and entered production in October 1962. Nissan combined a first-generation Bluebird 310 chassis with the 1.5-liter G engine used by the first Cedric. Early cars were rated at 71 PS; the twin-SU version reached 80 PS in 1963. Nissan's featured 1965 car was restored in 2018 close to standard condition and represents the developed Fairlady 1500 road car, not the later 1600 or 2000.
Look a little closer.
Fairlady was Nissan's Japanese name; export markets also knew the family simply as Datsun Sports.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
A sports car assembled from proven ideas
The SP310 was not a single borrowed design. Nissan paired the Bluebird 310's chassis with the Cedric 30's 1.5-liter engine and wrapped them in a low open body. That combination helped turn everyday mechanical pieces into Nissan's first full-fledged production sports car.
Source: Nissan Heritage Collection · Datsun Fairlady 1500 ↗Why the year and carburetors matter
Nissan lists the early 1,488 cc engine at 71 PS, then says output rose to 80 PS in 1963 when twin SU carburetors were adopted for the export version. The preserved 1965 specification is the 80 PS twin-carb car. A generic SP310 photo does not prove which engine tune is under its hood.
Source: Nissan company history · 1960s ↗Where these facts come from
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 2, 2026.