Nissan Cherry X-1 4-door Sedan
Nissan's first front-wheel-drive car put a lively twin-carburettor engine and a surprisingly roomy cabin into a tiny four-door body.
1970 Nissan Cherry Sedan X-1.jpg · TTTNIS · CC0 1.0
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 Cherry reached Japanese buyers in October 1970 after Nissan chose the still-unusual path of transverse-engine front-wheel drive. Two- and four-door sedans launched together; this profile follows the four-door X-1 hot model, whose 1.2-litre A12 used twin SU carburettors to make 80 PS. Nissan called the rounded semi-fastback shape a “capsule,” while the rising side-window line gave the little sedan a look of its own.
Look a little closer.
Nissan chose the name Cherry from Japan's cherry blossom—and then built the X-1 light enough that each metric horsepower moved only about 8.4 kilograms of car.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Why front-wheel drive made the cabin bigger
With the engine and gearbox together at the front, the Cherry did not need a driveshaft tunnel running to the rear axle. Nissan could therefore make a 3.61-metre car with useful four-door passenger space. The company saw that packaging efficiency as the big advantage of front-wheel drive for a small family car.
Source: Nissan Owners' Magazine archive · 1970 Cherry ↗The road car quickly became a rain racer
Nissan began circuit testing only one month after launch. The racing Cherry was a two-door X-1 rather than this four-door, but the shared front-drive layout helped it find grip in wet weather; at its October 1971 debut, two cars finished first and second in the rain at Fuji.
Source: Nissan Heritage Collection · Cherry at the races ↗Where these facts come from
- Nissan Heritage Collection · Cherry X-1 four-door Sedan
- Nissan Owners' Magazine archive · 1970 Cherry
- Nissan Heritage Collection · Cherry at the races
- Nissan Heritage Gallery · 1970 Cherry E10 product brochure
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.