Datsun B210: Helping establish a Japanese foothold in North America

It's not too often we choose to cover Japanese cars here on RWP - but a recent trip to California made me remember just how much the Asian Invasion of the 1970s helped define the current automotive landscape and it made me nostalgic for the era of the rear-wheel-drive economy car.

Datsun's B210 series, launched in the United States in 1973, was a fuel-efficient line of pint-sized coupes, sedans and wagons. The predecessor to today's rather lackluster Sentra, the B210 was an instant success the minute gas prices skyrocketed and it lives on today with a small but loyal following. A BMW 2002 it ain't, but it also cost a fraction of that default German cult car.

Powered by either a 1.3-liter or 1.4-liter four-banger, the B210 was no hot rod. Although not nearly as emissions-strangled as a V8, the four-cylinder was never rated at more than 85 horsepower. A five-speed manual came towards the end of the B210's era, but rather than offering performance benefits, its gear spacing optimized fuel efficiency. Amazingly, the EPA rated the B210 at 50 mpg with the five-speed shifter - a number achieved today (using modern calculations) only in hybrids.

It wasn't a hot handler like the 510, but contemporary media often favorably compared the B210 to the Ford Mustang II.

The B210 is extinct in most parts of North America, but thanks to California's steel body-friendly climate and a population inclined to buy imports (a friend of mine argues that Californians hate Detroit), they're not gone entirely. This one, spotted in an L.A.-area junkyard, will be crushed soon.

Practical European style?

Here's a relatively rare one... a Volkswagen 412 that I spotted in a Dallas-area junkyard. A fairly rare sight even when new, the 412 was an update of the 411, neither of which met much success in the United States. Sources suggest that about 110,000 Type 4s (411 and 412) were sold in the U.S. during a four-year model run, though I wasn't able to discern just what years were imported.

Unfortunately, I failed to get much more information out of this 412 since it reeked of a filthy, indescribable scent. Obviously the victim of a flood, it is nonetheless a quite straight, rust-free example of a very, very rare - and very practical - VW.


And if that wasn't enough, I also spotted this even rarer Opel Kadett three-door wagon. First, why can't anyone offer this bodystyle in a new car? The closest I can come up with is the Volvo C30, but it has about as much storage space as a shoebox. This three-door estate was also in remarkably solid condition despite last being registered in 1982. Sadly, these cars weren't sexy when new - and they're not much sexier today. Still, they're affordable and practical classics that should be kept on the road.

Over the pond and into... a Dallas junkyard.

Today, bringing a fairly new car in from Europe or Asia to the United States is virtually impossible. No, it's not impossible; you can bring a Porsche 959 in, but you'd better have pockets as deep as Jerry Seinfeld's. Realistically, a European model of a standard car, like a Mercedes-Benz E220 CDI or a BMW 330d, is not going to be legally imported to the United States for on-road use unless you're a diplomat or are willing to buy several cars for the government to crash and sniff tailpipes.

But it wasn't always so. Once upon a time, it was so common to import a specific model from Europe that we had a term for it: Gray Market. Yes, that term still exists today, but we don't use it for newer cars in the United States. A huge industry in the past, importing European models of common cars is now a mere relic of the past.


So why did people once want European models? Often, it was because they were cheaper than the ones distributed officially through the dealer network. You could scrimp on luxury options and have the same basic goodness in a less expensive package. Rather than getting leather or MB Tex seats, you'd end up with plaid cloth; electric motors went out the window to be replaced by manual cranks; air conditioning, a "must have" for U.S. consumers wasn't so necessary to Europeans. Lots of little differences.


Sometimes it was for performance. Less stringent European emissions standards in the '70s and '80s meant that simpler, more reliable powertrain options were available on the cars U.S. buyers wanted. Instead of suffering through complex fuel injection systems, expensive catalytic converters and seemingly dangerous reactors.


And, maybe, some buyers just wanted something a little more exotic. A slightly different badge on the back, less aggressive bumpers, unique color combinations, and the like.

Regardless, all Gray Market cars came over for a reason and it seems that most were just used as daily transportation, just like the U.S. cars. No doubt all of the cars pictured - Mercedes W123s found in a Dallas area junkyard - each have their own interesting story. Too bad they'll never be back on the road.


Do you have a good Gray Market car story? Please share in the comments section below.

Count the Citroëns.

This is the first of many, many, many photos that this particular contributor will be posting from the yard at Shade Tree Enginetrics in Nevada (say Neh-vay-duh), Texas. For those who don't know, Shade Tree is truly heaven on earth for Italian cars. Acres upon acres of old Italian cars - mostly Fiats but a good number of Alfa Romeos and Lancias as well as the odd Citroën. Why would a Citroën be parked in a lot full of Italian cars? The SM features a Maserati V6, of course!

I think the pictures speak for themselves. Expect many, many, many more photographs from Shade Tree, including lots of cars that you simply won't see on the road. Ever. Like an Alfa 6. And a Lancia HPE. Cool.

Alfa Milano Verde in a junkyard.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine called to tell me about a Milano Verde in a junkyard west of here. For those who don't know, the Milano Verde has a 3.0 V6 (as opposed to the 2.5 V6 that all other U.S.-bound Milanos had) and they imported roughly 880 of them. Just to put it in perspective, DeLorean Motor Company made roughly ten times as many DMC-12s.


I went out there to find that sadly, the car was in very decent shape. It was in much better shape than the Milano Gold I parted out a year ago. This one was complete (save for the Recaro seats my friend got off of it), relatively rust free and didn't appear to have been hit. Once again, a shame to see in a junkyard, and a real shame to see another Milano bite the dust. Too many of these cars have been parted out or otherwise junked (and yes, I haven't helped things).

Peugeot 505s at Pick N' Pull.

Pick N' Pull on 3300 South in Salt Lake City has not one but two Peugeot 505s. A black manual with north of 200,000 miles that's been hit and a white autobox with 120,000 miles that's in very decent shape. Kind of a shame to see them in a junkyard.