Junkyard Find: 1980 Datsun 310 Coupe

Murilee Martin
by Murilee Martin
junkyard find 1980 datsun 310 coupe
Nissan sold lots of the original Datsun 510s in the United States, and so the remainder of the 1970s saw a whole series of model names ending in “10” showing up in Datsun dealerships. Some (e.g., the 610 and 710) were Bluebird-based cars like the 510, but the 310 was really a Cherry-based Nissan Pulsar.Here’s an optioned-up 1980 Datsun 310 hatchback coupe in a Denver self-service wrecking yard.
Some 310 owner bought the doors from this car, but left these gorgeous Full Disco seats behind. Why? How?
The A14 engine powered many rear-wheel-drive Datsun B210s and front-wheel-drive 210s. With 1,397 cubic centimeters and 64 horsepower, the 1,970-pound 1980 Datsun 310 wouldn’t win many drag races, but it looked sporty and sipped gas at a time when Americans were gearing up for $20/gallon fuel.
We can’t determine the real mileage from this five-digit odometer, but this car looks fairly clean for its age.
The 5-door hatchback looked like the yen-pincher it really was, but the bubble hatchback window on the coupe looked cool.
Wow! It’s a long way to empty… iiiiin a Datsun!
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  • Volvo Volvo on Jan 22, 2019

    That was something we did occasionally on older Volvo 240s when the driver's seat bottom started to fail and simple rebuild was not practical.

  • WildcatMatt WildcatMatt on Jan 23, 2019

    I like the clean design of the instruments.

  • 3SpeedAutomatic Drove a rental Cherokee for several days at the beginning of this year. Since the inventory of rental cars is still low, this was a 2020 model with 48k miles and V6. Ran fine, no gremlins, graphics display was easy to work, plenty of power, & very comfortable. Someone must of disarmed the lane assistance feature for the steering wheel never shook (YES!!!!!!!!). However, this woman's voice kept nagging me about the speed limit (what's new!?!?!?!).I was impressed enough to consider this a prime candidate to replace my 11 yr old Ford Escape. Might get a good deal with the close out of the model. Time will tell. 🚗🚗🚗
  • Bullnuke One wonders if this poor woman entered the US through Roxham Road...
  • Johnds Years ago I pulled over a vehicle from either Manitoba or Ontario in North Dakota for speeding. The license plates and drivers license did not come up on my dispatchers computer. The only option was to call their government. Being that it was 2 am, that wasn’t possible so they were given a warning.
  • BEPLA My own theory/question on the Mark VI:Had Lincoln used the longer sedan wheelbase on the coupe - by leaning the windshield back and pushing the dashboard & steering wheel rearward a bit - not built a sedan - and engineered the car for frameless side windows (those framed windows are clunky, look cheap, and add too many vertical lines in comparison to the previous Marks) - Would the VI have remained an attractive, aspirational object of desire?
  • VoGhost Another ICEbox? Pass. Where are you going to fill your oil addiction when all the gas stations disappear for lack of demand? I want a pickup that I can actually use for a few decades.
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