A kit-ordering mix-up left Nissan Australia with 120 two-door Stanza coupes nobody planned to build in 1979 — they sold them anyway, with zero promotion, and every one sold out.
Median 89 hp across 230 similar cars
Lead trim: Datsun 140J 1.4 (63 PS, Europe) · up to 113 hp
Nissan Violet A10 / Datsun 5101977–1981
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Nissan Violet A10 / Datsun 510 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactA kit-ordering mix-up left Nissan Australia with 120 two-door Stanza coupes nobody planned to build in 1979 — they sold them anyway, with zero promotion, and every one sold out.
When the first-generation Violet was replaced in May 1977 it grew more rational and somewhat larger, with ten percent more glass area, and was joined by two badge-engineered versions: the Nissan Auster (sold at Nissan Prince Stores; different grille and a dashboard with more round gauges, the option of a dog-leg five-speed manual and a rear stabilizer bar) and, from August 1977, the more luxurious Stanza (higher equipment levels only, with a different bonnet and single rectangular lights), while the Violet itself was sold at Nissan Cherry Store dealers. In the United States and Canada it was the Datsun 510, named to recall the successes of the earlier 510 Bluebird, with the 2.0-litre L20B (Z20S from 1980; 92 hp at 5,200 rpm) and body styles from two-door sedan to five-door wagon; in Australia the Stanza was assembled from 1978 to 1982. A May 1978 facelift made it the A11, replacing the L16 engines with the cross-flow Z16 under Nissan's NAPS emissions technology, and in November 1978 a 1.8-litre engine was added at the top of the line-up for the Japanese market (105 or 115 PS carburetted or injected). Five body styles were offered, including a three-door hatchback coupé ("Violet Openback" and "Auster Multi-Coupé") and, from August 1979, a five-door hatchback. The Violet 160J was Nissan's most successful car in the World Rally Championship: it won the Safari Rally in Kenya from 1979 to 1982 consecutively, all with Shekhar Mehta behind the wheel (SOHC engines in 1979 and 1980, the DOHC Violet GT in 1981 and 1982), and with Timo Salonen it won the 1980 Rally New Zealand and the 1981 Rallye Côte d'Ivoire.
Collectors Spotted in the Nissan Violet Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Nissan Violet yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
6 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Datsun 140J 1.4 (63 PS, Europe) | 1977–1981 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 62 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Datsun 160J SSS coupé twin-SU (87 PS, Europe) | 1977–1981 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 86 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Datsun 510 2.0 Z20S (US; 92 hp) | 1980–1981 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | 92 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Stanza 1800 NAPS-Z carburetted (105 PS) | 1978–1981 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 104 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Stanza 1800 NAPS-Z fuel-injected (115 PS) | 1978–1981 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 113 hp | 112 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Violet 1.4 A-series (80 PS) | 1977–1981 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 79 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
This compact Nissan felt oddly sluggish for its size — it was built on the platform of the much bigger Maxima, making it unusually heavy to haul around with its small engine.
The T11-generation Stanza pulled off something no other Nissan managed in the US: Consumer Reports rated it more reliable than the Toyota Camry, from 1983 through 1986, before Nissan fell back behind Toyota and Honda for good.
A kit-ordering mix-up left Nissan Australia with 120 two-door Stanza coupes nobody planned to build in 1979 — they sold them anyway, with zero promotion, and every one sold out.
Complaints about the fastback's dark cabin and poor rear visibility were so loud that Nissan rebuilt the entire back half of the car mid-run in 1976 — roof panel, doors and all — into a conventional notchback.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.
Nissan hired former BMW engineers to help develop the 510's suspension, which is why period reviewers frequently compared its handling to the BMW 1600/2002.
A Trabant 601 won its class at the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally, with a second 601 right behind it in second.
The 600 was a stopgap: the P50's body over the 601's mechanicals, and for a while its estate was built alongside the new 601 saloon.
The G80 Sport brought a 370 PS twin-turbo 3.3 V6, a mesh grille and copper-tinted chrome with copper stitching to match.
The Vigor was sold only with a five-cylinder engine, an unusual configuration Honda used to fit a longer engine transversely under a short hood.
The GS/E coupe earned the nickname "German Charger" for its long hood, short deck stance borrowed from Detroit muscle cars.
This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.