The Datsun 1000 sedan and a small pickup opened Nissan’s American story at a Los Angeles import show in January 1958. Then came a decade of sedans, roadsters and trucks before the 240Z arrived. Here are eight Datsuns that reached the U.S. before the Z.

Each entry has a Nissan heritage record or a period road test behind it. Early sales numbers stay out, however, because the U.S. figures conflict from one source to the next.

1. 1958 Datsun 1000 Sedan

In Japan this car carried the 210 code, but American buyers knew it as the Datsun 1000. For export, it was a small four-door with left-hand drive. Power came from a 988cc four-cylinder engine with overhead valves.

Nissan’s heritage collection lists 37 PS for the U.S.-spec L210. It also says the January 1958 Imported Car Show in Los Angeles helped trigger full-scale exports to North America. A class win in that year’s Mobilgas Trial played a part too, according to the same page.

2. 1958 Datsun 220 Pickup

The sedan’s working partner was the 220 pickup. It shared its engine and chassis with the Datsun 1000, so both rode on the same basic hardware. That engine, called the C, was also Nissan’s first overhead-valve design, and its toughness earned it the nickname “Stone Engine.”

In a Nissan USA release, the company calls the 220 the first vehicle Datsun sold in the U.S. Both the truck and the sedan also appeared at the 1958 Los Angeles show. Shipments to other markets then began soon after, the release says.

3. 1960 Datsun Fairlady Roadster

Datsun added an open car within two years. The Fairlady roadster, coded SPL212, gave dealers a sporty model to sell beside the sedans and trucks.

Nissan’s heritage page says full-scale export of the SPL212 to North America started in January 1960. Later, a minor update produced the 1961 SPL213. That version used a 1,186cc E1 four rated at 55 PS, by Nissan’s figures.

4. 1960 Datsun Bluebird 310

The first Bluebird gave Datsun a more modern family sedan. Nissan released the 310 series in 1959, and it used a 1.2-liter E1 four-cylinder with overhead valves.

Nissan’s heritage collection says exports of the first-generation Bluebird to the U.S. started in 1960. For example, its own car is a 1962 Model 312, and Nissan lists that car’s engine at 55 PS.

5. 1964 Datsun 410

The second Bluebird looked nothing like the first. Italian design house Pininfarina shaped the 410, which Nissan launched in September 1963 with a flat hood and European lines. Its engine was a 1,189cc four rated at 55 PS, according to Nissan’s heritage collection.

American magazines soon took notice. Car and Driver road-tested the 410 in June 1964, and its editors praised the build quality, handling, brakes and comfort, as Datsun Forum’s reprint shows. However, most of them disliked the suspension. The 410 and the facelifted 411 stayed in production until 1967.

6. 1965 Datsun 1600 Roadster

Datsun’s roadster grew up in May 1965, when the 1600 arrived. It used a 1,595cc R-series four, the same engine as the first Silvia. Nissan rates it at 90 PS.

Nissan’s heritage page shows a North American export model with left-hand drive and different bumper overriders. A November 1967 change also helped the car meet U.S. safety standards.

7. 1967 Datsun 2000 Roadster

The 2000 put a bigger engine in the same open body. It arrived in 1967 with a 1,982cc U20 four and an overhead camshaft. Behind it sat a five-speed manual gearbox with Porsche-type synchromesh.

Nissan’s heritage collection keeps a left-hand-drive SRL311 built for export to the U.S. Nissan quotes a top speed of 205 km/h, or about 127 mph. Later, the Fairlady Z replaced the roadster in 1969, the same page says.

8. 1968 Datsun 510

The 510 was the sedan that closed out the pre-Z era. It used a 1.6-liter overhead-cam four, and the sedans got independent rear suspension, while the wagons kept a live axle on leaf springs. Datsun sold it in the U.S. for the 1968 through 1973 model years, according to Sports Car Market.

Beyond the showroom, the 510 also made its name on track. Peter Brock’s BRE team and driver John Morton won the SCCA Trans-Am under-2.5-liter championship in 1971 and 1972. Sports Car Market records both of those titles.

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This article was created with the help of AI and was reviewed and edited by Fast Lane Only editors before publication.