1:64 Datsun Street 510 Racing V2

A Japanese sedan that beat America

The Datsun 510 was sold at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s as a cheap family four-door, but independent suspension on all four wheels and a light body made it an unexpectedly good racer. In the American sedan championship it collected two titles and among tuning enthusiasts it has held a cult reputation ever since.

The hand of the Kaido House workshop

The designer Jun Imai builds his miniatures as fictional creations of a Japanese garage: widened fenders, deep-dish wheels, sponsor markings and colors the car never had from the factory. The second version of the racing trim combines black with yellow and green elements and adds aerodynamic accessories around the sills and the front grille.

What the model can do

The body is all metal and, unlike ordinary miniatures in this scale, the hood can be lifted and the modeled engine looked at. The chassis carries a plated finish, the wheels are shod in rubber and the interior has a color division of its own. The packaging is a firm cardboard box with a window. At home in Japan this type was sold under the name Bluebird, and the inline four-cylinder under its hood became the basis for a whole generation of later conversions.

Practical notes

• the goods are finished and painted; nothing is built
• the hood holds on plastic pins, so open it gently
• suitable for a display case among the other Japanese classics
• pickups and wagons come out in the same workshop line as well