1965 JAPANESE BROCHURE IMAGES

One right hand drive car was shipped from Tokyo to the New York Auto Show in April 1965. Because Nissan sold cars as Datsuns in the USA, it was badged a "Datsun 1600 Coupe". It received rave reviews for its styling, to a level that no other Japanese car had ever ever received. Albrecht Goertz added his logo to the car and used it as his personal transport for a short time. The coupe was then given to Datsun race driver Bob Sharp for him to trial for a period of 6 weeks. Although Bob described her as a 'nifty car', he concuded that the coupe was too small for the US market. The car was shipped directly back to Japan and the decision was made not to build a left hand drive production car. It would not succeed, but it had paved the way for the later - and larger - 240Z.

The only official import to the USA, a "Nissan Silvia" badged version, came a year later, in 1966, when Hawaiian Datsun race driver and 'Datsun of Hawaii' dealer Elroy Goto imported a car from Tokyo. Elroy used the car as a demonstrator for a number of months and then bought the car himself. This car is still in the USA today.

There have been a few other personal imports to the USA, but the Silvia is certainly a rare sight on American roads.

The images on this page, and the rare 1965 Japanese text brochure from the Register's archive, underline Nissan's marketing strategy for the Silvia, which was far more upmarket than anything previously undertaken by the company.

If you have any information/images that you believe would benefit these pages, please E-Mail.

Nissan Silvia CSP311

We are always interested in acquiring original 1964-1968 Nissan Silvia CSP311 (Datsun 1600 Coupe) literature, photos and press information. Good prices paid for the right items in good condition. Please email details.