Many years ago, I was a newspaper reporter in Central Massachusetts. I had to cover the grand opening of a local business’ new office, which was located in a mill building alongside a river. As I explored the property before the ribbon cutting, I stumbled across an old Datsun roadster rotting in the woods alongside the river. Moss green in color, much like the undergrowth on the rockers, I quickly forgot about any actual reporting I was there to do. Unlike the one I found that day, this 1967 Datsun 1600 is moss free. It can be found here on eBay or in wonderfully dry Mesa, Arizona, now back to my story!



After some inquiring, I found out it belonged to the president of the organization I was there to report on, and he was storing it at the job site while he sorted out storage arrangements. Unfortunately, if it wasn’t rusty before, it was certainly well past saving after even a few months next to a raging river and the punishment of a New England winter. It always blew my mind that the owner thought this was a fitting environment to store a project!

Thankfully, this Datsun 1600 resides in a much drier environment, and while it does have some rust in its floorboards, it sounds like a manageable project. While it will require a full interior as well as a mechanical and extensive cosmetic sorting, the starting bid is only $1,200 and there is no reserve. For a project that’s not lacking an engine and isn’t a total rust bucket, that might leave some room in the budget for a half-decent rolling restoration project.

I’ve always liked the Datsun 1600s as an alternative to the commonplace MGB. Price-wise, they are fairly consistent but my feeling is you’re less likely to see yourself coming down the road in the Datsun. Plus, few cars wear MiniLite wheels better than Japan’s answer for the classic roadster. Just be sure to avoid ones parked next to the river wild! So would you rather have this 1600 or an equivalent MGB?