One Nissan and a Couple Datsuns from Stanford's Revs Digital Library

Stanford just released on the Web its collection of photographs taken at various auto events over the past, oh, say 70 years??

Much of the collection is focused on the bigger locations, marques and names in motorsports--Ferrari, Porsche, Sterling Moss, Dan Gurney, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, etc.

Unfortunately the Datsun/Nissan images captured are quite limited though they are shown here.  One is that of the 1976 introduction of the Datsun pickup and another of the Datsun F-10. 

The F-10 is the one that interests me here.  The rear hatch, the louvers on the hood, the sloped rearend...its a pretty sharp looking little car.  The F-10 was Datsun/Nissan's first FWD vehicle sold here in the States and came out in 1974 and weighed a shockingly light 1,664 pounds.

The only Nissan in the collection is from Laguna Seca in the early 1990s.  Love the hornlike air scoops that sit FEET above the chassis on this model...

I also checked through this collection to see if there were any photos of John Fitch and while there are a number photos of Lime Rock and Watkins Glen where Fitch ran numerous races and many of the photos are from time periods when he was active, he did not appear in this collection.

Revs Digitial Library...

Next Nissan Frontier to be a Diesel?? Or a Hybrid??

Sure sounds like it according to Fred Diaz who is head of US sales.  All powertrains are under consideration and given that Nissan has moved to put a diesel in the 2016 Titan would it surprise anyone if a smaller diesel ended up in the next generation Frontier?

Unchanged in terms of basic body design and powertrain options since its introduction as a 2005 model, the Nissan Frontier saw one of its best years of sales in 2013 with over 60,000 units sold in the US.  Worldwide the Navara is also a successful model but one that comes with a turbo diesel engine not available here.  Though the Truck Trend article mentions that they test drove just such a model at the Nissan 360 event in California in 2013, I wouldn't anticipate that this exact engine would end up in a US version of the next Frontier.  This engine has been in use for these past near 10 years and any updated Frontier would likely receive an updated and more efficient engine as well.  The suggestion of a small Cummins diesel is an exciting proposition

The more interesting possibility is that of a hybrid option.  Nissan likes to be seen as an innovative company on the cutting edge of automotive options--the first mini-pickup in the US, first truck with a crew cab option, first mass market all electric with the Leaf, etc.  So it wouldn't shock me to see Nissan be the first to offer a hybrid small pickup or perhaps a hybrid turbo diesel?  Or perhaps the "First Manufacturer to offer a Cummins diesel in a Mid-Size truck"??

In any case, the next Frontier is likely to stay "about" the same size as it is today given it will still need to differentiate itself from the new Titan though, as with the current version, the two models will see a number of identical parts--axles, hubs, frame, etc. to curb costs.  With the Titan rounding into its final form before its introduction to the world in less than a year, the next Frontier is definitely entering the design phase as we speak.

Nissan Frontier--Diesel? Hybrid? Cummins?

Now There's Something You Don't See Every Day

A 6x6 1978 Datsun Pickup.

Yup...6x6.  Leave it to some "genius" in California to convert an aged mini pickup into a lifted, 6WD monster machine powered with a Buick Grand National V6.  Maybe at some point this seemed like a good idea...maybe.

If you'd like to purchase such a machine you can go to the link below.

Datsun 6x6 Pickup...

Can Someone Loan Me $9,000 Interest Free Over A Really Long Time??

 Cause that's what it would take for my wife not to kill me if I brought this home...but it doesn't make it any less tempting.

Not that this truck is ready for Baja or anything but it certainly would make a nice and clean platform on which to base a vehicle for a NORRA race.  Add a cage, tech it with a Rally organization and go racing.  Likely would need some strengthening to its suspension and some other "toughening" but it would also make a nice classic vehicle just to drive around for fun and look old school cool...

Would love to find a 1969 Datsun pickup and restore it to look like one of the original Datsun pickups that won in Baja in those days...but this might be as close as you can get right now.  Those Jim Conners trucks were great for a long time in desert racing in the late 70's to mid 80's.  Wonder how someone in MI came to so lovingly recreate one?

Datsun Desert Racing Replica...

Cool Little Datsun Truck Racing in Africa...

Proving that all is not dead in the world of Nissan/Datsun offroad racing is this little beauty.

Piloted by Alex Horsey in Kenya the Datsun pickup finished 4th in a strong field of 31 competitors in the first round of the Kenya National Rally Championship at the 2013 KCB Kajiado Rally.  This Datsun is some 30 plus years old but still runs near the front of the pack against much newer and AWD competition.

The Kick Energy Datsun runs in Group N and I guess is 4WD though I'm not sure I'd trust some 30+ year old CV joints.  Oh...and check out that wing!!  Looks like it was taken off a late model Mistsubishi Evo! You can see the conditions and much of the field during the race in the below video as well.  These look like some blisteringly fast roads!