The Datsun Rally Machine

Did you know Datsun used to run rally? More than that, did you know they used to win at rally? I sure didn’t, and I’m a longtime Datsun guy, starting with my Dad’s Datsun 720 pickup back in the early 80’s. I had no idea that I’d missed Datsun’s rally heydey by just a few years, as they spent the latter part of the 70’s kicking up dirt all over the world. Datsun won the Safari Rally four times from 1979-1982, as well as winning the 1980 Motogard Rally of New Zealand and the 1981 Rallye Côte d’Ivoire.

There’s a fantastic gallery of the plucky Datsun 160J doing its rally thing over on Grassroots Motorsports right now. Check it out – vintage Datsuns getting dirty!