6 Gems Nissan Keeps Stashed in Its Tennessee Vault

Automakers with more than a few minutes of history are rightly proud of that history, and so they tend to gather significant vehicles from the past to help tell a story. 

Nissan traces its roots back to 1914, when the Kwaishinsha Company, backed by three investors, manufactured its first car, the two-cylinder DAT—its name an acronym comprised of the initials of each investor. A second model was initially called the DATSON (son of DAT), though in Japan the word “son” too closely resembled “loss” or “disadvantage,” so to avoid any negative connotations when the model went on sale in 1932, it became the Datsun. Two years later, the carmaker’s corporate name became Nissan Motor Co., and shortly after that, Japan’s first mass-produced car, the Datsun Model 14, went on sale.

Today, Nissan showcases an extraordinary collection of hundreds of vehicles at the Zama Heritage Car Garage in Japan. Everything from the earliest Datsuns to the wildest sports racing prototypes are represented. The Heritage Collection maintained by Nissan North America is a much simpler affair. Housed behind a large wooden door, in a room off the basement vault of Nashville’s Lane Motor Museum, the collection represents the brand’s humble beginnings in America, with an eclectic collection of the small sedans and pickups with which it made its name, the Z cars that cemented it, and a handful of cars and concepts that either missed the mark over here or else never made it to production the first place. 

During a brief recent visit to the collection, six in particular caught my eye.

1960 1200 Sedan

Following WWII, Nissan forged a technical partnership with Austin, whereby the Japanese firm began knockdown production of the British carmaker’s Cambridge. By 1955, Nissan was completely producing all the parts and manufacturing the cars, now dubbed the 110, and it was the company’s first “all new” car since before the war. Its successor would be the Model 210 sedan and 220 pickup, also called the 1000. The 1000 was displayed in January 1958 at the Imported Car Show in Los Angeles, which kickstarted Nissan’s move into the American market. Just 146 were sold. The 1200 sedan, so called because of its larger, 1189cc four-cylinder, was far more successful, with more than 1300 U.S. sales. 

1961 Datsun Fairlady

By the end of the 1950s, with Nissan’s domestic success rooted in solid, reliable little British-influenced sedans and pickup trucks, the brand sought new markets. It also sought to flex its design chops on something a bit more sporty. Enter the SPL212 Fairlady, a 48-hp export-only roadster (the “L” stands for left-hand drive) that would be become the SPL213 for 1961, with a handful of changes and 55 horses from its 1200-cc four. Nissan imported 327 of these first Fairladies to the U.S., and this car is just one of seven that remain. Its sculpted design is far less utilitarian than its sedan and pickup siblings. To escape the trappings of the brand’s displacement-based nomenclature, one of the firm’s executives, who happened to be a huge fan of the musical My Fair Lady, unofficially attached the name to the car, and before long it was official. 

1967 Datsun 411

The Datsun 510 has enjoyed cult status for some time now, and rightly so given its balanced handling, tunability, and the on-track success it enjoyed in period. Less well-known is its immediate predecessor, the 411, an elegant little sedan designed by Pininfarina, with lines that somewhat resemble those of Giuseppe Scarnati’s Alfa Romeo Giulia Super of the same era. Produced from 1965 to ’67, the 411 shared its 1.6-liter, 96-hp four with the svelte 1600 roadster (seen beside it above). The example here features a BorgWarner three-speed automatic, the first Nissan to be offered with an automatic transmission.

1999 Nissan Hypermini

Contrary to popular belief, Nissan’s EV exploits did not begin with the Leaf. In fact, the carmaker first delved into electrification with the Tama way back in 1947, when oil was in short supply and electricity was plentiful. Fast forward to 1997, when Nissan unveiled the Hypermini EV at the Tokyo motor show, with production beginning in 1999. The two-seat urban commuter has a top speed of 62 mph and a range of about 70 miles, and its aluminum frame and mix of steel and plastic body panels sit atop run-flat tires. A full charge comes in about four hours from the compact 200-volt AC charger, which was designed to be installed in home garages. Nissan tested the Hypermini’s viability in various U.S. markets, but without any sort of EV infrastructure, users never really cottoned to the vehicle. 

1999 Nissan Z Concept

Following the overwhelming success of the 1990–96 300ZX (Z32), Nissan went back to the drawing board for the sports car’s successor. The result was the Z Concept, which Nissan unveiled at the LA auto show as a way to gauge public interest in a new sports car. Feedback from press and public alike was mixed, but the overall message was that the design was too soft and lacked the aggressive look desired in a sports car bearing the Z nameplate. Designer Diane Allen took the concept back to Nissan’s La Jolla design center and reimagined it into what would become the 350Z. And while the concept needed a rethink, its striking Le Mans Sunset Orange paintwork was always a hit, and it appeared on the 350Z palette from 2002 to ’07. 

2007 Nissan GT-R

The GT-R badge carries a lot of weight in the land of Nissan, and enthusiasts rejoiced when the R35 appeared back in 2007. This example is the very first R35 GT-R to come to America, the car Nissan displayed on the auto show circuit. It’s right-hand-drive, because left-siders hadn’t gone into production yet. Like many pre-production cars in the collection, it was destined for the crusher, but as it’s a Nissan, and Nissan North America has some sway when it comes to what goes to the crusher, it was saved from an unfortunate demise. Plans are afoot to bookend the R35 story in the collection by adding the very last, 2024 ½ GT-R in the near future.