Popularity
Affordable performance combined with simple and reliable mechanicals has helped the Datsun 510 remain a popular automotive enthusiast's car for nearly 40 years. Avid collectors can be found around the world with significant numbers in the US, Australia, & New Zealand.
One advantage of the early Nissan/Datsun cars is that many of the parts are interchangeable — engines, transmissions, suspension setups, etc., were all similar enough to swap with minor modifications. This allowed the Datsun 510 to be easily upgraded from the 1.6l - L16 engine, to the 1.8l - L18 engine, and later to the 2.0L L20B engine, and to go from the 4-speed manual transmission to the 63 mm (shaft-center distance) 5-speed transmissions made available for the early (S10) 200SX and (A10) HL510, and the 71 mm 5-speed transmissions used in the (S30 & S130) 280-series Z cars, '80-'83 (S110) 200SX, the '77-'80 (810) 810, the '81-'84 (910) 810/Maxima/Bluebird, and the C210/R30 series of Skylines. The 71 mm 5-speed transmissions also saw extensive use in the 620/720/D21 series pick-up trucks in both long and short (rare) extension-housing versions.
Its positive reputation also led to Nissan re-using the 510 model name later on for the unrelated, 1978–1981 Nissan Stanza 'A10' in an effort to capture this range’s glory, an effort reviewers thought was a failure.
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