Beasts Of The East: 10 Asian Cars Which Deserve A Restomod

November 29, 2017

Datsun 2000 Roadster

Years produced: 1967-1970

The Datsun Roadster is an amazing-looking roadster that’s not talked about all that much. Pipping its closest rival, the MG MGB, to release in 1960, it was cheap, fast, and fun. The 2000, released in 1967, stroked out a 1600 engine to 2-liters, producing 135 horsepower. On a small car in 1967? This was no joke. Several were bought by F1 and Le Mans racer Bob Bondurant for use in training, that’s how good these were.

The interior is pretty respectable too, and by no means cramped, an achievement for a small car of this era. For fans of the classic Datsun look who want to be different and avoid the 240Z, the Roadster is just the ticket. It’s a fair bit more pricey these days, but still affordable. The main problems you’ll encounter on a Datsun Roadster when building your restomod, are the result of their cheap price. Due to this, many people bought them and drove them nearly into the ground, meaning you’re going to have to carry out quite a lot of repairs during the restoration phase. Space under the hood is tight meaning an engine swap, while possible, will be a fairly irritating job. If you upgrade it though, even to something like the 2-liter engine from an Evo VIII? You’re going to be in for some wonderful drives.

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