Datsun Cherry (1980) – Into the Wild

It’s been about 2.5 years since we last had a Datsun Cherry as a guest in this section. It is much longer ago that it was one of the third generation. For that we have to go back no less than 6.5 years in time. Of all the Nissan Sunny predecessors, this was probably the most ‘anonymous’. The earlier Datsuns Cherry had a fairly distinct Japanese design, but this N10 looked quite European and therefore a bit more inconspicuous. In the current streetscape, it is impossible to miss, not only because of its striking color.

This slightly faded red Cherry is one of the few remaining Cherry’s of this generation in the Netherlands. According to our data, there are only a few dozen left, so a special spot from AutoWeek forum member Afentoe. There is a good chance that it is not necessarily the most beautiful, because this copy has some spots here and there that betray its age. Not that this is bad, in fact, such a nice original left copy gets our hands together. It is also striking how neat the steel wheels (on the right) still look. It also seems to be not too bad with rust formation for an unrestored Cherry, although we do spot some spots along the left flank that are worth some attention if it wants to get much older. The left side seems by definition to have had a somewhat harder life.

The previous owner had the Cherry for no less than 24 years, so that may explain why the car is still there. The current owner received the keys five and a half ago. Keys that can bring a 52 hp 1.2 four-cylinder to life. A nice and modest power source, although it could be even simpler with the 1.0 of 45 hp, which was only available as a simple Custom. This example is a ‘Luxe’ version and although it was more luxurious than the Custom, it was the standard version with the 1.2. Nice to see a Cherry again! Incidentally, the slightly nicer copy that was spotted in 2016 is still there and still owned by the same owner.