Russian history of Datsuns

[Vitalii]

Greetings to all forum members. My name is Vitaly, and I am from Vladivostok. Due to our city's geographical location, we have a very vibrant car culture. This is largely because, firstly, we are a port city; secondly, following the collapse of the USSR in 1990, we gained the opportunity to import cars from Japan without paying any duties. And, naturally, the third reason is the distance across the sea to Japan—just under 500 miles...

I have been reading this forum for a long time and would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members for the useful information and advice.

I should also add that my English isn't very good; I am writing this text using a translator.

 

https://www.drive2.ru/users/niklonsky/

this is my car profile 

[Vitalii]

What needs to be done to get content approved?

[datzenmike]

 

 

I hate links to pictures. So, here...

[Vitalii]

I’ll start the story with my first pickup truck — it’s a 1997 Nissan Datsun D22, gasoline engine NA20s, rear‑wheel drive, manual transmission, right‑hand drive. Pickup trucks with a single cab are quite rare in our country, especially in the Far East; I don’t know what can explain this. I had to cover a distance of more than 200 miles to go and inspect it. The engine wouldn’t start, there was no battery, and several vacuum hoses on the carburetor were disconnected. After some time, I started the engine and took a ride in the pickup. The car was in working order, with the brakes and lights functioning properly. I left a deposit with the seller and went back home. A week later, I returned with the money, picked up the pickup, and drove it to Vladivostok under my own power.

[Vitalii]

Here are a few more photos of the car from the sale advertisement. From them, you can assess the overall condition of the vehicle, its mileage, any damage, and so on. There is some through‑and‑through rust in places, but it’s not that bad. Especially considering the fact that this was in 2018, and the car was about 31 years old at the time, and it was used in a village on the seashore.

 

 

 

 

 

[TheEddie]

WOW!!!

Anybody else notice differences/similarities to USA pickups? (other than post-720's are tin cans...💩)

 

Welcome aboard, Vitalii!

 

Eddie (Thank God It's Monday🙄)

 

[Vitalii]

On 25.08.2026 at 11:01, TheEddie said:

ВАУ!!!

Кто-нибудь ещё заметил различия/сходства с пикапами из США? (кроме того, что пикапы после 720-й модели — это консервные банки...💩)

 

Добро пожаловать на борт, Виталий!

 

Эдди (слава богу, сегодня понедельник🙄)

 

 

Thank you, Teddy.
Regarding the differences/similarities between the Japanese and American markets for the D22/D21 single‑cab pickup trucks, the Japanese ones have hooks on the outer side of the sides. You also come across pickup trucks with a straight cargo bed and sides like those of small trucks. The Japanese single‑cab versions don’t have a rear bumper. The engine lineup also differs. Japanese D22/21 pickups are equipped with gasoline engines NA20s, KA20DE, Z16, Z18, NA16, and diesel engines SD23, TD27, QD32. Also, Japanese models lack a brake light on the cab. I won’t say anything about additional options — they are practically the same for all markets on such utilitarian vehicles. And I forgot the most important thing — the steering wheel is on the other side.

 

 

 

 

 

[TheEddie]

Fascinating!

 

Notice that Nissan kept the "Datsun" name alive in other parts of the world, well past the mid-'80's when they killed it off in the USA.  I had thought that was a global change.

 

Eddie

[Vitalii]

10 hours ago, TheEddie said:

Потрясающе!

 

Обратите внимание, что Nissan сохранил название Datsun в других частях света и после середины 1980-х, когда его перестали использовать в США. Я думал, это глобальное изменение.

 

Эдди

 

Yes, starting in the mid‑1980s, the Nissan manufacturer stopped labeling its cars, and all Datsun vehicles worldwide became known as Nissan. Every forum participant should know this story. Nevertheless, for the domestic market, subsequent generations of pickup trucks produced after the 720 model were called Nissan Datsun D21 (1985–1996) and Nissan Datsun D22 (1997–1992). In the European and American markets, these pickup trucks were respectively called the Nissan Hardbody D21 and the Nissan Frontier/Navara D22. This is a kind of continuity, a tribute to and respect for Datsun.

[datzenmike]

In North America the Maxima and the 300zx continued to be badged with the DATSUN emblem, often with the NISSAN emblem beside them, into '86

 

Don't forget the WD21 Pathfinder.

[EDM620]

On 8/28/2026 at 7:01 AM, Vitalii said:

Nissan Frontier/Navara D22

I've seen many of these models in the Mexican market, a very common work truck and often fitted with a variety of different boxes/decks on them. Still on the road and still hard at work.