A very well-preserved 180B Coupé is a rather rare find nowadays.

Although difficult to locate one in Europe, we managed to discover a sound example in the suburbs of Athens, Greece.

This much-desired Oriental beauty has been restored by a Datsun expert, with near-perfect mechanicals and a sound body.

The car’s interior is in pretty good shape, with normal wear being mildly evident in the cabin’s plastics and upholstery.

Despite that the paint job is not in concours condition, there is absolutely no rust as the dry Greek climate is a nice companion to yesteryear cars still going around the country’s roads.

Luckily, the vehicle’s owner had enough room in his garage so as to protect the 180B from rain and humidity. Overall, this old Datsun might confuse you for a moment as it looks like a time warp, ready to send you back to the mid ’70s, begin hallucinating and start feeling like a kid again!

Such a feeling is being fed by the car’s dynamic looks, reminiscent of the American pony cars of the 1970s -the similarities with the Dodge Charger are evident in the car’s lines.

The 180B was a very desirable coupé during its era, with particular success in Australia, New Zealand, USA and the UK -reflecting Datsun’s strong British market share. It belonged to the 610 series launched in Japan in 1971 -some markets used the Bluebird name. It was also offered in sedan and station wagon versions apart from the coupé body. The most sporty variant was the SSS (Super Sports Sedan), a direct competitor of the formidable Toyota Celica. The SSS derivative helped Datsun build a name in the market of affordable performance cars.

Undoubtedly, the 180B is a very rare classic nowadays which makes Datsun fans worldwide spend time and money in restoring one. It is a true, old-style Japanese sports car with substantial investment potential. Most importantly, it still is rather affordable, therefore, it pays to find a good example and become your next project.

✎ Savas Kalfas, Managing Director, automotohistory.com

© • Photos courtesy of the autobeauty.xyz & Auto Business Review artistic galleries