Datsun DS

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Datsun DS
Production period: 1950-1954
Class : Small car
Body versions : limousine
Previous model: Datsun DA
Successor: Datsun 110

The Datsun DS was a small car that Datsun produced as a successor to the Datsun DA from 1950 to December 1954. The completely newly developed Datsun 110 replaced the series in 1955.

Datsun DS (1950–1951)

DS

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Production period: 1950-1951
Body versions : limousine
Engines: Otto engine :
0.72 liters (15 kW)
Length: 3185 mm
Width: 1380 mm
Height:
Wheelbase : 2006 mm
Empty weight :

Datsun's first post-war model was the Datsun DA which was based on the Datsun 1121 . This truck in turn largely corresponded to the pre-war model Datsun 17 Truck . Due to the shortage of materials, limited financial resources and in favor of simple production, the Datsun DA was not derived from the Datsun 17 , which in turn was the basis for the 17 truck. The Datsun DA was therefore also a very simple and spartan car. At the end of the 1940s, Japan was on the mend and the material bottlenecks came to an end. Datsun therefore introduced the Datsun 4146 as the successor to the Datsun 1121 in 1950 . The main difference was a new, more powerful engine. The Datsun DS, basically a Datsun 4146 with a car body, was derived from this . Like its predecessor, the DA, the DS differed from the original Datsun 17 model in that it had a short engine hood and a windshield mounted close to the front seats. The reason was the origin of the 17 truck in which this construction had already been implemented in favor of a longer loading area, while the Datsun 17 still had a significantly longer bonnet and, as a result, a windshield positioned further back in the vehicle.

The front of the DS differed from the 4146 only by a chrome-plated radiator grille which was painted in the body color of the 4146 and its predecessor models as well as the DA for cost reasons. The drive was taken over by the Datsun Type 7 four-cylinder 722 cm³ petrol engine, which was taken over from the 1121 and DA, but modified by some measures to increase the output to 20 hp. Power was transmitted by means of a 3-speed manual transmission. From the Datsun 4146, which was also produced as a panel van with suicide doors hinged at the back , the DS differed not only in its body shape but also in the use of chrome trim and higher-quality interior fittings. Production of the DS was discontinued at the beginning of 1951.

Datsun DS-2 Thrift (1951-1952)

Datsun DS-2 Thrift
Datsun DS-2 Thrift

Datsun DS-2 Thrift
Production period: 1951-1952
Body versions : limousine
Engines: Otto engine :
0.72 liters (15 kW)
Length: 3500 mm
Width: 1400 mm
Height: 1550 mm
Wheelbase : 2006 mm
Empty weight : 770 kg

The Datsun DS-2, launched in 1951, now had a completely new and independently designed body. The chassis , however, still came from the 4146 truck, which has meanwhile been modernized in Datsun 5147. In 1948 the Datsun DB was launched, which was originally positioned as the standard model. The Datsun DS series and its predecessor Datsun DA, on the other hand, were positioned as inexpensive entry-level models. The increasing demands of buyers due to the increasing economic recovery led Datsun to equip the DB series with higher quality equipment and to position it as the Datsun deLuxe. At the same time, the DS should no longer be considered a pure cheap model and was therefore given the nickname Thrift as a sign of repositioning. The design of the DS-2 was significantly more modern and was reminiscent of a Willys Jeep with four vertical chrome strips in the radiator grille and closely positioned headlights . The rather square and angular styling brought the nickname Square Dandy in Japan . The drive of the vehicle with the Datsun Type 7 engine and 3-speed gearbox remained the same. Changed customer requirements and competing models brought production to a halt as early as 1952.

Datsun DS-4 Thrift (1952-1953)

DS-4 thrift

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Production period: 1952-1953
Body versions : limousine
Engines: Otto engine :
0.72 liters (15 kW)
Length: 3750 mm
Width: 1458 mm
Height: 1535 mm
Wheelbase : 2150 mm
Empty weight : 930 kg

The DS-4 was the replacement for the DS-2. As with the Datsun DB-4 introduced at the same time, there was no Series 3 and the only body variant available was a four-door sedan. Mechanically the DS-4 was the same as its predecessor, but used an extended chassis for the larger body. Suicide doors hinged at the rear were used at the front and conventionally hinged at the B-pillar at the rear. In addition to a radiator grille consisting of six horizontal bars and a chrome bar in the middle, the DS-4 now also had the Datsun lettering, also made of chrome, on the front of the bonnet. Like its predecessor, it was sold again as the Datsun Thrift and was replaced by the DS-5 at the end of 1953 after just over a year of construction.

Datsun DS-5 Thrift (1953-1954)

DS-5 Thrift

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Production period: 1953-1954
Body versions : limousine
Engines: Otto engine :
0.86 liters (18.4 kW)
Length: 3750 mm
Width: 1458 mm
Height: 1535 mm
Wheelbase : 2150 mm
Empty weight : 930 kg

The Datsun DS-5 Thrift was the same as the previous DS-4 except for the drive. During the production period, only the radiator grille was changed in 1954, which from then on consisted of thirteen thin chrome-plated bars. The engine introduced in the DS-5 was the first newly developed Datsun engine of the post-war period. This Datsun D-10 was essentially based on the Datsun Type 7 from the pre-war period, but had a different compression set in addition to the increased displacement to 860 cm³ . The power increased to 25 hp as well as the acceleration and top speed. The DS-5 Thrift was produced until mid-1954, most recently in parallel with the successor Datsun DS-6 Convar.

Datsun DS-6 Convar (1954)

DS-6 Convar

Image does not exist
Production period: 1954
Body versions : limousine
Engines: Otto engine :
0.86 liters (18.4 kW)
Length:
Width:
Height:
Wheelbase : 2150 mm
Empty weight :

Production of the DS-6 Convar began in the first half of 1954, parallel to its predecessor, the DS-5 Thrift. The Convar differed from it by a newly designed body. This was now much more modern than the DS-5 Thrift. There were also conventional front doors at the front, the side line was more streamlined and the DS-6 Convar appeared compact overall. This model series was also only produced briefly until December 1954 and then replaced by the completely new Datsun 110 series .

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