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The
The Datsun 14 was externally very similar to the preceding Datsun Type 13. The only notable difference was the addition of a leaping rabbit emblem. The brand Datsun is derived from the DAT car of 1914. The car's name was an acronym of the surnames of the following partners of , the company that produced it:
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Fortuitously, also means to "dash off like a startled rabbit or hare". Nissan decided to use this association to incorporate a rabbit into the design of the Datsun 14 and therefore Ryuichi Tomiya designed the leaping rabbit radiator mascot which became a defining characteristic of the type.
Mechanically, the old DAT engine of the Datsun 13 was replaced with the new Datsun Type 7 engine, a
Datsun
Datsun (, ) was an automobile brand owned by Nissan. Datsun's original production run began in 1931. From 1958 to 1986, only vehicles exported by Nissan were identified as Datsun. Nissan phased out the Datsun brand in March 1986, but relaunche ...
Type 14 was a small Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese car introduced in February 1935 and built until 1936. It had a sidevalve engine and was offered in several body styles. According to Britain's National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, the Type 14 "marked the birth of the Japanese car industry."
Design
The Datsun 14 was externally very similar to the preceding Datsun Type 13. The only notable difference was the addition of a leaping rabbit emblem. The brand Datsun is derived from the DAT car of 1914. The car's name was an acronym of the surnames of the following partners of , the company that produced it:
*
*
*.
Fortuitously, also means to "dash off like a startled rabbit or hare". Nissan decided to use this association to incorporate a rabbit into the design of the Datsun 14 and therefore Ryuichi Tomiya designed the leaping rabbit radiator mascot which became a defining characteristic of the type.
Mechanically, the old DAT engine of the Datsun 13 was replaced with the new Datsun Type 7 engine, a side valve
A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, as ...
four-cylinder engine with a displacement of . The new engine was smaller, but more powerful, at . The engine drove the rear wheels through a three-speed gearbox to give the car a top speed of .
Production
The Datsun 14 was the first car thatNissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
produced at their new plant in Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
. The factory utilised many tools and techniques imported from the United States and enabled the company to assemble both bodies and chassis in the same factory for the first time. The first vehicle rolled off the production line on 12 April 1935.
Production numbers
A total of 3,800 Datsun 14 were produced between April 1935 and April 1936, of which 53 were exported. The car was similar in styling to theAustin 7
The Austin 7 is an economy car that was produced from 1923 until 1939 in the United Kingdom by Austin. It was nicknamed the "Baby Austin" and was at that time one of the most popular cars produced for the British market and sold well abroad. ...
, which greatly helped exports, initially to Australia and, in 1936, to New Zealand.
Datsun 14T
Nissan produced the Datsun 14T commercial vehicle based on the Datsun 14 at the same factory during the same period. The truck had a front section identical to the 14, including the rabbit radiator mascot and chrome plated grille.References
{{reflist Type 14 Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1935 Nissan trucks