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Datsun 411 and 510 Complete Trip from Museum to Pebble Beach

We told you before, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is all about showing off, launching special editions and looking back through history. Which, for some carmakers, means a lot of preparation.
Datsun 410 22 photos
Photo: Nissan
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Just ask Nissan about it, as the Japanese brand had two Datsun sedans travelling more than 300 miles from the museum they were stored to Monterey, California.

The two Datsun old timers were accompanied by Nissan's latest sedan, the new Maxima. The trio left Los Angeles with the clear target of reaching the Monterey Peninsula, home of the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Think of it as a tiny, mild and basically microscopic version of Gumball 3000, where the generation gap si being tightened up.

"We're looking forward to joining the weekend celebration of legendary automobiles and race cars with our trio of old and new sports sedans," said Pierre Loing, vice president, Product Planning, Nissan North America.

"The Datsun 411 and Datsun 510 helped establish Nissan in the United States while the Maxima today continues as the flagship of our sedan lineup."

Setting the pace for the journey will be a task for the Datsun 411, which at 48-years old should have some adapting to do once it hits the streets once more.

The car was produced from 1965 to 1967 and featured a body designed by Italy's famed Pininfarina studio, so it's safe to say it still got its looks. Power came from a 96-horsepower 1.6-liter inline 4-cylinder engine that sent resources to front disc brakes and 13-inch wheels and tires.

By the time the Datsun 411 was replaced by the Datsun 510 in 1968, the Italian-designed body was gone but the blueprint was set for all future Nissan sports sedans. The Datsun 510 became known as almost unbeatable on the race track and a popular alternative to European sports sedans in garages all over America.

Heck, it was even named as one of the most important cars of the 20th century by journalists.
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