Old 2,000-HP Nissan Patrol Gets Tested by Ancient Datsun 510 on the Drag Strip

Whether going sideways on a bend or charging through a straight line, Nissans are known for tearing up the race track. It's a notion that didn't just apply to nameplates like the GT-Rs, Fairladys, or Silvias, but Nissan's first SUV as well – the Patrol. The Nissan Patrol's history has its merits, with the Japanese automaker lauding it for being the first car to cross Australia's treacherous Simpson Desert. Aside from having a solid suspension system capable of braving harsh trails, these brutish trucks can be surprisingly peppy.

From 1988 to 1998, Nissan's first SUV model in America started getting the 3-liter RB30 inline-six engines used in the iconic Skyline, granting it heaps of potential in the power department. With a proper set-up, these heavy yet rowdy SUVs are known for slaying supercars like the Porsche 918 in a drag race. Meanwhile, the Datsun 510 is not without its own list of accolades, including winning several Trans AM and Australian Rally championships.

The Datsun 510 specs comprise various shared components with other Nissans to increase parts availability, making them a popular choice for tuning. As one of the first tuner cars ever made, these Datsuns are still being transformed into drag-racing monsters today. So, which of these old-yet-gold nameplates will take the cake in a modern drag race?

Nismo tuning cranked up to 11

In the blue corner, we see a 1992 fourth-generation Nissan Patrol GQ that's anything but stock. Sporting a custom 5.2-liter Billet RB30 engine with a massive Garrett Turbo, it's said to put out 2,000 horsepower. Its driver claims the tuned Patrol GQ can get even beefier when nitrous is added into the mix but would struggle with gaining traction at the same time. Other modifications include carbon fiber bumpers, a custom roll cage, coil-over suspension, and of course, it's all running on E85 fuel.

The SUV was fitted with smaller brakes to save weight, only using a rear parachute system to compensate for its lack of stopping power. These fourth-gen Patrols allegedly go for about $30,000 in stock form; this particular build alone was said to cost a whopping $250,000. If those figures weren't impressive enough, check out the red corner: a 1972 Datsun Bluebird 510, AKA the 1600 in Australia.

Thanks to a modified 4-liter Ford Barra six-cylinder engine – commonly seen in Australian-market Ford models such as the Falcon sedan and Territory SUV – the Datsun allegedly produced a dyno-tested 900 to 950 horsepower. From sharing its suspension system with a fox-body Ford Mustang to having brakes from a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, this Datsun 510 is the definition of a tuner car. Don't let the looks of it fool you, though; the 510 weighing in at 2,800 lbs makes it almost as heavy as the 3,100-lb Patrol GQ.

Close but no ci-car

Just when you thought the result would be as one-sided as a Patrol drag-racing a Ferrari SF90, things got interesting. In the first race, the Datsun 510 had a strong lead until it bucked, giving the Patrol GQ an opening to pull away and win by a car. If the first one was closely contested, the second race didn't leave any doubt as the Datsun gave the 2,000-horsepower SUV a sizable four car lengths worth of gap-pple pie. Since everyone on the show predicted the monstrous Patrol to take the W, nobody really expected the Datsun to arrive at the finish line, well... that soon.

The Datsun 510's added American muscle definitely did wonders to this archaic model's performance, especially since its stock 1.6-liter push rod engine only made about 95 horses. All it took for the OG tuner car to win was adding another 0 at the end of its stock horsepower figures, but the race was far from over. Having one win over each other meant that both Nissan legends must settle the score in a third race. While the RB-powered truck winning the final race wasn't much of a surprise, the fact that it did so by less than a car was. The race could've easily gone either way, given how close the Datsun was to the Patrol GQ at the finish line.

Then again, it's unclear whether the petrifying Patrol resorted to using its secret sauce (nitrous) during any of the races; that didn't stop the daring Datusn from giving it hell, though. Regardless, these classic JDM gems put on quite a show, highlighting just how competitive the original tuner car and first Nissan SUV were back in the day – something they continue exemplifying to this day.