At the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance it’s actually more about the classics than the showboating of new cars by the automakers to a captive audience of wealth.
And Nissan cashed in on both, staging a nostalgic journey down sport sedan lane.
So when you think sport sedan, this is where it all starts so says Nissan. As part of their Pebble Beach schmooze, they staged a road trip up the coast with classic icons of their sport sedan lineage with the 1967 Datsun 411 and 1972 Datsun 510.
The roadshow called “The Evolution of the Sports Sedan” was of course a play to paint their new 2016 Maxima four-door sports-car with the classic and historic good vibes that many indeed have for their modest sedans from almost five decades ago.
As Nissan says, “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. We think the three vehicles will attract a lot of interest and we look forward to sharing them with car enthusiasts from all over the world gathering for the weekend’s various activities.”
Well there is truth to that. I am old enough to remember these cars on the road, though they were old cars even in my youth.
But what I remember well is the fondness and value these things had to many car enthusiasts. They were the poor-man’s BMW many said.
Powered by a 1.6 liter four-cylinder with just under 100 horsepower, they weren’t terribly fast, but neither was much of anything in their class back in the day.
What they offered was sharp handling at their limits, no American car could muster.
So people, if you love your new Nissan Maxima, these are its parents. Honor them.
