 Basic.
That is the only word that comes to mind when you see a Datsun A20 Cablight.
At a time when all the other vehicles
in the Datsun range were becoming much more sophisticated and highly detailed,
Nissan decided to produce one of the most basic and rudimentary vehicles
in their entire history. In the late 1950s several other Japanese car manufacturers
such as Suzuki, Cony and Hopestar, were doing fairly well for themselves
building very basic little trucks, and Nissan no doubt thought they could
move into this niche market. The Cablight turned out to be a relative success
for Nissan, and the A20 was the first of many small trucks of this size,
which would eventually evolve into the Datsun Cabstar range in the 1970s.
The Cablight was an extremely inexpensive
vehicle to build. With the exception of the bonnet and roof section, every
panel on this little truck was flat, or had only one bend. It's front bumper
was nothing more than a piece of metal with two bends in it. The grille
was an ungainly one piece pressed steel affair. The vehicle's styling,
if the word style could actually be applied to this vehicle, could only
be described as unfortunate. It had rear hinged "suicide" doors.
The minimalist theme continued through
to the interior as well. The dash board was a flat sheet of metal with
a speedometer and a couple of switches. There was no other gauges, no floor
covering, no heater, no hood lining, no sound proofing, no hubcaps, it
was little more than a body with an engine.
Mechanically it was also basic. It's
engine was the Datsun B-1 series, which was a modified version of the old
D-10 which dated back to the pre-war years. It was an 860cc side valve
4 cylinder engine which produced 27hp. It's final drive was a mind boggling
6.43:1 ratio, giving it a top speed of 75kph. It's gearbox was a floor
change 4 speed unit with synchromesh on 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears.
The A20 was sold only in Japan and
Asia, no attempt was made to market it elsewhere. Production of the A20
began in August 1958 and continued through until 1961 when it was replaced
by the more modern, but still very basic A120 Cablight. |
A sales brochure for the Datsun Cablight A20
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1958
Datsun Cablight A20 Specifications
Length - 3720mm
Width - 1603mm
Height - 1800mm
Wheelbase - 2220mm
Weight - 850kg
Top speed - 75kph
Transmission - Floor change
4 speed |
Engine
Specifications
Model - B-1
Side Valve 4 Cylinder
Capacity - 860cc
Bore & Stroke 60x76mm
Power - 27hp@5200rpm
Torque - 5.5kg/m@2400rpm
Compression - 6.7 : 1
Carburettor - Single throat
down draught
Final drive - 6.43:1 |
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