1974 Datsun Sunny 1200 UTE

The Nissan Sunny is an automobile built by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1966 to 2006. In the early 1980s, the brand changed from Datsun to Nissan in line with other models by the company. Although production of the Sunny in Japan ended in 2006, the name remains in use in China and GCC countries for a rebadged version of the Nissan Almera.

The “Sunny” name has been used on other Nissan models, notably various export versions of the Nissan Pulsar model line. The Sunny has been imported and later manufactured worldwide under numerous names, and body styles, in economical, luxury and performance packages. Some configurations appear to be unique based on bodystyle appearances, but sharing a common platform. The Sunny was sold in Japan at a dedicated dealership sales channel called Nissan Satio Store, and rebadged versions later appeared at the other Japanese networks.

This 1974 Datsun 1200 UTE, a cult classic as it’s known, features a front end from a legendary car, the KPGC-10 Skyline “Hakosuka” GT-R. The basic car is a Datsun Sunny pickup or a 1200 ute, as it’s called in Australia, but the modification done to it makes it look really sick. It also received the panels from the Skyline, but with a few mods to offer it a racing look. According to PerformanceDrive, the hood and the fenders received cutaways and special vents, while the hood was fitted with additional heat-extracting vents. The front lip spoiler was mounted to bring the body closer to the ground and to complete the racing style of the exterior.

The 1200 never appeared in the U.S., and wasn’t popular because it was a unibody and not strong enough to perform most trucky tasks. Originally, it had a 1200 cc motor that produced between 70 to 80 hp—so it wasn’t terribly fast, either.

This 1974 1200 isn’t any old 1200. The truck runs a SR20DET from a Nissan S14 that has been stroked to 2.2 L. The engine produced 450+ horsepower on E85 fuel but now runs a more conservative tune for 91 octane and produces around 350 horsepower. Which is plenty of power for a vehicle only weighing slightly over 1,800 lbs. Behind the engine sits the factory S14 five-speed transmission. The modification that stands out the most to the observer is the classic Skyline front end.

This Datsun 1200 UTE Is the Japanese El Camino. It’s got the heart of a Silvia and the face of a Skyline GT-R.