Nissan did well selling small Datsun pickups in the USA starting within the Sixties, with the 520, 620 and 720 generations providing tough competition for such rivals because the Toyota Hilux, Ford Courier/Mazda B-Series, Chevrolet LUV/Isuzu P’up and Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup. Just a few years after the “Name Is Nissan” ditching of the Datsun name here, the 720’s alternative arrived. This was the D21, which first appeared as a 1986 model, and it was given special styling and a singular name for the North American market: Hardbody!
The name referred to the D21’s stronger double-walled bed, however the marketing was pure mid-Nineteen Eighties American materialism and fitness worship. The one thing the Hardbody lacked for Maximum 1986 credibility was turbocharging.
For its first model yr, the Hardbody was available with two decisions of engine, two bed lengths and in rear- or four-wheel-drive configuration. That is the upscale SE version with regular bed and four-wheel-drive.
The SE got here with this fuel-injected 3.0-liter SOHC V6, rated at 138 horsepower and 167 pound-feet and sibling to the 300ZX’s more powerful mill. The bottom ’86 Hardbodies got 2.4-liter straight-fours with 106 horsepower.
An automatic transmission was available, but this truck has the usual five-speed manual.
The unique buyer didn’t take the bottom transmission out of cheapness, because air-con was a fair dearer option than the slushbox.
It traveled just over 170,000 miles during its life.
The Wyoming tags show that it was last registered a decade ago, and the paint shows ample signs of long-term outdoor storage in the cruel High Plains climate.
It seems that its final days on the road were interesting ones.
The inside is in decent shape under the dirt, and the body is not affected by serious corrosion. I think this truck might have been put back on the road without an excessive amount of trouble, but it surely’s just too small and has too many pedals for to be value much within the 2020s.
Nissan stopped emphasizing the Hardbody name after some time, but North American sales of the D21 continued all the way in which until its alternative, the Nissan Frontier, arrived as a 1997 model.
She needs a Hardbody.
This Article First Appeared At www.autoblog.com
