Datsun Type 12

Datsun Type 12

Manufacturer	Datsun/Nissan
Production	1933 150 produced
Assembly	Yanase Motor/Nihon Jidosha Corp. (body) Tobata Casting (chassis)
Predecessor	1932 Datsun Type 11
Successor	Datsun Type 13
Body style	phaeton, roadster, sedan
Layout	FR layout
Engine	747cc DAT side-valve I4, 12 hp
Transmission	3 speed manual
Wheelbase	1,880 mm
Length	2,710 mm
Width	1,175 mm
Curb weight	400 kg

Description

The 1933 Datsun Type 12 was a small car produced by the Nissan corporation. The name Datsun was used by DAT for their line of small cars. After the DAT corporation was absorbed into Nissan, these cars continued to be produced, and the original model name was maintained. The Type 12 was basically similar to the earlier 1932 Type 11, but had a larger engine.

Japanese laws at that time did not require a license to drive automobiles with small-displacement engines. DAT/Nissan produced the Datsun Type 11 as their entry into this market. The original limitation for this class of vehicles was 500cc displacement engines, but that was changed to 750cc in 1933. Nissan responded to this change by producing a larger engine, and gave the more powerful car a new name, the Type 12.

References

• Nissan Heritage Collection
• Ken Togo's paper Infant Industry Policy: A Case of Japanese Automobile Industry Before 1945
• Japanese Society of Automotive Engineers (JSAE)
• Christopher Madeley's paper Kaishinsha, DAT, Nissan and the British Motor Vehicle Industry

External links

• "1933 Datsun 12". Early Datsun Homepage. http://www.earlydatsun.com/datsun12.html. Retrieved August 23, 2010.