Pickups are weird. They have this kind of raw, pure feel similar to British convertibles. Especially early Japanese pickups like this amazing Nissan survivor. In today's market the compact pickup is dead, replaced by Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota behemoths. Even Ford canceled their much-loved mid-sized Ranger. But back in the 80s, the Japanese broke into US with smaller, more practicable offerings.
Nissan's pickup actually had roots that went a ways back. Their first offering was in 1950s Japan. The model grew and was replaced by subsequent generations until 1980, when the 720 debuted. It was available in either 2- or 4wd and only with a 4-cylinder engine. It lasted until 1986, when a larger body was introduced.
This remarkable example still retains its California blue plates and has accrued just 45,308 miles during its life so far, extremely unusual for an old pickup truck in a bustling region of the country.
It looks absolutely terrific in glossy black paint over tan interior. We especially like the thin stripe white wall tires over aluminum wheels and white "Nissan" text on the tailgate. The slightly tinted rear window is actually a nice feature if you live in a hot sunny climate. The only thing cosmetically needed is a rear chrome bumper to match the front.
Although it's an automatic, it's just the 2wd version, so this puppy is ideal for cruising miles of warm, dry highway and hauling lite loads.
I think it's absolutely beautiful and hope the owner keeps her as is.
Available here on ebay.
Love these trucks. I had two regular cab 85 2WDs. One was blue mist with the ST package and the other was the same color as this one and I found a beige ST interior in a junkyard and installed it into it. I tried to buy the blue one back years later and never could talk the owner out of it. Thanks for sharing these great old Nissans with us.
ReplyDeleteI had an 1986 nissan when i was 16 years old. I lowered it and made it into a hard top convertible.. damn i never should have sold that thing :(
ReplyDelete