1967 Nissan Silvia SP311Coupe

In 1965, Nissan introduced the pretty Silvia 1600 Sports Coupe with styling by Albrecht Goertz, the German who had previously penned the BMW 507 and later became famous for creating the 240Z. Designated the CSP311 and based on platform of the Fairlady sports car, the original Silvia was powered by a potent 1.6-litre engine with twin carburettors and 96bhp on tap and, in a first for Datsun, had a four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox. The Silvia was costly to produce, being virtually hand-made, and the high price also kept sales down. Indeed, just 554 Silvias were built in total before production ceased in 1968, with the majority delivered to owners in Japan. The list price in Australia was $4,390 in 1966, making the Silvia one of the most expensive cars available here at the time, but in spite of this no less that 49 were sold, making Australia the biggest single export market for the Silvia 1600.