Solved NIC#125 - 1936 Datsun NL76 racing car

[nicanary]

For one point, what are we looking at here?

[BERTRAND]

Benz?

[nicanary]

Benz?

Nothing to do with Benz.

[nicanary]

Experts?

[D-type]

Is that Robert Waddy's Fuzzi

[AlexFrance]

Is it from Italy?

[nicanary]

Isthat Robert Waddy's Fuzzi

I wasn't expecting that response. You're right in thinking it's similar, but it's not that.

[nicanary]

Is it from Italy?

Not from Italy.

[D-type]

An Austin Seven - maybe Pat Driscoll's one

[nicanary]

An Austin Seven - maybe Pat Driscoll's one

You're coming up with some interesting questions. First you thought it might be Fuzzi, which it isn't, and now you ask if it's an Austin 7 racer, which again is not the correct answer. But you're closer than you think with this new guess.

[D-type]

I didn't think it was an Austin Seven as it's too small.  But I felt the A7 needs to be eliminated.

[AlexFrance]

Is it from the post-WWII period?

[nicanary]

Is it from the post-WWII period?

No. And as a hint to D-type - there's no need to eliminate some kind of connection to the Austin 7.

[D-type]

On reflection, I think it is an Austin 7 special.  Is it the car raced in Malaya by R Newlands?

[nicanary]

On reflection, I think it is an Austin 7 special.  Is it the car raced in Malaya by R Newlands?

No. Sorry if my hints have been misleading - it is not an Austin 7 of any kind, but there is a definite connection.

[D-type]

Is the connection a licensed A7 - Dixi, Bantam, Rosengart, Nissan ?

[nicanary]

Is the connection a licensed A7 - Dixi, Bantam, Rosengart, Nissan ?

Now you're on the right track, although it wasn't exactly licensed. More a copy, according to all concerned.

[AlexFrance]

Could it be a Nissan, a company which is known for having copied the Austin Seven to make its very first cars?

[nicanary]

Could it be a Nissan, a company which is known for having copied the Austin Seven to make its very first cars?

Yes! And no! The company wasn't called that at the time - I'll lock it for you for 24 hours to tell me more.

[AlexFrance]

This car is a Datsun NL-76 from 1936. It is quite an important landmark in the history of car manufacturing and car racing in Japan since it is considered as the first Nissan racecar (along with the NL-75 built at the same time but using a different engine).

The Datsun NL-76 was based on a 1935 Datsun 14 production car and used a modified version of the Datsun Type 7 engine (side-valve, 4 cylinder, 722cc, 22hp) also used in the Datsun 14 model.

[nicanary]

This car is a Datsun NL-76 from 1936. It is quite an important landmark in the history of car manufacturing and car racing in Japan since it is considered as the first Nissan racecar (along with the NL-75 built at the same time but using a different engine).

The Datsun NL-76 was based on a 1935 Datsun 14 production car and used a modified version of the Datsun Type 7 engine (side-valve, 4 cylinder, 722cc, 22hp) also used in the Datsun 14 model.

Excellent answer, and a well-deserved point. The Tamagawa raceway had just opened near Tokyo, and Datsun employees built these race cars as a sort of project. I must admit I always thought that the production Datsun cars were licensed Austins, but apparently not - simply very close copies.