Wigan Album

I temember the first Datsuns in this country, only lasted 12 months before the bottoms fell through with rust. Them Japs had underestimated the good old British weather.

My second car was a Datsun. I preferred Nissan…. It was a little belter.

Well those folks that had bought the Datsun Nissan cars had made an excellent choice then with their cars lasting nine months longer, the British cars I seem to remember all had bottoms that would become holed with rust even by the third month of summer, and even if dry too, especially Ford and Vauxhall who probably bought the sub-standard steel from the Japanese, to whom Britain had sold it to originally and they wouldn't use.

When I was single I had an AUSTIN HEALY SPORTS CAR traded that in and bought a a Brand New Cortina 1600 GT yellow with a black vinyl roof. Got married Within two years ended up with a Datsun Cherry..

We firstly had a Renault 6 and then a Toyota Corolla, then in the 1980s when the lads were young got a Datsun Violet and throughout the years we had that we toured all over Wales, Cornwall and the Scottish Highlands twice with no troubles at all, in the early 1990s we also had a Datsun Sunny Estate for a few months as a run around, we've stayed with Japanese cars ever since. Though no matter which make of car or from whatever country, the car body panels and parts are now more than likely all manufactured in China.

My dad was chuffed to bits when I passed my test as he didn’t drive. What he didn’t like was the fact I drove Japanese cars. I suppose that stemmed from his cousin being a POW and he never forgot it. A generation thing then…

Datsuns had engines that were tough as nails, very reliable starting up on a freezing winter morning but let down by the flimsy rust prone bodywork especially the most popular 120Y.

I started work here when it was called Mansfield Motors, back in 1977. It then was renamed Opec Garages followed by Springfield Park Motors.