[citation needed] Nissan USA president Yutaka Katayama pushed for offering this generation of the Bluebird with a larger overhead cam engine with more power than the preceding models.

510s, in some markets, offered twin Hitachi side-draft carburetors, which were a smaller version of the British SU design used on Jaguars and MGs.

Affordable performance combined with simple mechanicals helped the Datsun 510 remain a popular automotive enthusiast's car for many years after its discontinuation.

One advantage of the early Datsun cars is that many of the parts were interchangeable – engines, transmissions, and suspension setups, for example, were all similar enough to swap with minor modifications.

The 71 mm five-speed transmissions also saw extensive use in the 620/720/D21 series pick-up trucks in both long and short (rare) extension-housing versions.

In South America, Asia (excluding Japan), and in Africa, the 510 sedan, and two-door models traded rear independent suspension for a leaf-sprung solid axle.

In September 1971 the new, larger, Bluebird U (610) appeared in Japanese showrooms, but the 510 continued on sale as a lower-priced, more compact version.

The Datsun 510 released to the North American market had a Hitachi downdraft-carbureted 1.6-liter L-series straight-four engine, with an advertised gross power of 96 hp (72 kW), a claimed top speed of 100 mph, front disc brakes, four-wheel independent suspension (MacPherson struts in front and semi-trailing arms in rear), except the wagons, which used a rear solid live axle with leaf springs.

The 1968 510s are unique, with a stainless steel grille, inward pivoting wipers, small amber front turn signals, no rear side marker lights, and different taillights from later models (without chrome trim).

[11] Larger taillights, all red with a small, white reversing lamp, were introduced and remained until the end of production.

In Canada and the U.S., unitized-body Datsun PL510 cars have become rare in the Rust Belt regions, but can still be seen in areas where corrosive materials are not generally used on the roads- such as Western and Southern States.

Nissan established a proper dealer network around the time the 510 was discontinued, (Octav Botnar was instrumental in the massive success of the brand in the UK) so the 510 never really received the marketing nor recognition that was achieved in other countries.

Australian versions of the Datsun 1600 were delivered either as a full import (1967 and early 1969), or assembled in Australia from local and Japanese parts.

[citation needed] The last of the P510 series went through Australian assembly lines in 1972, and due to the extensive use for rallying, the cars are now quite hard to find in any reasonable condition.

Nissan-Datsun New Zealand had the four-door manual sedans assembled locally from 1968, replacing two generations of Bluebirds (the name continued to be used in Japan and elsewhere) with the new 1600 export badge.

South American versions of the Datsun 510 were delivered with OHV pushrod engines of the J series variety and leaf spring suspensions (no IRS) on all models.

The cars were used in numerous rallies by Ewold van Bergen from Pretoria, South Africa, who was a test engineer for Nissan Japan.

The Datsun 510 model name continued in Canada and the U.S. from 1974 until 1981, but the vehicles which wore the badge were quite different from the original flagship 510s, with updated styling, solid rear axles, and rectangular headlights.