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Datsun, as Nissan’s car division was known until the early 1980s, took seven years to jump on the front-wheel drive bandwagon in Australia with the original Pulsar.

Initially sold as a well-specified 1.4-litre five-speed manual five-door hatchback alongside the outmoded rear-drive 120Y-based Sunny sedan and wagon, the Pulsar took just 12 months to replace it as Nissan’s staple small car, spurned on by the startling success of the similarly configured Ford Laser.