Datsun 1121 Truck

Nissan's production throughout the war was mostly the large Nissan 80 series trucks. As the war progressed materials became harder to find, and as a result the trucks started to be built without many parts such as the guards. Eventually towards the end some had timber cabins as the supply of steel ran out.

 By the time of the surrender Nissan's production had almost ground to a halt. After the was U.S. General MacArthur began implementing the program to get Japan's economy back on it's feet, and to start rebuilding the war ravaged country. Two of the things the country needed was employment, and trucks to help with the rebuilding, and restarting the car industry was a way to provide both.

 In 1946 Nissan started to gear up and prepare to begin production again. Factories were rebuilt and repaired, and the first new Datsun was designed and was ready to go into production. With material shortages still a problem, and no time or resources to develop a completely new vehicle Nissan decided to produce a modified version of the pre-war Datsun 17T. The new vehicle would be called the Datsun 1121, and it went into production in August 1946.

 The 1121 was a very, very basic vehicle. It used the chassis and mechanicals of the Datsun 17T, but with a new body. The body itself was crude and rough, most of the panels were either dead straight or had just one simple curve. All the beautiful ornate details of the pre-war models was gone. Chrome was impossible to get, so none was used. The complex grille of the 17T was replaced with a sheet of steel with holes punched in it. The front guards were just a sheet of steel with a bend in it.

 The engine used was the old pre-war Datsun type 7 engine, with was a 722cc side valve four cylinder that produced 16hp.

 The 1121 was nothing more that a basic stop-gap model until a better vehicle could be designed and built. It was in production for only a few months until it was replaced by the Datsun 2124 in February 1947.