The Nissan Patrol was among the four-wheel drive vehicles manufactured by the world’s largest automobile manufacturer Nissan of Japan that sold all over the globe either under a short wheelbase three-door model and the long-wheelbase five-door version for more than half a century (since 1951). Only the Long Wheel Base version however was offered up in both pick-up truck and cab variants. The Patrol was offered to Australian markets from 1988 to 1994 as the Ford Maverick and in select European countries as the Ebro Patrol.
The Patrol was also rebadged and sold as the Nissan Safari in Nissan Prince Store outlets. Generally, the Patrol is available in Australia, the Americas, and select countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Western Europe as well. In 2011 the Patrol became available in North America, a slightly enhanced version as the Infiniti QX56/ Infiniti QX80) and in 2017 the model was offered to North Americans under the name Nissan Armada.
Rolling back to the mid-50s, the Patrol version c4W61 which made its debut in August 1955 sporting a new grille design, singular blade windshield that folds and tucks away further and sporty chrome strips lined on its hood. Other new elements included unequal seats with the passenger’s side being much bigger than the driver’s seat.
The biggest change was obviously the new 3.7 L Nissan NB engine, which was able to produce 92 PS (68 kW) of power and eventually replaced by a 105 PS, 4.0 L Nissan NC engine. It was on the final version of this release that the word NISSAN was placed on the grille badge in chrome and red. Both Canadian and American were able to obtain these vehicles from Datsun dealerships between 1962 and 1969. The Nissan Patrols were at the point in time, the only Nissan automobile that was made available in America until the 80s.
The KG60 and the subsequent KGL60 made their debut in 1963; these hard-top models were an instant success and quickly became one of the bestselling vehicles until 1968. The 60 series patrol as it was known in Australia, made the claim to be the first vehicle to successfully cross the Simpson Desert. The event was used to build lasting publicity that was rolled out for Nissan’s 50th year anniversary. A version of the 60 series Patrol was used to reenact to the journey in 2012 as an opening for the release of Nissan’s new-generation Y62. You can get a workshop manual for the Y61 Nissan Patrol here.
The entire initiative was considered a success despite claims from Toyota that their vehicle made it across before the Patrol. Nissan and Toyota have pitted against each other within the spectrum of four-wheel drives support vehicles and both have their own pros and cons which is deemed as a ‘healthy competition’ element which continues to improve both automotive manufacturer’s releases.
In Australia especially, both Nissan and Toyota have their own support factions from those who live in more rural locations, or those who work lands and are subjected to ‘tough terrain’ where these vehicles have proven their worth.
