Nissan has marked its 60th birthday in Australia by bringing every generation of Patrol together in what is believed to be a world first – but the real stars of the show were the stunning and in some cases very rare cars that owners brought to the party.

More than 170 Nissan, Datsun, INFINITI and Prince vehicles made it to the brand’s headquarters in Melbourne’s south-east for the celebration, with highlights including a very rare 1966 Silvia, a Pulsar ET Turbo and GT-Rs aplenty.

A Row of Z cars
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Nearly all of the cars present were privately owned, with Nissan fanatics bringing them from as far away as Adelaide and Sydney. In addition to bringing all the Patrols together, they also got to see every generation of Zs – plus the first public appearance down under of the all-new Navara PHEV ute.

Nissan has delivered more than two million vehicles to Aussie customers since it got its start down under on September 6, 1966. But the brand pointed out that its roots here go back even further, with Datsun Phaetons imported from 1935, with the 70 sedan following in 1937, then two Bluebird 1000s contesting the Mobilgas Round Australia Trial.

The company started making vehicles in Australia in 1976, including the 180B, 120Y, Pulsar and Skyline. Local production ceased in 1992, but the Nissan Casting Australia Plant in Dandenong South is still making components.

The owner of an R31 race car stands with a trophy alongside his vehicle
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The Patrols on display ranged from the first-generation 4W60, which was only sold in Japan, right through to the all-new Y63 model, which is coming early next year with a new twin-turbo engine to replace the outgoing and much-loved V8, as well as getting big interior upgrades.

Groups like the Nissan Datsun Sports Owners Club and Classic Skyline Club of Australia pitched in to make sure the automotive attendance list was up to scratch, and the level of machinery even surprised reps from the company.

The aforementioned 1966 CSP311 Silvia was one of the biggest highlights. Now in showroom-level nick, the hand-built coupe is one of just 554 built, and Nissan believes only 49 were exported to Australia.

A 1937 Datsun alongside the latest Z NISMO and Nissan Motor Australia's HQ building.
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“Sixty years is a long time to keep showing up, and Saturday was proof of the passion of our fans. The gathering was a credit to the owners who bought these cars, kept them on the road, rebuilt them and brought them back. Some of these cars ceased production before their owners were even born,” said Nissan Oceania managing director Steve Milette.

“There were cars that genuinely surprised us, and the care their owners have put into preserving them was extraordinary.”