Those of us who remember fondly the Datsun 1600 SSS (claimed to be the first mass-market four-door sedan on the South African market with independent rear suspension, and definitely the first that could reliably hit 160km/h - 100 miles per hour in the old language - in third gear*) and who were saddened when the 'Dustbin' badge was canned in the 1980s in favour of strengthening the parent company's Nissan brand, will prick up their ears when they hear that Nissan plans to revive the Datsun nameplate.
But not, unfortunately as a house brand for street-legal superloons like the 'Triple-Ess' of the 1970s. The new Datsun, according to the Japanese Nikkei newspaper, will be a no-frills cheapie, tailored for (and built in) emerging markets such as India, Indonesia and Russia.
Tin boxes such as the revived-by-Renault Dacia brand spring to mind.
Without quoting sources, the paper says Nissan plans to launch the born-again Datsun in third-world markets in 2014 for the equivalent of about R46 500, in the hopes of shifting about 300 000 a year.
Nissan's recent focus on emerging markets has included a partnership with Ashok Leyland in India and a recently announced factory in Brazil, where it aims to triple its market share by 2016.
The Datsun revival follows the recent rescue from that great scrapyard in the sky of nameplates such as Toyota's iconic 86 and the Dodge Dart - although neither of those has been touted (thank goodness) as a third-world mass mover.
*One of IOL staffer Dave Abrahams' most vivid memories of the mid-1970s is of his mate Steve proving it, on a deserted inner-city freeway on a Saturday afternoon, with Neil Diamond's 'Hot August Night' blaring from the sound system.