ThePrince Homer was a small commercial vehicle manufactured by the now integratedPrince Motor Company. It was available as a van, called theHomy,[1] a double cab, or regular cab truck. The first model was known as the T64, and was sold as the Prince Homer or PMC T64. The T640 was introduced in 1966 and was sold as a Nissan (without any modifications aside from badging) due to Prince merging with Nissan. It was shared with theNissan Cabstar which was sold atNissan Bluebird Store Japanese dealerships. Production of the T640 ended in 1968. The Homer was exclusive to Japanese Nissan dealerships calledNissan Prince Store, when Prince was merged with Nissan in 1966. The Homer name was discontinued in 1982, while the Cabstar name remained when Nissan refocusedNissan Prince Store vehicles as private purchase products.[2]
The T641 Homer was introduced in 1968 and the slotted grille was replaced with a new 'cat-whiskers' grille. It was rebadged as theNissan Homer for the Japanese domestic market, and was marketed in Europe and Australia as theDatsun Homer. There was also a Van version, codenamed V641. While the T641 was in production, a 1.25 ton version was built, called the T642. Unlike the T641, the T642 was not available in a van version. The Homer was sold in Taiwan byYue Loong, originally as theYue Loong YLN-251.
The T20 Homer was introduced in 1972, replacing the T641. The T20 used the same grille as the previous model, but the front signal indicators were taller. T20 production ended in 1976. The final Homer, the F20, was produced from 1976 to 1982 and had all-new bodywork. In September 1979 the F21 was introduced, the new model could pass the 1979 emissions standards and had also received a light facelift. The F20 version was also sold as theNissan Cabstar in Japan (Datsun Cabstar abroad). Production ended in February 1982, when the Homer line was subsumed into Nissan's own new light truck, the F22Nissan Atlas. Use of the Homer nameplate continued in Taiwan by Yue Loong on the F22 Atlas and on theNissan Caravan E23 minibus ("Homer 747").
The Homer T640 was first fitted with the 1,484 cc OHVG1 engine found in thePrince Skyline 1500. In 1967, after the Nissan-Prince merger, it was refitted with a single carburettor version of theDatsun Fairlady's 1,595 cc in-line fourR16 engine. The "T20" model produced from 1973 to 1976 was powered by the J15 engine (1,483 cc) or the J16 engine (1,567 cc). The "PF20" model with a 1,982 cc H20 engine was produced from 1976 to 1981, and the final model, the PF21, was produced from 1980 to 1982.
| Model | Engine | bhp output | Engine capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| T64/T640 | G-1 (GA-4) | 73 hp | 1484 cc |
| T641 | R16 | 81 bhp | 1595 cc |
| T20 | J16 | 81 hp | 1567 cc |
| PF20, 21 | H20 | 1982 cc |
