And it's the end of an era for the 'classic' Patrol

So it’s the end of the track for the Y61 Patrol, also known as the GU. Although the Australians continue to get the long wheelbase workhorse with its beam axles on coils, New Zealand’s dropped it with the arrival of the new $114,000 Patrol. The reason: it just wasn’t selling. From the glory days when Nissan sold 40 a month, sales have dropped to just a couple a month and the company decided it wasn’t worth continuing to import and support it. Should we be sad? Well, in one way it’s an end of an era for the Patrol; there’s one less 4WD available with beam axles front and rear; and in today’s marketplace it was well priced. On the other hand, its 3.0 litre four cylinder diesel never really won the hearts and minds of the buying public and it only ever offered part-time four-wheel-drive while its arch rival the Land Cruiser had permanent drive to all four. However, the used-importers will doubtless keep the classic alive for years.