KANAGAWA, Japan -

With Nissan prepared to revive the Datsun brand, chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn received a history lesson about the nameplate during a recent visit to company’s heritage warehouse.

Home to 400 Datsun and Nissan vehicles, ranging from the 1933 Datsun 12 to electric prototypes used during LEAF development, the automaker highlighted its giant garage is a “treasure trove of car nostalgia.”

Meant to be a timely reminder of how the company built its name around the world, the CEO went for an indoor spin in a 1938 Datsun 17 Phaeton, still rolling almost 75 years after its maiden voyage.

The warehouse is near the OEM’s Zama facility and relies on a network of former Nissan staff and volunteers to keep about 70 percent of the former production models drivable.

Other “golden oldies” in the collection include a 1967 Datsun Sunny 1000 Sports Deluxe. former Nissan executive vice president Nobuo Okubo — a onetime chassis engineer on that model — believes the facility and its collection bring back happy memories.

“When I joined Nissan in 1964, almost half a century ago, this car was the first car that I dealt with,” Okubo recalled. “About 80 percent of my memories are about this car.”

Ghosn’s ride in the Datsun 17 took him past many of the stars of Nissan’s history, including the 2007 GT-R he used to own, rally cars and a collection of classic Zs including a former Kanagawa prefecture police car.

With Zama currently closed to the public, former Nissan senior vice president Kenichi Sasaki said he hopes more people will eventually enjoy vehicles such as the Datsun Fairlady SR311, which he worked on as an engine engineer.

“I appreciate Mr. Ghosn’s visit to this facility very much,” Sasaki insisted. “It may serve in the future to make some kind of Nissan museum. I hope so.”

A video from Ghosn’s visit is posted below.