Details of Cars

Datsun Cedric: Nissan’s large six-cylinder saloon

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1969-1971 Nissan Cedric Special Six
A 1969–1971 Cedric Special Six. Photo by TTTNIS, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Cedric was Nissan’s large saloon, launched in March 1960 and built until 2004. In Japan it was always a Nissan, but many export markets knew it as the Datsun Cedric, badged by engine size as the Datsun 2000, 240C or 280C. It was the company’s perennial rival to the Toyota Crown and, from 1971, the twin of the Gloria.

Datsun Cedric at a glance

Datsun Cedric key facts
Maker Nissan (Datsun for export), Japan
Production March 1960 – October 2004
First generation 30/31 series, 1960–1965
Body six-seat saloon with unitary construction
Early engines 1.5 L G-series four, 71 PS; 1.9 L H-series four, 88 PS
Cedric Special H50 1963–1965, 2.8 L straight-six, 118 hp
Second generation P130, from October 1965
Export names, P130 Datsun 2000, 2200, 2300, 2400
Export names, 330 Datsun 200C, 220C, 260C, 280C
Export names, from 1979 Datsun 220C, 240C, 280C
Twin model Nissan Gloria, near-identical from 1971
Replaced by Nissan Fuga, October 2004

History of the Datsun Cedric

The first Cedric was the 30 series of March 1960, the first product to carry the Nissan name, although it shared its mechanicals with Datsun models of the time. It introduced Nissan’s first unitary body and a wrap-around windscreen, and it replaced the Austin A50 that Nissan had been building under licence. The range ran from the Cedric 1500 DeLuxe and Standard, with a 1,488 cc G-series four of 71 PS, to the 1900 Deluxe and Custom with the 1,883 cc H engine of 88 PS, plus a six-seat van and an eight-seat estate. The stacked twin headlamps were meant, like those of the 1961 Isuzu Bellel, to suggest size and luxury.

Nissan Cedric 330
The 330-series Cedric, sold abroad as the Datsun 200C to 280C. Photo by Barbariandeagle, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The H31 series of 1962–1965 brought horizontally mounted quad headlamps and a front that made the car 18 cm longer. A 2.0-litre SD20 diesel from Minsei Diesel arrived in June 1964, and from July that year a Borg-Warner three-speed automatic was available. Between 1963 and 1965 the long-wheelbase Cedric Special offered a 2.8-litre K-series straight-six of 118 hp, a car exclusive enough that Japanese buyers paid a higher annual road tax for it. This generation was also imported to the United States in 1963 and 1965, badged as a Nissan rather than a Datsun, and sold in very small numbers.

The second generation, the P130, appeared in October 1965 with a completely new body and a wider choice of engines: a two-litre four, straight sixes of 2.0, 2.3 and later 2.4 litres, and a 2.2-litre diesel. For export it was badged Datsun 2000, 2200, 2300 or 2400. The 1971 generation was the turning point: from then on the Cedric and Gloria were near-identical sister cars, differing in grille, lights and trim, sold as the “CedGlo” pair through different dealer networks.

The 330 series of June 1975 added a 2.8-litre straight-six to the 2.6 and was exported as the Datsun 200C, 220C, 260C or 280C depending on engine. The 1979 generation brought sharper styling, dropped the coupé, introduced two-litre turbo engines and enlarged the diesel to 2.8 litres; its export names were Datsun 220C, 240C and 280C. The Cedric and Gloria were replaced by the Nissan Fuga in October 2004, but a cheap Y31-based Cedric for fleet customers, long used as a taxi, remained in production.

Design and features

  • First Nissan: the 1960 Cedric was the first car to wear the Nissan name.
  • Unitary body: Nissan’s first monocoque, with a wrap-around windscreen.
  • Six-cylinder special: the 2.8-litre Cedric Special of 1963–1965.
  • Export by engine size: Datsun 2000, 240C or 280C badges.
  • CedGlo twins: one body, two names and two dealer networks from 1971.

Datsun Cedric versions

  • Cedric 30/31 (1960–1965): the original, with 1.5 and 1.9-litre fours.
  • Cedric Special H50 (1963–1965): long wheelbase and a 2.8-litre six.
  • Cedric P130 (1965–1971): exported as the Datsun 2000 to 2400.
  • Cedric 330 (1975–1979): exported as the Datsun 200C to 280C.
  • Cedric from 1979: exported as the Datsun 220C, 240C and 280C.

The Cedric was the twin of the Datsun Gloria and the larger stablemate of the Datsun Bluebird. More models are in the Datsun collection.

Video: Datsun 280c “Uncle Cedric gets a Turbo”

Video by vortonovic on YouTube.

Sources

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