The Datsun Laurel was introduced in 1968 as a compact luxury saloon that offered the comfort of the Gloria in a shorter wheelbase. It shared its engines and suspension with the Skyline throughout its life, and it was sold abroad as the Datsun Laurel or the Datsun 200L until exports ended after 1989.
Datsun Laurel at a glance
| Maker | Nissan (Datsun), Japan |
|---|---|
| Production | 1968–2002 |
| First generation | C30, from April 1968 |
| First bodies | four-door saloon; two-door hardtop from June 1970 |
| First engine | 1.8 L G18 four, Prince overhead-cam design |
| Later engines | 2.0 L G20 four, 2.0 L L20 six |
| 2000GX power | 108 to 123 hp depending on carburettors and fuel |
| Suspension | MacPherson struts in front, semi-trailing arms at the rear |
| Second generation | C130, from April 1972 |
| Export names | Datsun Laurel, Datsun 200L |
| Position | the luxury version of the Skyline range |
History of the Datsun Laurel
The first Laurel was developed by Nissan’s Tsurumi research division and assembled at the former Prince plant at Musashimurayama from 1968. It was conceived as a smaller, cheaper version of the Gloria, and it offered the luxury of the Gloria A30 in a shorter wheelbase while sharing its engineering with the Skyline. In Japan it was not sold through the former Prince dealer network that handled the Skyline and Gloria, but at Nissan Store as the junior model to the Cedric and the V8 President.
The C30 went on sale in April 1968 as a four-door in deLuxe and Super deLuxe form, both with the Prince-designed 1,815 cc G18 overhead-cam four. A two-door hardtop coupé joined the range in June 1970, and a 2.0-litre engine became available in the saloon a year after the launch. The suspension used MacPherson struts all round with semi-trailing arms at the rear, as on the C10 Skyline. The car did not sell as well as Nissan hoped, largely because it looked too much like the cheaper Bluebird 510.
The Laurel 2000GX of June 1970 was Nissan’s first hardtop. It used the Prince-developed 1,990 cc G20 four with a single carburettor and 110 PS, twin SU carburettors and 120 PS, or a high-compression twin-carburettor version with 125 PS. It had the same five-speed gearbox, limited-slip differential and suspension as the six-cylinder GT-X, with disc brakes in front and drums at the rear, and a feature that was unusual at the time: sequential rear indicators in which three bulbs lit from the centre outwards. Every Laurel coupé came with a vinyl roof as standard.
The second generation, the C130, appeared in April 1972 as a saloon and a two-door hardtop, the latter nicknamed “Butaketsu” for its heavy rear quarters and bumper-mounted tail lamps. The saloon switched to a beam axle with leaf springs at the rear, while the coupé kept the semi-trailing arms. Twin SU carburettors on the G20 and L20 engines were dropped in February 1976 because of emission rules. Nissan listed the Laurel in various Asian, European and South American markets as the Datsun Laurel or Datsun 200L until exports from Japan stopped after 1989; the model itself continued at home until 2002, when it was cancelled after the Renault alliance.
Design and features
- Luxury Skyline: the same engines and suspension as the Skyline, in a longer body.
- First Nissan hardtop: the 2000GX coupé of June 1970.
- Sequential indicators: three bulbs lit from the centre outwards on the 2000GX.
- Vinyl roof: standard on every Laurel coupé.
- Export names: Datsun Laurel and Datsun 200L.
Datsun Laurel versions
- Laurel C30 (1968–1972): the first generation with the 1.8-litre G18.
- Laurel 2000GX (1970–1972): the hardtop coupé with the G20 four.
- Laurel C130 (1972–): the “Butaketsu” generation.
- Datsun 200L: the export badge used in several markets.
The Laurel shared its engineering with the Datsun Skyline and was the smaller relative of the Datsun Gloria. More models are in the Datsun collection.
Video: Datsun Laurel L25T
Video by simon rodriguez on YouTube.
Sources
- Nissan Laurel, English Wikipedia: generations, engines, 2000GX, export names
- Nissan Laurel, German Wikipedia: place in the range
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