The Gloria is a large luxury car made from 1959 by the Prince Motor Company and, after the merger, by Nissan. It was first based on the smaller Prince Skyline and was merged with the Nissan Cedric from 1971; both were replaced by the Nissan Fuga in 2004. Its name comes from the Latin word for glory.
Nissan Gloria at a glance
| Production | 1959–2004 |
|---|---|
| Makers | Prince, then Nissan |
| First generation | BLSI, from February 1959 |
| First engine | 1.9-litre GB-30 four, 80 PS |
| Second generation | S40, from 1962 |
| Six-cylinder | G-7 SOHC, 106 PS, from June 1963 in the Super 6 |
| Merged with Cedric | from 1971 models |
| Dealers | Nissan Prince Shop |
| Replaced by | Nissan Fuga, 2004 |
based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Nissan Gloria.
History of the Nissan Gloria
BLSI (1959)
Prince, formerly Fuji Precision Industry, showed a more luxurious version of the Skyline at the All Japan Automobile Show in October 1958, and the BLSIP Gloria went on sale in February 1959 with the 80 PS 1.9-litre GB-30 overhead-valve four. The car copied American styling cues, including “Dagmar” bumper bullets, and had “PRINCE” in individual gold letters on the grille. Inside it used the Skyline dashboard but with a clock and radio as standard, the radio having two speakers, a novelty at the time. In April 1959 the first Gloria was presented to Crown Prince Akihito as a wedding gift.
Development of the first generation
The BLSIP-2 of February 1960 gained quad headlights, a grille of six thick horizontal bars, tail lights low above the bumper and tail fins recalling the 1957 Chevrolet. The BLSIP-3 of February 1961 introduced the 94 PS 1.9-litre GB-4 engine and moved the Prince badge to the front of the hood. Suspension was double wishbone and coil springs at the front with a De Dion rear.
S40 and the six
The S40 of 1962 was the first six-cylinder Prince, and in June 1963 came the G-7, the first mass-produced Japanese SOHC six, of 106 PS in the Gloria Super 6. In May 1964 the Grand Gloria S44P appeared before the Tokyo Olympics with electric windows and the 2.5-litre G-11 engine of 130 PS, the first Gloria too large to count as a compact under Japanese rules. In 1966 the S41-2 arrived, and with the Prince merger the badges changed; in non-Asian markets the cars were sold as the Prince B200. From 1971 the Gloria was merged with the Cedric and the pair continued until 2004.
Design and features
- Prince origins: a luxury Skyline, sold before Nissan bought Prince.
- G-7 engine: Japan’s first mass-produced SOHC six.
- Dagmar bumpers: American-style styling on the first generation.
- Cedric twin: after 1971 the Gloria was a Cedric with different front and rear styling.
Nissan Gloria versions
- Gloria BLSIP (1959–1962): the first generation with the GB-30 and GB-4.
- Gloria S40 and S41 (1962–1966): six-cylinder cars, including the Super 6.
- Grand Gloria S44P (1964): 2.5-litre engine and electric windows.
- Prince B200: the export name after the merger.
- Nissan Gloria and Cedric (1971–2004): the twin range.
The Gloria was the twin of the Cedric and shared its roots with the Skyline. More cars are in the Nissan collection.
Video: Nissan Gloria Y34 VQ30DET turbo
Video by YouTube on YouTube.
Sources
- Nissan Gloria, English Wikipedia: Prince origins, first generations, engines, merger
.jpg){kind=link}