The Nissan Laurel was a two- and four-door saloon built from 1968 to 2002. Introduced as a model above the Datsun Bluebird 510, it offered the luxury of the Gloria in a shorter wheelbase and was always the more luxurious version of the Skyline, sharing its engines and suspension. Later generations added all-wheel drive and turbocharged engines.
Nissan Laurel at a glance
| Production | 1968–2002 |
|---|---|
| First generation | C30, from April 1968 |
| First engines | 1.8-litre G18 four (Prince), 2.0-litre G20 |
| First body | four-door saloon; two-door hardtop from June 1970 |
| Suspension | MacPherson struts front, semi-trailing arms rear |
| Sold at | Nissan Store, as the junior to the Cedric and President |
| Export names | Datsun Laurel, Datsun 200L |
| Second generation | C130, from April 1972 |
| Ended | after the Renault-Nissan alliance |
based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Nissan Laurel.
History of the Nissan Laurel
C30 (1968)
In April 1968 Nissan presented the Laurel in four-door deLuxe and Super deLuxe forms, both with a 1.8-litre four. In June 1970 a two-door hardtop coupé joined the range and a 2.0-litre engine became available in the saloon. The car was developed by the Nissan Tsurumi R&D Division and assembled at the former Prince Musashimurayama plant. It was conceived as a junior version of the Gloria before Nissan bought Prince, and competed with the Toyota Corona Mark II and Mazda Luce. It did not sell as well as expected, largely because its design was too close to the smaller, cheaper Bluebird 510.
Engineering and the 2000GX
The C30 was developed by Nissan but used the Prince-built G18 four of 1,815 cc, while the contemporary Skyline 2000GT, developed by the former Prince team, used Nissan’s L20 six. Suspension was MacPherson struts all round with semi-trailing arms at the rear, as on the C10 Skyline. A revised saloon arrived in August 1970 with the roof angle of the hardtop, new instruments and a GL grade. 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 at 110 PS, twin SU carburettors at 120 PS or a premium-fuel twin-carburettor version at 125 PS. It had sequential rear indicators in which three bulbs flashed from the centre outwards, and all Laurel coupés had a vinyl roof as standard.
C130 and the long run
The second generation appeared in April 1972 as a saloon and a two-door hardtop nicknamed the Butaketsu Laurel, “pig butt”, for its broad rear quarters and tail lights set into the bumper. The saloon kept MacPherson struts at the front but moved to a beam axle with leaf springs at the rear. The Laurel continued through yearly equipment and trim changes with a new body every four to five years, was sold in some export markets as the Datsun Laurel or Datsun 200L until exports ended after 1989, and was cancelled after Nissan’s alliance with Renault.
Design and features
- Skyline base: the same engines and suspension as the Skyline, on a longer wheelbase.
- 2000GX hardtop: Nissan’s first hardtop, with sequential indicators.
- Japanese luxury: a junior Cedric at Nissan Store dealerships.
- Long evolution: new bodies every four or five years until 2002.
Nissan Laurel versions
- Laurel C30 (1968–1972): saloon and hardtop coupé, G18 and G20 engines.
- Laurel 2000GX (1970): Nissan’s first hardtop.
- Laurel C130 (1972–): the Butaketsu generation.
- Datsun Laurel and Datsun 200L: export names until 1989.
- Later generations: all-wheel drive and turbo engines before 2002.
The Laurel shared its platform with the Skyline and sat below the Cedric, while its engines also appeared in the Cefiro. More cars are in the Nissan collection.
Video: Beautifully Preserved 1989 Nissan C32 Laurel SGX Manual
Video by YouTube on YouTube.
Sources
- Nissan Laurel, English Wikipedia: C30 details, 2000GX, C130, export names, end of production
