The is a two- and four-door sedan manufactured and marketed by Nissan from 1968 to 2002. Later generations added all-wheel-drive along with turbocharged engines. Introduced in 1968 as a new model positioned above the Datsun Bluebird 510, the Laurel offered the luxury of the Nissan Gloria A30 in a shorter wheelbase, and always was the luxury version of the Skyline range for all generations, sharing engines, suspensions and handling dynamics of the popular performance coupe and sedan while having a longer wheelbase.
The first Laurel was developed by the Nissan Tsurumi R&D Division and assembled at the Musashimurayama Plant of the former Prince Motor Company in 2-door and 4-door variants beginning in 1968. The Laurel was not marketed new in Japan at Nissan Prince Store locations that sold the Skyline and Gloria, former Prince products. Instead the Laurel was sold at Nissan Store as the junior model to the Nissan Cedric and executive limousine, V8-powered Nissan President.
The Laurel, and its Skyline twin, saw yearly equipment, appearance and trim package changes, so as to appear fresh and new, and every four to five years were given an all-new appearance, while core technology that were tested and reliable remained underneath.
Nissan intermittently listed the Laurel for sale in various Asian, European and South American markets, labeled as the Datsun Laurel or Datsun 200L until exports from Japan ended after 1989. The Laurel was cancelled subsequent to Nissan's alliance with Renault.
The name "laurel" is in reference to a laurel wreath, a symbol of triumph worn as a chaplet around the head, or as a garland around the neck. __TOC__
First generation (C30; 1968)
In April 1968, Nissan presented its new Laurel in four-door deLuxe and Super deLuxe versions, both equipped with a 1.8 L inline-four engine, and in June 1970 a two-door hardtop coupé joined the lineup. The Laurel was conceived as a junior version of the all-new Gloria before Nissan acquired Prince, and one year later a 2000 cc engine became available in the four-door sedan as well. The focus on a luxurious appearance had appeared in 1962 with the Nissan Skyline Sport with an exotic, European influenced appearance. Its competitors at introduction were the 1968 Toyota Corona Mark II sedan, and the Mazda Luce which was introduced in 1966.
The Laurel did not sell as well as expected, largely because the design was too similar to that of the smaller, modestly priced Bluebird (510) which was developed as a competitor before Nissan bought Prince. The Bluebird was exclusive to Nissan Store, alongside the higher-content luxury Laurel.
This car was developed by the Nissan Tsurumi vehicle development team, but the C30 Laurel was fitted with the Prince four-cylinder SOHC engine, the G18 of 1,815 cc capacity. Conversely, the GC10 Skyline 2000GT was developed by the former Prince Ogikubo vehicle development team but was fitted with Nissan's L20 six-cylinder SOHC engine. The suspension is the same MacPherson struts for all wheels and Semi-trailing arm independent suspension for the rear wheels that was fitted on the C10 Skyline. August 1970 saw the release of a modified version of the four-door sedan version, now with the same roof angle as that of the hard top. The instrument panel received redesigned panel meters, and the more luxurious GL grade was added.
2000GX
The Laurel 2000GX, Nissan's first hardtop, was introduced June 1970 and was equipped with the Prince developed SOHC 1,990 cc G20-series four-cylinders with either a single or SU twin-carburetor. The single carburetor generated at 5600RPM, the dual carburetor generated at 5800rpm, and the premium fuel dual carburetor generated at 5800rpm. The Laurel hardtop coupe was introduced before the SOHC 2000 GT-X with the L20SU straight-six engine that appeared later in October. The 2000GX used the same chassis as the GT-X and GT-R while having a longer wheelbase. The GT-R garnered most of the attention, having been raced and built for that purpose, while the 2000GX was developed for comfortable yet spirited performance. The 2000GX used the same 5-speed manual transmission, an available limited slip differential, and also used semi-trailing arm strut suspension, with disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear. A feature that was unique to the 2000GX was the stylish at the time sequential rear turn signals, where three light blubs would flash from the center to the outer edge on both the coupe and sedan. All Laurel coupes were also given a vinyl roof as standard equipment.
Second generation (C130; 1972)
In April 1972, the second Laurel generation appeared, again in four-door saloon and two-door hardtop coupé form affectionately known as the Butaketsu Laurel ("pig butt") because of its ample rear quarter panels and tail section, with the taillights incorporated into the rear bumper. The saloon continued to use MacPherson struts for the front wheels but now used a rear beam axle and semi-elliptic leaf spring.
The hardtop coupé continued to share MacPherson struts for the front wheels and Semi-trailing arm for the rear suspension, and again shared with the 2000 GTX-E. The styling of the coupe appears to be influenced by the 1970 Ford Torino and the 1971 Mercury Cougar, reflecting a popular styling trend during the 1960s and 1970s called "coke bottle", and continued a softer appearance to the edgier Skyline.
The G-20 4-cylinder and L20 six-cylinder engines were equipped with SU twin carburetors but were eliminated February 1976 due to emission regulations. Engines available at the time were the four-cylinder 1815 cc G18 and 1990 cc G20, and the six-cylinder 1998 cc L20. Both the G20 and L20 were available with twin SU carburetors as an option. However, only the G20 equipped cars outwardly announced this with a "Twin Carburetor 2000GX" badge.
Sales in Japan (very few were exported) ran to about 96,000 per year, with three-quarters sedans.Motor Magazine International (January 1974), pp. 9-10 The Toyota competitor was the Mark II coupé and sedan.
In October 1973 the first Laurel with the 2565 cc L26 six-cylinder engine was added and badged as "2600SGL". Since the engine was over two litres, it was not restrained by the size limits imposed by Japanese regulations, and therefore it was fitted with bigger bumpers than regular Laurels. The installation of the 2.6-litre engine in Japanese models helped identify this generation as a luxury car, as the larger engine obligated Japanese drivers to pay higher amounts of annual road tax.
In September 1975, in order to meet the new emissions regulations for that year, the L26 was replaced by the larger yet 2753 cc L28 six-cylinder. By October the carburettors in the L20 were replaced with electronic fuel injection and the engine was now dubbed L20E. Because of the difficulty in meeting the emissions regulations, the twin-carburetted engines were all discontinued. The 1,770 cc L18 replaced the G18 in the lineup.
In February 1976 carburetted 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre engines which met the 1976 emissions regulations were introduced, and were identified with the Nissan NAPS badge.
This model has been nicknamed as , , and for its design to evoke Gamera the turtle kaiju, the gluteal region of pigs, and coffins.
Laurel C130-EV In 1974 Nissan developed an electric passenger sedan based on the Nissan Laurel. The Nissan Laurel C130-EV - referred to as the Datsun 200L-EV in export markets - developed to be used by the VIPs at the 1975 International Oceanographic Exposition in Okinawa. It was originally engineered by the Prince Motor Company, but produced by Nissan when the company assumed Prince operations in 1966.
The C130-EV uses one electric motor, rear-mounted and driving the rear axle through a two-speed automatic transmission. The Nissan Laurel C130-EV has a claimed top speed of and a range of . Nissan's next electric car venture would be the 1998 Altra.
Third generation (C230; 1977)
The third generation appeared in January 1977. For the first time, the C230 was available in either saloon and hardtop coupé form, but also as a hardtop saloon without B-posts. The hardtop was only available with six-cylinder engines. Buyers could choose between a 1.8-litre four, a 2.0-litre inline-six (carburetted or fuel-injected, a first for the Laurel), a 2.8-litre six, or a 2.0-litre diesel four, sourced from Nissan Diesel as an alternative to the diesel-powered Toyota Mark II and the Isuzu Florian. Transmissions were mainly four- or five-speed manuals or a three-speed automatic, although a three-speed manual with a column shift was also available in the lower spec and commercial versions.
In the Autumn of 1978, the C230 received a mild facelift (type C231), marked visually by squared instead of round double headlights. The Toyota competitor was the Mark II coupé and sedan. Again, comfort was prioritized over handling and agility, while still using the identical MacPherson struts for the front wheels and Semi-trailing arm for the rear suspension from the Skyline.
One year later (January 1978) Nissan released a tenth anniversary edition, which adopted a special deep red body color known as "Laurel's Crimson", as well as trim-specific emblems, aluminum wheels and front grille. In 1979, the 2.4-litre L24 engine was added to the lineup. European outputs were DIN for the 2.0 and the 2.4 inline-sixes. European buyers were attracted to the Laurel for its overall reliability, low price, and ample equipment. Datsun-Nissan South Africa also developed a two-litre four-cylinder option not offered elsewhere to suit local needs with a lower-cost, torquier engine than the two-litre six sold elsewhere. The L20B engine offered and was paired with somewhat lower equipment than the 280L sold alongside it.
November 1978 brought minor changes to the Laurel, including squaring off of the front headlights. The highest trim level, "Medalist", received air conditioning in addition to its OHC four-cylinder two-litre diesel engine. The 1800 cc cars switched to the newer Z18 crossflow engine and all Laurels now met the Showa 53 (1979) gasoline vehicle emission regulations. The "Medalist" trim package name would continue until 1999 when the Laurel was cancelled.
Later, in October 1979, a two-litre four-cylinder gasoline option (Z20-series) was added in several markets. Also new were the options of automatic transmission and the SGL equipment grade on diesel vehicles.
In February 1980, an electric sunroof was added to the hardtop version of the Medalist. This was the first year in which a sunroof was a model option.
In July 1980, a special limited edition "gold medalist" top-of-the-line trim was released.
Fourth generation (C31; 1980)
The C31 model, introduced in November 1980, was the first model that was only available in a four-door form, either as a sedan or hardtop. Engines for the C31 were 1.8-liter, 2.0-liter L20, 2.4-liter L24 gasoline, and 2.8-liter diesel. The coupé was replaced by the new Nissan Leopard F30, while the Laurel and Leopard continued to use the same MacPherson struts for the front wheels and semi-trailing arm with 4-links for the rear suspension from the Skyline. The Laurel remained exclusive to Nissan Store, the Skyline at Nissan Prince Store, and the new Leopard coupe and sedan were exclusive to Nissan Store remaining as an upscale alternative to the Bluebird, while the Laurel added more luxury equipment and a price point to match.