(first posted 6/2/2018) Finding a Toyota Century is one thing, but a Century parked next to a left hand drive Nissan President is like finding yourself in a state of car show Nirvana. Two high-end flagship limousines, developed and built for the automakers’ domestic market, yet also used by Japanese dignitaries abroad.
The first President generation, the H150-series, was introduced in 1965. It was replaced by the second H250-generation in 1973, lasting till 1989. The extra luxurious Sovereign trim level was added in 1977.
The full-size sedan is powered by Nissan’s Y44 engine, a 4.4 liter OHV 16v V8.
After some web-searching I came across this Bring a Trailer article, dating back to August 2015. Back then the article’s subject, a LHD 1985 Nissan President Sovereign V8, was for sale in Switzerland. Most likely it is the very same limousine as seen here. The car’s first registration in the Netherlands was on April 6, 2016.
As plush as plush can possibly get. Note the cloth upholstery, just like in the Toyota Century.
The Nissan President Sovereign, the ultimate Nissan for a sovereign and presidential ride.
I have a perverse attraction to the Nissan and Toyota “limos” and have seen a very few of them at car shows in the Phoenix area.
Duncan Imports in Virginia currently lists five of this style Nissan President for sale, right hand drive here in the USA.
You can see American&german&russian influence in that car
I can’t believe that Russian car design influenced this.
Agreed. It’s basically a Rambler-looking shape with an Iacocca snout. First gen…
To me the front end of the featured car looks like the front end of a Ford Fairmont. Wonder if Ford cribbed the design?
You can find plenty of influence in the US cribbing Japan from the 80s onwards – particularly within CC’s pages – but I don’t think this generation 3 face influence the Fairmont’s as much as the Lincoln Continental MkIII influenced pretty much all cars with this pronounced sort of grille. The President first saw it in 1973 with the second gen…
C’mon Don, we all know there is only one inspiration for this design. 🙂
Seriously, the Nissan greenhouse is rather similar.
True
I see a 1961 Buick in your example.
The engines are popular for speedway stockcars here, light and reliable, the actual cars are quite rare.
Great pics, Johannes. And a really cool find. I had to do a double take when I read the model year as 1985. The car looks late ’60s at best. A subpar effort compared to the Century and the Debonair from an esthetic viewpoint.
Nice find! I remember seeing these in Japan in 1982, along with the Debonair and Century. It helps to have been there to appreciate what a conservative streak runs through Japanese culture, and these cars embody that,
Great find. You still see these every now and then here in Tokyo. Most were sold for government or corporate fleet use, so even though they have high miles, they were carefully attended to and are still in good shape.
I remember it was a letdown when this generation with its unique styling was replaced with the HG 50 series in 1989 – you could easily tell the new one was a variant of the Nissan Infinity Q45. Jim
Yes, but in the extended version it looks comfortable inside. http://www.instagram.com/p/CYrBOl2Iueh/?img_index=2
Excellent find. In the recent years these cars are growing in popularity as classics in Russia, especially in the eastern parts of the country. But left-hand drive ? Never even knew they existed with LHD. Must be very rare. The 1980s Caddillac-ish front end just doesn’t look right on this body, but the side view is very pleasing to the eye.
Nice pair! Velour upholstery is definitely a mark of luxury in Japan, to this day, as it once was in Europe and the US. The ’68 300SEL I bought in the Netherlands had the same light-almost white gray (dove gray?) velour inside. And of course, back in the day, leather was for the chauffeur’s compartment, while the swells in back were swaddled in bedford cord and mouton carpets.
Oh man do I like that car! IMHO the dash looks straight out of a ’66 Continental!
Nowhere near as elegant as a Toyota Century, which had a V12, to boot. (Ha! There’s a Century in the background of that first picture!). Styling is very much scaled up Datsun 510, with Iacocca touches, as noted. Very ’60s, with attempted ’80s updating. Not good.
Japanese velour is something special. I’ll never forget a first generation Lexus LS400 I saw in a dealership with the softest, fluffiest fabric interior you’ve ever seen. Pure luxury, and it put the leather option to shame. I think the one I saw was maybe one of three ever imported with JDM upholstery.
Click on the link in the first sentence for the Toyota Century article/pictures.
This car is a riot! “We have it, too, we have it, too.” All the bright metal imaginable. Majestic appearance. Was anything forgotten to let us know that the owner has hit The Big Time? Love it, incidentally.
Cars like this were not aspirational vehicles for normal people: They were mostly VIP transports for high-ranking executives or officials who needed to be seen in a domestic make for political reasons, sort of like the old Cadillac Seventy-Five or a Rolls-Royce Phantom limousine. A private buyer would have had a Nissan Cedric or Gloria four-door hardtop, or, if they were really well-heeled and not particular about buying Japanese, an imported European luxury car.