This black beauty is an early model fourth generation Gloria. I don’t think we’ve had one of these on CC before and I’m not sure many of these were exported (as the Datsun 200C, 220C, 240C or 260C). Perhaps our antipodean readers have more familiarity with these cars, but I bet most of us (myself included) look at this and think: “What does this remind me of?”
Personally, I drew a blank at first, then I got whiffs of late ‘60s Euro-American styling, like some rejected Chrysler Europe prototype. You could say that about a several of the larger Japanese cars of the early ‘70s, but not all. Nothing looks like a S60 “Kujira” Crown or a Mazda AP Cosmo, for instance. But with Nissans, their styling oscillated between anycar-generic and outright weird.
Unlike the C110 Skyline, this fourth Gloria was the first generation to completely lose its Prince genes. This is a 100% Nissan design, shared with the Cedric (hence the 230 numeral, which follows on from the Cedric 130). Given how very strange some Nissans became in the ‘70s, this rather restrained Cedric / Gloria 230 may have been seen as a preferable outcome.
Under the skin, things were also quite middle-of-the-road. Suspension was about as traditional as it could be: double wishbones and coil springs in front and a leaf-sprung live axle in the back. The Cedric versions were available with a 92hp 2-litre OHV 4-cyl., but most cars (and all Glorias, it seems) came out with a 2-litre OHC 6-cyl. (the L20 engine – 115 or 125hp, depending on how many SU carbs were fitted); a 140hp 2.6 litre version was made available later, and some Cedrics destined for the taxi trade were also fitted with a 2-litre Diesel four.
Several manual transmissions were available, from a three-on-the-tree to a five-on-the-floor, with a three plus overdrive and a 4-speed in between. The 3-speed automatic, as well as the 5-speed manual, were reserved for the 2.6 litre version, so our feature car more likely has the 3- or 4-speed manual.
Here’s a better shot of the dash, courtesy of Nissan’s PR folks. That rounded square shape is pure early ‘70s. Compared to the hundred-button dashes of the late ‘80s, this is a pretty simple design, but everything needed is there, including A/C.
Our feature car is a higher trim GL, so even the rear passengers get power windows. There are also other things to play with, as we can just see at the bottom of the photo: two dials to control the radio’s volume and to scan for another station, as well as a cigar lighter. Good luck getting anything approaching that level of luxury in a 1971 European saloon costing half the price of a Jaguar XJ6 or a Benz W109.
The Nissan 230 came in four distinct body styles. The saloon and the hardtop coupé (top two pics) debuted in February 1971 in both Cedric and Gloria guises. Only the Cedric got a van/wagon (bottom right) – this is one of the few Glorias that had no long-roof in its lineup. In mid-1972, Nissan introduced a swanky four-door hardtop (bottom left) – a first for a Japanese car. The hardtops received composite headlights, while the saloon and wagon wore quads.
Our black Gloria GL saloon was made sometime between February 1971 and July 1972, as it has a hood ornament, and those disappeared pretty quickly. They were only used on Glorias, as the Cedric was marketed as a somewhat less luxurious car.
Another early car quirk: this Nissan did not originally have rear amber turn signals, but American-style red ones. The law changed and forced the Cedric / Gloria 230’s rear-end to be redesigned for this reason in mid-1972.
Now that we’ve gotten acquainted with the Nissan 230 a little better, the question remains: what other car do you seen in this Gloria? There is no right or wrong answer to that question. I mean, unless you’re seeing aspects of the VW Type 3 in the hoodline or shades of 1925 Packard in the fenders, of course, in which case new glasses or a better screen might be required prior to sharing your views with the wider web.
But still, this Gloria’s fairly generic and Detroitesque design does mean one can project a number of other designs onto it and make a case. However, you have to wonder what the folks who write Wikipedia entries are smoking: they claim that these Glorias’ front end looks like the 1967-68 Mercury Marquis.
That’ll be a nope from me. Not a hard nope, just an “I can do better” kind of nope.
I’d personally be more inclined towards the GM side of things. Like the Chevelle… Beyond the front end, too, for this one…
The Skylark has a similarly Glorious feel, especially around the headlights.
Or, even more starkly, the Vauxhall Victor. All these GM cars were 1967s, as the Nissan 230’s design would have been decided around this time and finalized by early 1969 at the latest. I sourced the three GM car photos from this website, a treasure trove of period photos taken in Japan, proving that there were all kinds of foreign cars sold here, even way back when.
Anyway, mix all three of these GM designs and you get something pretty close to a 1971 Gloria, to my eyes. I’m not getting any Ford or Mercury from this Nissan. Nor any Chrysler or AMC that would fit the timeline, either, though if we include MY 1969, then the Fuselage Mopars and the Ambassadors do have a certain foretaste of Gloria. The sorely missed Dottore Don “Cookie” Anderina wrote, in his usual perceptive way, that the Nissan 230 was a “harmonious amalgam of fuselage, cokebottle and Florida crease […] You can perhaps see other makes in this design, but none predominate.” On the nail, Don-sensei.
The profile is only slightly Coke-bottled: again, moderation and restraint must have been at the forefront of the designers’ preoccupations. With Nissans of this particular time, it really was a case of “Better safe than sorry,” so I for one am glad they decided to copy GM this time. Assuming they actually did that, which is not a stretch, but far from conclusively proven. But if you have any suggestions as to what other car might have inspired the Nissan 230’s design, do present your case in the comments section below.
The one Ford thing they did use for inspiration, it seems, were the emblems. The Cedric’s looks like a Continental’s crosshairs; for its part, the Gloria’s avian figure, though described as a stylized origami crane, has an uncanny resemblance to the Thunderbird logo. Must be some sort of coincidence.
Related post:
Automotive History: Nissan Cedric – When The Pupil Becomes A Master, by Don Andreina
The primary take away for me, is the mid 1972 Cedric 4 door hardtop. Chevrolet produced 4 door hardtops for just 20 years (1956 to 1976). The British and Australians never manufactured a 4 door hardtop.
I believe the ‘4 door hardtop’ style will in the future be remembered for the unique style that is.
The South African Ranger A comes close, combining the Opel Rekord C’s milder coke-bottle waistline with the Victor FD’s four headlight grille:
https://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/GM-Ranger-A-620×340.jpg
The slight knife edge crease at the top of the sides is similar to that Mercury though.
These larger Datsuns were around in the UK in the ’70s and ’80s, but far less common than the smaller Sunny and Cherry models.
The front of this Gloria reminds me of a 1969 Plymouth Satellite.
I don’t see them copying any one car or company. Nissan had an extensive design department, and they were obviously influenced by trends they saw. In their early days, that was Europe, but then that obviously shifted to the US.
US design was heavily influenced by Italian design for many years. Essentially all the roots of major American design features can be traced back to Italian cars, including the fuselage designs and others. There was very little truly new under the sun except for a few key brilliant new designs from some of the best Italian designers.
I guess I was triggered by that Wikipedia article. They single out Mercury as a stylistic influence, but it’s more of a hodgepodge of late 60s Detroit than anything specific.
The problem with Wikipedia is anyone can write or add to their articles. I have to really turn on my BS alert whenever I go there. Lots of it is great, but some isn’t. And often it’s a total hodgepodge of snippets from different contributors, including conflicting points of view. This is especially true when it gets to subjective issues like this one. I could go there and say it looks like a certain Dodge front end (which it does about as much as that Mercury).
Sometimes I’m amazed at the garbage I run into there, yet overall it’s an invaluable service. I send them money every year. But it’s not the Britannica.
G-L-O-R-I-A… 😉
I’ve gotta say, when I saw the splash photo in the email regarding this posting, I thought I was looking at a Toyota Corona of the era — although, admittedly, with a less shovel-y nose.
It does look nice in black, though.
My very first thought based on the lead photo was it reminded me of my mom’s Cricket. Only in the grill, and even that thought went away pretty quick.
And seems strange to see a Japanese car with no hub caps.
Thanks for an interesting article.
About 5’4″, from her head to the ground ….
” Les ‘Them” ‘
These made it down under as the 240C; based on Cedrics rather than Glorias. Would a Gloria-based export car have been a 240G? As well as a different nose and tail, the hood panel also seems different, with more of a bulge at the front.
Nice cars that somehow seemed to have a more mainstream appearance that both their predecessor and their successor (pic below; while I do have a 230 coupe model I don’t have a picture of it). But the Kujira Crown seemed more popular here back in the day. Never mind; Nissan were slaying Toyota in the Corona vs. Bluebird class.
These were very common in New Zealand in the 1970s/80s. Most of ours were the pillared sedan, although wagons were sold here too. We got them as 220, 240 and 260, and I have an NZ brochure for the diesel variant too, but not sure they sold many if any of those. Still see them around occasionally – including this rather nice ’72 260C currently for sale on Trade Me. Being a ’72 it has the revised front and rear ends.
I must say, T87, the bonnet of your photographed one is interesting with the raised centre part – I’ve never seen that before, all the Kiwi ones I can recall were the flatter bonnet.
PS: I too miss Don Andreina, anyone know what happened to him?
The raised bonnet was exclusive to the Gloria. Datsun-badged export models, being based on the Cedric, did not have that feature.
Love that red hardtop!
Its a sedan not a hardtop. I also thought it was a hardtop until I viewed the larger version 🙂 I was curious as I pondered the possibiulity that the Kiwis might have been offered the 4 door hardtop.
I’ve always liked this design. I find it pleasant and well resolved and I also agree it has a very mild GM influence. For me it was a strong competitor styling wise against the Crown of the same period. The 330 successor a retrograde step as it was hit with the ugly stick of 1970’s Nissan weirdness, although thankfully not to the same extent as the 120Y, Silvia and the like.
I’ve never seen a 4 door hardtop in Australia, which for the benefit of our non OZ friends, would have been a private import. In their day sedans were seen fairly often around here, with the wagon and 2 door hardtops less common.
I was always fascinated how the hardtops were 1) even sold here in the first place, given Toyota never sold a Crown hardtop here and 2 ) how they had electric rear windows, with manual ones up front. I imagine a matching front set would have been a option.
The JDM versions with the composite headlights look particular smart. I prefer the Cedric versions with the flatter bonnet.
Damn, that’s no hardtop, you’re right! Crazy how that top pic, in thumbnail size, makes the B-pillar disappear.
Havent seen many recently but they were about years ago a mate in Tassie had both 240 and 260 Cs in his collection he sent them both in for wrecking not worth messing with anymore he reckoned oddly enough both became picked over shells within months so people were hunting parts
As Scott says, the “Datsun 240C” was popular in Enzed. Here we are on the Desert Road c1990 with my coupe.
Nice looking car and colour KA. I’ve seen that photo somewhere before. You may have posted it on a previous 230/240C related article.