Car Of The Day: February 10, 2011

Today's car of the day is Tomica Limited's 1981 Nissan Cedric 280E Brougham.

The Nissan Cedric is a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family. In later years, the Nissan Skyline was positioned as a sports sedan/coupe, whereas the Nissan Gloria was turned into a sporty version of the Cedric (with identical styling but using a different radiator grille and front & rear light clusters). In Japan, the Cedric/Gloria series was affectionately called Cedglo, and this long running series finally came to an end in October 2004, replaced by the Nissan Fuga. The Cedric name is still in use though, on the Y31 fleet vehicle, updated in 2005 and still in production. Throughout the many versions of the Cedric, it was always considered to be the prime competitor to the Toyota Crown. The hood ornament was inspired by the diamond pattern used by Lincoln but was changed to two right angles set next to each other.

The Cedric name was inspired by the main character, Cedric, in Francis Hodgson Burnett's novel "Little Lord Fauntleroy" by the Nissan CEO at the time Katsuji Kawamata.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Nissan Cedric

Who needs a write-up when the pictures speak for themselves?  As always, Tomica Limiteds do not disappoint.  It never ceases to amaze me how Tomica can take a thirty year old casting, give it great wheels, incredibly realistic tampos, and make it look like an entirely different casting.  The only letdown is that it retains the original interior, which does not have the level of detail as the exterior.

The 430 series was produced from 1979 through 1983. Engines largely carried over from the previous generation. Most export markets received the 2.8 L L28 OHC I6 or the LD28 diesel version, and was called the Datsun 280C. For taxi use in Singapore and Hong Kong, the 2.2 liter diesel engine was still available in what was called the 220C. The engine gained fuel injection in 1982. Styling was achieved with the cooperation of Pininfarina, providing a cleaner image than the previous generation. The rear suspension was upgraded to a rigid link coil system. A lock-up torque converter was added to the four-speed automatic transmission, which was added in June 1982.  A convertible version was made available in small numbers for special use. This was the first generation Cedric with available four-wheel disc brakes, although drums all around were fitted to the cheapest versions.

The 2.0L turbocharged L20ET first appeared in December 1979, a first for the Japanese market. The trim level of SGL-F became available with the turbocharged engine from April 1981.

The diesel engine that had been first introduced with the previous generation was complemented by a 2.8 L inline-six diesel, a first for the Japanese market. This, the LD28, was introduced in January 1980, somewhat later than petrol versions, and remained in production until September 1985. Mainly for taxi and fleet use the 2 and 2.2 litre four-cylinder SD-series engines also remained available. These lower-spec models receive four round headlights.

The two-door coupé was no longer offered, and was replaced by the Bluebird-based Nissan Leopard luxury sports coupé.

The 430 series Cedric was assembled and sold in Taiwan as the Yue Loong Cedric 2.0 and 2.4. At first codenamed 806, it became the 807 after a minor facelift.

In October 2004, the last Cedric hardtop was built, after which it was replaced by the Nissan Fuga. The Cedric nameplate remains available on the Y31-series sedans, and is currently only available for commercial users.