I’ve been finding a number of ‘70s Nissans of late. They’re always a source of mixed emotions, as it’s certainly a pleasure to come across any 40-plus-year-old automobile in Tokyo. At the same time, Nissan really designed a lot of stinkers in the ‘70s. The Gloria 330 I found last summer and last month’s Laurel were not the worst of the bunch by a long shot, but the C110 “Kenmari” Skyline we have here (especially in this condition) is, to my eyes, pretty… challenging.
I might be in a minority about this, but this Skyline is far worthier of the nickname “Pig Butt” that was bestowed upon its Laurel stablemate. What we have here is a caricature of an American design, with added weirdness for good (or rather for worse) measure. Such as that famous “Surf line” hind quarter body crease.
The C110 Skyline is particularly uninspired when seen in comparison to its two immediate predecessors, the S50 (1963-68, top pic) and the C10 (1968-72, bottom pic). The former was still badged as a Prince. It was as close as Japan ever got to a Neue Klasse BMW, and it pioneered the use of the 2-litre straight-6 that was to be the Skyline’s mainstay for eons. The latter introduced the coupé version and the GT-R badge – two quintessential additions to the Skyline mythos – all wrapped into a superbly styled body.
It was always going to be tough to keep the hits coming, but the C110 really fell from the ugly tree and hit most branches on the way down. That’s not limited to the two-door, either. I’m personally quite partial to a nice wagon, but that C110 van/wagon is a complete disaster. The saloon is the least offensive of the bunch, but it still looks like a Dodge that got rear-ended.
The front end gives me both Fuselage Chrysler and Renault 17 vibes, only slightly more pouty. It’s the duck-lipped Botox look so popular with our century’s vapid Instagrammers, but for the Disco era. There are uglier front ends, especially in the Nissan world, but this is hardly the most distinctive schnozz. Again, if we compare with the previous couple of Skylines, it’s a let-down.
The rear end was not available for comment. Or for much of a photo, come to that. The coupé’s quad circular taillamps became a trademark Skyline thing. But credit to where it’s due: these were actually pioneered on certain versions of the C10. The C110 merely generalized that design element and set it in stone. Well, in metal, anyway. And they were placed within a dark panel surrounded by a chrome loop, echoing the front grille’s motif. Botox in front, xotoB in the back.
The blandness of the front and the rear do nothing to mitigate the car’s bulkiness, which is strangely coupled with a slightly gaunt look. Nissan were deep into their Empty Coke Bottle & Strange Body Crease era, and it shows.
Nissan also hit upon the power of PR in the ‘70s, and the Skyline got more than its fair share of that action in the shape of Ken and Marie. This fictional couple personified the C110 Skyline so well that the car became known as Kenmari. As we can see from the 1975 Skyline brochure excerpt above, Nissan cashed in on the popularity of their advertising creation with a flurry of Skyline-branded merch.
But let’s move beyond the sheetmetal and the image. This particular car is in a sorry state and obviously abandoned, but it has had a lot of work done before it conked out. The rear spoiler, the fender flares and the blacked-out grille all point to a rather popular modification with C110 hardtops: an attempt at turning this relatively run-of-the-mill GT-X into a precious GT-R.
There was a GT-R coupé in the C110 lineup, but it really was a case of blink and you’ll miss it. It only lasted a couple months in early 1973 and total production of the real GT-R, as shown above, is said to have only reached 197 units. Genuine GT-Rs had a 160hp version of the race-bred S20 DOHC straight-6 as well as disc brakes all around, the latter of which being eventually adopted by the GT-X.
It is said that the C110 GT-R’s tiny production numbers are a result of tightening emissions regulations and the fact that Nissan had a leftover stock of about 200 R-spec engines from the C10. Whatever the case may be, the result is that GT-Rs of this generation are extremely rare and valuable, so there are probably more fake ones out there than anything else.
The GTX was a high-trim version in its own right, so seeing one being wasted like that is rather sad. The interior looks like it belongs to a different car, not a rusting wreck pretending to be something of value. The aluminium instrument panel was unique to 1975-77 GTXs – makes for a nice change from the usual formica-plastiwood combo prevalent in so many cars of that era.
Nissan Skyline 1975 brochure excerpt
The 2-litre straight-6 in the GT-X was the L20 also used on the Nissan Cedric, initially with a twin carb setup. This deluxe/sporty version of the Skyline was only available on saloons and coupés; it had the independent rear suspension common to all 6-cyl. C110s. In late 1975, more or less coinciding with the traditional JDM mid-life facelift, the GT-X the engine was given EFI and delivered 130hp. So it’s no slouch on its own terms, being second only to the GT-R horsepower-wise. But I guess the temptation to turn this fair steed into a unicorn was irresistible to some.
Nissan sold over twice as many Kenmaris as they did C10s – i.e. about 730,000 units, counting the export models (usually known as the Datsun 240K, if sporting the 2.4 litre six not seen on the domestic Skyline). So that’s why Nissan kept making fugly cars throughout the ‘70s: with the help of a little PR magic, people actually bought them.
As a result, the C210 that came in late 1977 was pretty much a continuation of the C110, still sans GT-R, which disappeared from view until the late ‘80s. The Skyline turned from a lithe and sporty Alfa/BMW rival in the ‘60s to a mini Ford Torino with fat lips in the ‘70s. Kenmari has not aged gracefully, but then the effect of Botox is always a temporary one.
Related posts:
Car Show Capsule: 1973 Nissan Skyline C110 GT-R – Delectable, Rare Wagyu, by William Stopford
Curbside Classic: 1975 Nissan Laurel (C130) SGX Coupé – Hog Bottom Is Top Dog, by T87
I really dont get your hate for this design – sure its a bit fuzzy and fat looking, but overall i think it looks good!
I compared this to the two previous Skylines and the C130 Laurel. And I maintain that this Skyline is dead last in that particular beauty contest.
If you were to compare it to, say, the Leyland P76, the Mustang II and the Austin Allegro, then sure, it’s “a bit fuzzy and fat-looking” as you put it, but comes out on top.
Careful there mate, remember what happened last time we mentioned the P76! Made me embarrassed to be Australian, they did.
The Malaise Era was even prevalent in the Far East as far as car design.
The s50 is frumpy and awkwardly proportioned. Absolutely nothing about it is attractive. The C210 Japan is my favorite skyline, sort of like an evolved and toned down c110
Imo these are beautiful. One of my fav designs, clean with good proportions. Not too suprising coming from the early 70s, imo thats when car design peaked and has never recovered since.
To my eyes this design barely works as a GT-X, while the GT-R is a tiny smidge better. The ” regular ” models sit a bit too high on their suspensions and/or the tires/wheels are too small (looking).
To me, these look like the offspring of a 67 Barracuda fastback and an early 70s Ford Torino.
BTW, did Chevrolet steal that tail light motif for the early 2000s Impala?
Chevrolet took it from a 1964 Impala.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/1964-chevrolet-impala-ss#&gid=1&pid=3
The 64 Impala would have had 3 tail lights per side, the 2000 Impala has 2
I like the design, from the front it looks like a mini Dodge Challenger. The back is a little too chunky though. The flat tires suggest the poor little car has not run in some time .
If Digital Underground’s Humpty was singing was about a car, this might be it. There’s something there, and it can be taught the moves, but it’s got some babyfat on it. But if what’s inside is what counts then it works. And I kinda like the fender flares and the rest of the black add-ons, exactly like this one, it’d probably look pretty good cruising around Tokyo under the lights late at night, the scruffyness adds to the appeal, it’s like bedhead.
I wonder if the owner’s new ride is the one two spaces over, same general shape, and the exact same color scheme, seems too much of a coincidence otherwise.
The profile shot shows me a lot of the 1965 Mustang Fastback in the rear third.
I can’t quite figure out how big it is, overall it looks like a nicely styled 1970’s Sporty Coupe .
As it’s intact I hope someone saves it before it’s too late, all the gingerbread is there .
Looks like some bondo repairs, never a good thing .
Keep the oddities coming please ! .
-Nate
Yes the last effort was a skimbog, poorly done and now its lifting but it isnt beyond saving but it needs proper body repairs not the quik flash overs its had in the past
I’ll join the “disagree” bandwagon. I think it’s a distinct improvement over its fluffy and overwrought predecessor. It’s leaner and meaner, and its front end is cleaner. And I’m a fan of the surf line.
Nissan was beginning to find their styling sea legs with this generation.
I wouldn’t rush to proclaim that it’s “obviously abandoned”. It’s hardly “a rusting hulk”. Yeah, it need a bit of body work, but given its clean interior, I rather suspect it will get proper exterior cosmetic surgery.
“fluffy and overwrought predecessor”?
If anything, it is the Kenmeri Skyline that is overwrought, especially in hardtop form, compared to the very clean (maybe the grille, depending on the year could be seen as fussy) 1968 C10 design. It’s like we are looking at completely different cars.
Having said that, the 4 door sedan is quite decent looking and quite rightly was very popular back in the day in Australia, as was the hardtop which was introduced here first, strange as even then 2 doors were not as well accepted as sedans.
The hardtop’ like the MX Corona Mk2 of the same period had way too much sheet metal in the rear quarter. So the normally hardtop loving AntiSuv is not a fan…..
I’ve said this before but I’m pissed that Nissan/Datsun never sold the C10 in Australia, which was already at that time a very substantial export market for them, when the car, marketed as a 2400 was sold in small numbers in some northern European countries.
What is it with Skyline wagons and blanked out or tiny rear side windows in the cargo area? The C10 wagon was “normal” but every Skyline wagon thereafter until the late 1980s had some usual rear side window arrangement, if there was a window at all. Toyota never put up with this nonsense. If wagons were considered “vans” in Japan , why not just blank every panel behind the drivers door and be done with it?
I see a big dose of the then-contemporary American sporty-styling mode. Given that Datsun was booming in the U.S., an American styling influence is not surprising. The wheel well cutouts and fender flares give it a distinctly ‘70s American circle track racing vibe. I’ll give it a B+ and call it a fun and interesting piece of work. Certainly different in size, proportion, and styling from the typical Japanese home-market car of the day.
I saw Renault R17 even before I got to T87’s mention of it. Perhaps a foreshadowing of the later Renault-Nissan relationship. As for the Skyline, a few details are off, as to be expected on a ‘70’s Nissan, but I think the overall shape and proportions are good.
In that condition a sea ride and its 50k+ all day long here, youd be amazed whats being dragged out of paddocks here and presented as restoration projects for really stupid money and these old Datsuns are sought after.
Peak Datsun? Or was it just that the Prince genes hadn’t been overwhelmed yet?
These were extremely popular cars in Australia back in the day. Early sixties-Holden size (which the market was clamouring for), with a better-than-most engine and chassis; and certainly better than Holden’s similar-sized Torana. Yes, they sold the 240K as a hardtop here, and people actually bought the hardtop as well – unusually for Aussies. I am SO thankful we didn’t get that wagonoid thingy.
It’s sad to see one in this condition, but when the oh-so-ordinary 120Y sedan brings $10,000 (and sold!) this would certainly bring a five-figure sum as a resto project.
Here’s a 2000GTX, which the feature car started as, and not in Stereotype Silver.
A mate of mine’s wife ran a hardtop for years untill the kid number reached Commodore wagon size, the Datsun was still in good nick when I last saw her with it and it got pinkslips for rego without bother year after year, it was a good car.
And another advocate here. A C110 is one of the few cars, able to stir up my enthusiasm again and make me reconsider my increasingly utilitaristic approach towards motor vehicles. In fact, I’d seriously go the extra miles shaking up my allocation of motoring and other disposable funds and available space and go parts hunting all over the interwebs again, should a readily usable 240K appear within reach.
Of course, there is little chance to ever get in the situation to cash that check, sitting in central europe 😆
All of the repulsion that is going on with the stock look originates in the stilty suspension and whimsical wheels with those FUGLY hub caps. With those fixed, I wouldn’t mind a 4door, just as well as a hardtop, surf line and all.
Sorry but this is the best looking Skyline ever made.
Hi again.
I’m not trying to stalk you through the comments section but here I am again because I agree 100%!
This is my favorite Skyline by far.
My second is the R32 but for different reasons.
Great find! I really like the C110; not because they’re conventionally pretty, but because they dare to be so different. I like the surfline and don’t find the styling too bulky around the C-pillar – I think it looks more lean and fast-backesque than the Butaketsu Laurel. The standard-arch coupes aren’t bad, but the flared-arch GTRs look fantastic in my eyes – even in appliance white. No idea if these were sold new here; the only one I’ve seen was an Australian import ’73 which I photographed in 2013 alongside its R34 descendant:
I dont remember them in NZ Scott but they were popular in OZ.