It’s going to take a lot of effort for me to find something to criticize here. I really like this car. It’s a real hardtop. It has (most probably) a straight-6 that powers its independently-suspended rear wheels. And despite it being a late ‘80s design, I even like the styling. This Laurel, the Pao and the R32 Skyline are proof that Nissan were kings of automotive styling circa 1990 – the polar opposite of where they were circa 1975, in other words.
The only possible fly in the ointment would be the name, a perennial problem with the Datsun legacies. As everybody knows, the Japanese language only has one sound for “r” and “l” that sort of sounds like a mix of both. So there are a number of foreign words that are very hard for them to pronounce – including words that contain both the “r” and “l” sound alternatively. Usually, Japanese companies avoid these. Pity nobody told Nissan.
Laurel can thus turn into “Raulel,” “Laulel” or “Rauler” – the difference is almost indiscernible to Japanese ears. The Laurel got its bizarre moniker because Nissan thought English would ensure international success. That’s what Toyota did, so why not emulate them (as per usual)? This cargo cult thinking resulted in cars called Cedric, Violet, Fairlady and Silvia – almost poetic, but also somewhat effeminate and decidedly not very apt appellations for vehicles in English-speaking countries.
Many of these oddly-named Nissans (which were usually Datsuns anyway) were therefore re-christened when they went abroad, usually with some mindless alphanumeric. That’s if they were destined to be peddled overseas at all, which depended on the Nissan’s market penetration, the value of the Yen and how local tastes and laws would accommodate a particular model.
The Laurel, launched in 1968 as a sort of tarted-up Bluebird with an independent suspension at the back and a Prince engine in the front, initially existed as a coupé and saloon. The Laurel was part of Nissan’s international lineup throughout the ‘70s, though it was sometimes known as the Datsun 200L. It’s unclear to me why they felt the Laurel ought to be renamed, because unlike other Nissans, this one actually had a rather good name, albeit an unpronounceable one in its home market.
Engine choices mirrored the Skyline: 4- and 6-cyl. options, roughly in the 2-litre range, with a Diesel tagging on from the late ‘70s onward. The fifth generation (C32, 1984-88) was the odd one out, as Nissan decided to switch to their new V6 (in 2- and 3-litre form, as used on the Cedric / Gloria) instead of the usual RB in-line six. They evidently saw the error of their ways and reverted back to the Skyline format for the C33 we are looking into here.
Body variant-wise, the early generations of the Laurel were limited to a coupé and a saloon. Then, in the late ‘70s, a hardtop sedan joined the range. The coupé then left the scene (and was reborn under the Leopard name), leaving only four-doors in the ‘80s range. By January 1989, when the C33 was launched, the hardtop was the last Laurel standing.
And a hardtop it remained until the very end, otherwise known as the 8th gen (C35), bowed out in 2002. But the C33 we’re seeing here was the last true hardtop that Nissan ever designed. There are no B-pillars on this car. Nissan kept the pillarless design going as long as they could, but by the mid-‘90s, Japanese safety standards were tightened and JDM hardtops got thin B-pillars – a trend that actually started in the mid-‘80s with Toyota and Honda “pillared hardtop” sedans. That was probably seen as pointless by the buying public and ultimately caused the death of the breed, as it had evolved in Japan, early in the new millennium. I’m not aware of any four-door hardtop being produced later than this car – if anyone knows better, the CComments section is wide open.
Name aside, the only problem with this particular Laurel, or rather the problem with this particular photographer, is that it’s tricky to capture this hardtop’s genuine pillarlessness (is that a word? It is now!) in photos when the windows are up. It’s plain to see when you’re physically there, but for some reason it doesn’t come out that well in stills. The roof-mounted seat belts might have something to do with it.
Only one solution: factory photos. Those show this Laurel’s hardtoptitude (definitely not a word, but I’m on a roll) with more clarity than I ever managed when faced with the C33 in the metal. This is the Medalist version, i.e. the sportier / swankier trim. Tacked on spoilers don’t do anything for me, though – I prefer the feature car’s smooth behind over this one.
Perhaps because of its styling, its drivetrain, its RB-series straight-6, its pillarless body or all of the above, the C33 Laurel has now become a firm favourite of the drift crowd. Many have been modified as street racers – lowered suspension, fart can tail pipe, huge tyres and the like – and unmolested ones are getting mighty scarce, which makes this survivor all the more delectable.
Aside from the drifters, this generation Laurel is also favoured by at least two CContributors, namely fellow Japan-based gaijin Jim “Lincolnman” Brophy-san, who wrote the seminal CC post on the Laurel (see link below) and Scott “NZ Skyliner” McPherson, who actually owned one. We should defer to this latter gentleman in particular, as nothing can top for actual experience.
I understand that Scott had the 93hp 2.8 litre Diesel in his C33 Laurel. I would be very surprised if this one were similarly powered, though a lack of any badges means the truth will likely elude us forever. Is it a base model with the 91hp 1.8 litre 4-cyl., or does this car sport the legendary 212hp turbocharged RB20DET straight-6?
Whatever powers it, this C33 Laurel is still in daily use and, though obviously well cared for, it is starting to look a little weathered. Those wheels could do with a bit of a clean, for starters. Nothing out of the ordinary for a car that is pushing 30 and sleeps outdoors. At least, it’s aging gracefully.
They sold about 345,000 of these (a pretty impressive number) until the C34 generation took over in January 1993. That’s when the hardtop sedan died for good. With all due respect to the ’78 Chrysler New Yorker, that was the last American-made hardtop sedan, but the JDM took the baton and ran with it solo for a while yet. Nissan in particular carried on with that fine tradition for another 15 years.
Related posts:
Curbside Classic: 1982 Nissan Laurel “Special Edition” – It Has a Continental Connection, by Jim Brophy
Car Show Outtakes: 1974 Datsun 200L Coupe – Laurel C130 Series, by Johannes Dutch
Just 3 comments:
The ” L ” hood ornament looks like an aftermarket copy of what COULD HAVE BEEN a Lexus badge.
And I agree with the author’s assessment that the ” plain “/unspoilered (?) version looks better. From the provided photo the Medalist model looks like a potential 2nd generation Honda Preclude sedan.
Also agree about the names of Datsun/Nissan cars: it’s like they were chosen less for their ability to be pronounced by the average Asian, as they were chosen to project some kind of mental picture.
When I had my C35 Laurel, I lost count of the number of people who saw the hood ornament and said ‘Oh, you’ve got a Lexus’…
I wonder if roof-mounted shoulder belts are part of the reason the pillarless hardtop sedan disappeared – why bother if it almost looks like there’s a post there anyway? There have been some true hardtop coupes more recently (Mercedes) and I suspect if they beefed up the structure enough a hardtop sedan could meet modern rollover protection criteria.
I’m pretty sure the ’78 New Yorker wasn’t just the last American hardtop sedan, but the last one from anywhere that was sold in the U.S. I’m having trouble even thinking of an imported 4 door hardtop that was sold Stateside. Were there ever any non-American hardtop wagons? We got a few here in the late ’50s/early ’60s.
I agree that this is a very handsome car. Nissan did send us the Maxima which though not a hardtop, had some nice models. Then we got the Infiniti J30, not quite as handsome, but basically a four door Z.
In an alternate universe, imagine if Nissan had shipped this over to the US as the M30 instead of the Leopard 2-door coupe. It would have gone toe-to-toe with Lexus that also offered the entry level 4-door hardtop sedan (ES250) in those first couple of years in the US.
I’ll take your word — that these actually lack the B-pillar, making them genuine pillarless hardtops. Your verbal explanation is clear.
But, in the age of the interwebs — a picture tells 1,000 words.
As you said, the photo with windows up is not fully convincing —
*But a photo with windows down* ….. would seal the deal.
Lots of photos on Google images.
This one shows it pretty well…
Here’s a photo of mine with the windows down:
Great post – and one of my favorite Nissan’s – so much more elegant than the somewhat lumpy ones today.
And I think you have earned the title of CC’s Japan-based Major Domo with your series of superbly researched posts perfectly highlighted with a light taste of humor..
Well hello there Tatra87, and thank you for the mention! Yes, I owned a 1992 C33 Laurel, replete with magnificent RD28 straight-6 diesel and 5-speed manual transmission. Not terribly powerful, but would do 1,200km per 65-litre tank of diesel, so was very cheap to run. Or would have been if it didn’t consume oil at the rate of 3-5 litres per 1,000km… The odometer showed 130,000km (I think) when I bought it, but later investigation (triggered by the oil consumption) revealed it was a Japanese driving-school car and had been driven almost constantly from 1992 until 1996 when it was imported to New Zealand with the odometer wound back – it had actually done around 400,000km…
Mine was the absolute base model, badged ‘Extra’ but aside from standard a/c and power windows/mirrors, it had no extras. Well almost none – having the factory driving-school package, it came with extra foot pedals on the passenger side, and an extra ceiling-mounted rear-view mirror in front of the passenger. The dual-control pedals were removed when it came into NZ, but it still had the extra mirror when I bought it (I removed it and put a factory sun visor there instead).
I bought it around 2001 and owned it until 2004 when I replaced it with an R33 Skyline. I later owned a C34 Laurel diesel (horrid), and then a C35 Laurel diesel (great) which I had until 2015.
My C33 drove beautifully – ride, handling, steering and brakes were all excellent, as were build quality, material quality and comfort. It was a hoot to drive on grass too, offering fabulous slow-speed drifting. I absolutely loved the interior and exterior design – still do, albeit the facelift taillights like mine had are much better. Huge boot too, unlike the pitiful affairs in the later Laurels. With the pillarless design, the interior was so airy and made it a really nice car to tour in.
Fun fact re the pillarlessness: the passenger-side roof-mounted seat belt is detachable – the belt has two buckles, one goes into a roof receiver, the other into the usual seat receiver. It was a bit of a faff to undo the roof one, not to mention illegal in NZ, so I left it buckled up.
Fun fact 2: Aaron Severson of Ate Up With Motor wrote a great article on Japan’s Four Door Hardtops (https://ateupwithmotor.com/model-histories/japanese-four-door-hardtops/), and the T180 Toyota Carina ED and Corona EXiV were actually the last truly pillarless hardtops to be released, arriving in 1989, a year later than the C33. Both Toyotas and the C33 Laurel were replaced in 1993, but I’m not sure which was replaced last.
Regarding the feature car’s engine, it won’t have the CA18 4-cylinder petrol as that was only available on the bottom-rung Extra and Grand Extra, not the Medalist. It won’t have the RD28 diesel either, as although it was available on the Medalist, it came with a 6,000rpm tacho. Your interior photo shows the 9,000rpm tacho of the RB20 petrol Medalist had a 9,000rpm tacho. Can’t tell if it’s the single-cam RB20 or the twin-cam turbo RB20DET though as the bootlid badges are missing. Could be the turbo as it has twin-tailpipes, and the ‘Club-S’ suede interior (‘Club-L’ was the leather interior). Low-spec radio though, so who knows. Yes I realise I know far too much about C33 Laurels…!
Hardly any C33s left in NZ now (mine went to the wrecker’s yard in 2006, after I sold it, when the engine finally blew) so this is a great find with great photos. Here’s mine:
And here’s my C33 compared with my later C35. The C34 was ugly versus the C33, so when the designed the C35 Nissan tried to recapture the essence of the C33’s design. The did a nice job I think.
I would have thought that a hardtop and drifting were things best left each in their own exclusive mutualness, as the idea of a small misjudgement that causes a 20 metre roadside maple approaching one’s shoulder at 40mph with only a a stretch of flexible roof-mounted woven nylon as one’s guardian from oblivion, is something, like this sentence is to English, of an obvious risk to be avoided, but, as I do not drift (except when faced with tasks I would rather not do) and do not live near Laurels or maples (or laurels), it is likely that the answer to the usually-suffixed rhetorical question “…but what do I know?” is that I don’t and shouldn’t have begun this sentence.
It seems the photos do not do justice to this car – well, a trial was held, yes, but the verdict seems to have been neither guilty nor not guilty, but more “not interested” – as I am unable to rise to the pitch it has inspired above, which has included an actual purchase.
In fact, if one felt strongly-enough inclined, it could even be said that the general offence to accepted standards that such passion represents amounts to Laurel hardtopitude.
While I may not agree with everything you say, I’ll defend to the death your right to say it. Especially when it’s like that first sentence.
Well played, Mr Baum.
In my defence, any drifting that happened was on grass in a very large treeless field, travelling at around 25-35 km/h! It was at a paddock gymkhana a local church organised about 18 years ago. The Laurel was an incredibly easy and compliant car to drift and flick around – being diesel, nothing happened quickly, but the reasonable low-rev torque meant it just chugged around the field sideways in second gear all day. ’twas a barrel of laughs! And fear not, in case on-road driftification was required (not by me I hasten to add!), the centre pillars were incredibly beefy, with a pronounced curved beam that started halfway down the pillar and anchored them across to the transmission tunnel.
And regarding Laurel hardoptitude, I plead guilty, your honour, but in my other defence, it was the early ’90s and I was 20ish when I first saw a C33 and fell in love!
PS, your first sentence is absolutely sublime!
The C32 Laurel models did have the option of the straight six RB20E and RB30E motors.
The RB units were used by Holden for their VL Commodore and this motor is still very highly regarded despite its origins.
Many Nissan insiders nicknamed the RB engines Rambo.
The NZ and European market C32 was also offered with the old L24, just to confuse matters!
Hi,I have a question
is the rear screen/rear window of this c33 model the same as the skyline gts 4 door model?
I don’t know for sure, but probably not.
They look similar, but the C33’s wheelbase is 5cm longer than the R32, so that must have repercussions on the greenhouse’s measurements. Plus the C33 is a true hardtop, whereas the R32 has a C-pillar.