Perceived as too gaudy for British sensibilities, this large Japanese saloon was nevertheless superbly equipped and supremely comfortable
Even when the Nissan 300C was new, it was an unusual sight on UK roads. It seemed destined to appeal to a select few drivers who craved a mobile living room with quasi-American looks. Today, only 14 are believed to remain in use, and Jason Owen’s 300C is the last example to be sold in this country.
The C stands for Cedric, a model line introduced by Nissan in 1960. Seven years later, the Japanese firm dispensed with the name for export versions of the second-generation 130-series. One alleged reason was the not-always-positive response in English-speaking markets. When Nissan commenced UK sales in 1968, under the Datsun marque, it had promoted the Cedric as the 2000.
Octav Botnar, Datsun UK’s founder, believed a cheap, well-appointed and reliable car represented his principal customer base. Thus the concessionaire focused on the smaller Cherry, Sunny, Violet and Bluebird while importing a small number of the Cedric family. These had limited appeal to the average Ford Granada GXL driver, who tended to regard the large Datsun as too pan-Pacific and altogether too gaudy.
The Y30-series 300C debuted in the spring of 1984 and was the last Cedric officially marketed in this country. Botner’s profits exceeded £50 million in the previous financial year, more than any other car importer; the UK was the first European nation to purchase more than a million Nissans. However, the 300C seemed destined to be a niche product, one seen more as transport for a dealer-principal than in a director’s parking space.
Japanese buyers could choose from various engines, but only the fuel-injected 3.0-litre V6 was available in this country. The 300C was branded a Nissan, as in 1981 the company decided to gradually phase out its Datsun marque, completing the process in early 1984. The slightly hyperbolic sales copy claimed: “The technical expertise which helped provide rockets to launch communications satellites and a host of other high technology projects pays dividends for the Nissan 300C driver.”
The Telegraph referred to Nissan’s use of the Cedric badge in its home market – “they still go in for funny names” – but the motoring press did not seem especially interested in the 300C. Car magazine’s opinion of the 280C, its immediate predecessor, might explain the lack of road tests. Their review in the infamous The Good, the Bad and the Ugly section concluded: “Datsun aren’t silly – they won’t let us drive one.”
By 1987 the 300C’s price was £12,995, making it nearly £2,000 cheaper than a Ford Granada Mk3 2.9i Ghia and almost £4,000 less than a Vauxhall Senator 3.0i CD. But if the Ford and Vauxhall were for the driver with BMW ambitions, the Nissan was a scaled-down Buick-clone for the ambitious property developer. As Toyota GB decided against selling the S120 series Crown, it also had no direct competitor.
When identifying the 300C’s potential market, Autocar noted: “It’s hard to imagine what other luxuries could be crammed in.” Not only did it feature air-conditioning, powered steering, an adjustable steering column, automatic gearbox and an LW/MW/FM stereo/cassette player, but seats upholstered in the finest moquette cloth available to humanity.
As befitting Nissan’s “Years of experience in providing luxury surroundings for diplomats’ and businessmens’ travel requirements,” the 300C additionally featured electric windows, central locking, alloy wheels and remote operation for the boot lid and fuel filler. The result was “a unique blend of style and comfort.”
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