The replacement for the 31 series
Cedric, the 130 series, was a radical departure from the previous model,
in a number of ways. The 130 series was a complete change of direction
for Nissan, not just in terms of the appearence of the car, but also the
manufacturing processes and a general philosophy about where the car sat
in the international marketplace.
The 130 went into production in October 1965,
and went on sale early in 1966. The previous model had been designed completely
in house at Nissan, but for the 130 series a contract to design the car
was given to the Pininfarina design studio in Italy. What Pininfarina came
up with was something that, not surprisingly, had a very Italian feel.
Although it's overall length was almost identical to the 30/31 series,
it's height was a full 50mm less, which gave it the appearence of being
much longer. The thin pillars, flat roofline and large glass area gave
it a light and airy feel to the glasshouse area. The new car sat on smaller
13 inch wheels (the 31 had 14 inch), which were spread further apart on
it's longer wheelbase.
The manufacturing process was greatly simplified thanks to there now being
only one sedan body on which all the different models were based. The previous
31 series had four completely different wheelbase lengths to accomodate
the 4 and 6 cylinder engines, as well as different length front and back
doors depending on which specification was required. The madness of the
4 different body shells was all done away with for the 130, which had the
same body regardless of whether it was a top of the line Special Six or
a base model Standard 4 cylinder.
Nissan also realised that the type of person interested in
buying this class of vehicle expected more in terms of performence than
that which a 4 cylinder engine could deliver. They answered this by making
the 1992cc 109hp OHV 6cyl. J20 engine the standard engine for the Custom
and Standard models, and then offering the 1983cc 99hp OHV 4cyl. H20 engine
only as an optional base model engine. The J20 engine was basically the
4 cylinder J series engine with an extra 2 cylinders added to it.
Also introduced at this time was the new L20 1998cc OHC 6cyl.
engine, which produced 123hp. This was Nissan's first overhead cam engine,
with much of the development work having been carried out by Yamaha Motor.
The L series engine was an engineering masterpiece. Powerful and virtually
indestructable, it became the cornerstone to Nissan's radid expansion throughout
the late 1960s and 1970s, and remained the primary engine series used by
Nissan right into the mid-1980s. Datsun 510 and 240Z owners all claim the
L series engine as their own, but the fact remains that the L series engine
was initially designed and built for the 130 series Cedric, it was years
before it was fitted to any other vehicles. The L20 fitted to the Cedric
(later refered to as the L20A, after the introduction of the 4 cylinder
L20B engine) was fitted with two Hitachi side drought carburetors similar
to those used on the Fairlady.
A Diesel version with the SD22 4cyl. 2164cc 70hp engine was also available.
The tail lights on the 1966 130 are approximately 200mm tall
and 170mm wide, with an amber indicator on top, a stop light in the middle
and a clear reversing light on the bottom.
Nissan may have made life simpler for themselves by reducing the
number of different bodies down to only one, but they made things more
complex by having different grilles for each model.
The grille on the Custom Six model has 6 horizontal bars
and 4 vertical bars. It has a red badge in the centre with Nissan on top
and a Cedric Star below. The grille on the Standard model has 9 horizontal
bars, with the 2nd and 6th bars being slightly thicker. The grille badge
is the same as the Custom, except it is black instead of red. The grille
on the Special Six model has one wider full-length horizontal bar that
goes under the headlight binnacles, with 5 thin horizontal bars above it
and 3 below. It has a Cedric Star emblem in the middle and a Special badge
to the right.
The badges on the Standard Six say Cedric Six on the side
and the back. The badges on the Custom Six say Cedric Custom Six on the
side and the back. The badges on the Special Six say Cedric Special Six
on the side and the back. The badges on the Standard four cylinder model
say Cedric on the side and the back. The badges on the deLuxe four cylinder
model say Cedric deLuxe on the side and the back.
The dashboard has 4 round dials around a bar speedo. It now
has fake plastic wood on the dashboard instead of real wood.
The Mark I 130 series was in production until October 1966,
when it was replaced with the slightly modified Mark II version. |
A sales brochure for the Nissan Cedric 130
|
1966 Nissan
Cedric 130 Specifications
Length - 4680mm
Width - 1690mm
Height - 1455mm
Wheelbase - 2690mm
Weight - 1280kg
Top speed - 150kph
Transmission options
Column change 3 speed
Column change 4 speed
3 speed Borg Warner Auto |
Engine
Specifications
OHC 6 Cylinder
Model - L20
Capacity - 1998cc
Bore & Stroke 78x69.7mm
Power - 123bhp@5200rpm
Torque- 125ft/lb@4400
Compression - 9.0 : 1
Carburettor - Twin 38mm
Hitachi side draught |
Engine
Specifications
OHV 6 Cylinder
Model - J20
Capacity - 1973cc
Bore & Stroke 76x78.6mm
Power - 109bhp@4800rpm
Torque- 118ft/lb@3600
Compression - 8.3 : 1
Carburettor - Hitachi dual
throat down draught |
Engine Specifications
OHV 4 Cylinder
Model - H20
Capacity - 1982cc
Bore & Stroke 87.2x83mm
Power - 99bhp@5000rpm
Torque- 123ft/lb@3600
Compression - 8.2 : 1
Carburettor - Hitachi dual
throat down draught |
Engine Specifications
Diesel 4 Cylinder
Model - SD22
Capacity - 2164cc
Bore & Stroke 83x100mm
Power - 70bhp |
|
