MEET THE OWNERS: JOSH AND ADAM GIBLIN AND THEIR DATSUN LAUREL C230 LOW-RIDER

“We just wanted to build it into a low-rider because of the inspiration of Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre vids. Thought it would be awesome to have a Datsun on hydraulics”.

It has to be said that the gulf between Dr. Dre and the Laurel’s original UK image is not so much vast as one that spans aeons. This was the sort of car that Terry and June might have chosen had they not opted for the Leyland Princess, one that would cut a modest dash at the local garden centre. In 1978 Autocar thought the third generation C230 to be “a roomy and generally comfortable car, and very equipped”.

In the following year, the same publication appreciated the facelifted version’s levels of appointments, fuel consumption, mid-range performance and competitive price of £6,196. However, the report complained the Datsun had “some way to go before becoming a serious competitor in the lower ‘executive class’ - that is for anyone who enjoys driving”. In reality, most customers were probably more interested in their Laurel’s electric windows and remote control for the fuel filler cap.

Japanese saloons aimed at managing directors such as the Nissan Cedric and Toyota Crown rarely found buyers in the UK. Still, the cars in the immediate class below were more commonly sighted. The likes of the Toyota Cressida and the Datsun Laurel were very dependable hire cars, minicabs and alternatives to the Ford Granada 2 Litre L and the Vauxhall Carlton in general.

Nissan unveiled the original C30 Laurel in 1968, with the C230 debuting nine years later. The C330 replaced it in 1980, and by the end of the decade, corrosion had already decimated their numbers. As for DDT 570 T Josh explains:

We used to own it back in 2008 when it had fully standard suspension. We had another one of these but a 1980 version manual CRN 10V. We scrapped it and transferred the hydraulics from the 1980 version to the 1979 version. We owned it for a bit, then sold it to someone who stored it in a barn for more than ten years. We then repurchased it in April of last year on coil-over and me and my dad Adam did the hydraulics to the car on a drive away. It has 24k miles on the clock.

And it has to be said that you would be very unlikely to find a similar Datsun in the entire country.

With Thanks To: Josh and Adam Giblin