MEET THE OWNER – DAVID ROBERTS AND HIS NISSAN CHERRY EUROPE 1.2

Mythology is so often a wildly inaccurate source of motoring history. Not all Austin Allegros had a square steering wheel, and the Lada 1200/1500 represented mobility for thousands of families. As for the Arna/Cherry Europe, it represented an ambitious and far-sighted attempt at collaboration between Alfa Romeo and Nissan. To quote David Roberts, the owner of this handsome 1.2-litre version – "The way the Arna polarises opinion, the majority of people know very little of the model or are reliant on the same old tired internet twaddle…"

The story commenced in 1980 when Alfa Romeo and Nissan signed an agreement. At that time, European markets operated import quotas for Japanese cars, so the new model was to be made at the Pratola Serra factory near Naples. Meanwhile, Alfa needed a replacement for the Aliased and had suffered heavy financial losses since 1977.

The result was the Arna – 'Alfa Romeo Nissan Autoveicoli' – which debuted at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show. The bodywork was from the 1982 N12-Series Cherry, and Nissan dispatched the body panels from Japan. They also made the rear suspension and drum brakes, while Alfa provided the front suspension, gearbox and suspension plus 1.2-litre and 1.5- litre flat-four 'Boxer' engines.

In terms of British sales, Nissan was to market the Arna first, as the "Cherry Europe", with Alfa Romeo GB taking over in 1985. Two versions were available in the UK – the 1.2 and the 1.5 GTi. The former cost £4,185, which was far from excessive for a car with a five-speed gearbox, tinted glass, clock, and a cigarette lighter as standard. It is also often forgotten that sales were initially promising.

However, Nissan UK tended to regard the Cherry Europe as an afterthought. There appeared to be no significant magazine road tests, while the publicity is best described as "very low-key". 1987 marked the demise of the Arna, and four years later, David bought his first Alfa Romeo. In his words –

I have owned one ever since and joined the Alfa Romeo Owners Club shortly after. As I learnt more of Alfa's history over the years, I developed a soft spot for the Arna and hoped to own one someday. In 2007 a Cherry Europe was advertised - as a 'Nissan Arna'!.

Naturally, David immediately decided to investigate. "It was local to me, so I viewed and drove it but couldn't agree on a price with the elderly owner". However, he kept tabs on the Nissan, and in 2016 he returned to the vendor's home "on the off chance. He was still there, remembered me, and the car was still in his garage, unused in all that time save for a 6-mile round trip in 2012 for an MOT failure".

And so, David returned with a friend. "I checked the car over, got it running and bought it. Once home, it was recommissioned, MOTd and back on the road with just 32,597 miles on it. Since then, it's been used, enjoyed, shown at shows and in 2020-1 completely restored".

The Arna family deserves far more respect as an ambitious project that suffered from poor marketing in this country. As for B 317 EWB, David finds its most appealing aspect to be its rarity. "Of the four Cherry Europes left, mine is the only 1.2. The car needed saving, and I hope I've done it justice. It's just a great little car to drive, and it makes me smile every time I use it".

With Thanks To: David Roberts