Year of Nissan Cedric

The Nissan Cedric (Japanese: 日産・セドリック) is a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family. In later years, the Nissan Skyline was positioned as a sports sedan/ coupe, whereas the Nissan Gloria was turned into a sporty version of the Cedric (with identical styling but using a different radiator grille and front & rear light clusters). In Japan, the Cedric/ Gloria series was affectionately called Cedglo, and this long running series finally came to an end in October 2004, replaced by the Nissan Fuga. The Cedric name is still in use though, on the Y31 fleet vehicle, updated in 2005 and still in production. Throughout the many versions of the Cedric, it was always considered to be the prime competitor to the Toyota Crown. The hood ornament was inspired by the diamond pattern used by Lincoln but was changed to two right angles set next to each other.

According to Japanese Wikipedia, the Cedric name was inspired by the main character, Cedric, in Francis Hodgson Burnett's novel "Little Lord Fauntleroy" by the Nissan CEO at the time Katsuzi Kawamata.

The first Cedric was the "30" series, introduced in April 1960 and produced through 1961. It used a 1.5L (1488cc) G-series I4 engine which produced 71hp (53kW). The 1.9L (1883cc) H-series with 95hp (71kW), a 2.8 L K series Straight 6 producing 115PS and a 2.0 L SD20 Straight 4 diesel were optional. A 4-speed manual transmission with the top three gears synchronized was standard, and a 3 speed automatic transmission, sourced from Borg Warner was offered in July 1964. The first Cedric featured two stacked headlights on either side of a large grille. The Cedric replaced the Austin A50 Nissan was building under license. The Cedric was introduced with a wrap-around front windshield. The Cedric also introduced Nissan's first monocoque body. April 1962 saw the introduction of a station wagon/ van, able to seat 8 people.

The "31" series was produced for 1962 and 1965. The quad headlights were now mounted horizontally, but the same engines were used. The Cedric was updated in 1964 with a new dashboard, an alternator rather than a generator, and a new starter system. A new grille was adopted for 1965.

The Cedric Special, produced from 1965 to 1971, was a long wheelbase version with extra chrome and other luxury additions. The Cedric Special became the Nissan President, being Nissan's only full size sedan with a V8 engine. The N71 3 speed automatic transmission was introduced in this vehicle. The front suspension used double wishbone and coil springs architecture, with semi-elliptical leaf springs and a live axle for the rear suspension.

The first Nissan Y40 V8 engine was also introduced in this vehicle.

Produced from 1965 through 1971, the P130 Cedric had fashionable Pininfarina bodywork and several new engine options.