MEET THE OWNER – ANDREW HULL AND HIS 1977 DATSUN 200L LAUREL

For too many years, the classic car press in this country tended to overlook Japanese saloons, but today their following is justifiably numerous. After all, who could resist a Datsun such as Andrew Hull’s 1977 200L, with its metallic paint finish, black vinyl roof and distinctively aggressive grille?

Nissan introduced the Laurel in 1968 to bridge the gap between the Bluebird and the Cedric. The C130, with its distinctive ‘Coke Bottle’ styling, replaced the original C30 in 1972. A 2.6-litre six-cylinder engine became available in late 1973, the same year that official UK imports commenced as the ‘Datsun Laurel 200L’. On paper, it appeared a viable alternative to the Ford Consul 2000L and the Vauxhall Victor 1800 FE, but sales remained slow despite an elaborate facelift in 1974.

Autocar tested the Laurel in 1,998cc ‘six’ form in 1976 and praised the automatic transmission and the performance. However, they did find the ride below average and the handling safe rather than inspiring. Still, at £2,890, the Datsun was nearly £600 cheaper than a Granada 2000GL yet boasted tinted glass and a radio/stereo cassette player. The test concluded, “As an exercise in sheer value for money and competent, if uninspiring, engineering, it takes a lot of beating”.

Such a combination of attributes should have meant the 200L appealed to conservative-minded private and fleet buyers alike. But, despite Datsun becoming one of the nation’s most famous foreign car marques since their UK operations began in 1968, the larger saloons were more frequently seen in dealerships than in office car parks. As with the larger Datsun 280C and the Toyota Crown, they were possibly too Pan-Pacific to appeal to the average British middle manager. By the late 1980s, the 200L was already an unusual sight, a victim to poor sales, corrosion and banger racing.

And this means that Andrew’s Datsun is a very exclusive machine. In his words:

I acquired the Laurel about two and a half years ago – and up until about six weeks ago, it hadn’t been on the road since 2010. I’ve got the original receipt from when it was new and the import license from Japan. I also have all the MOTs and service history from new, and a lot of other receipts from work carried out on the car over the years. It drives really well, and I’ve only done about 120 miles since getting back on the road. In fact, it has only covered 38,000 from new, so I’m in a dilemma at the moment – I cannot decide whether to use it and put on miles or just take it to car shows.

In fact, at its first event, the Datsun won ‘Best Car in Show’ – a prize it wholly deserved, not least because of its sheer style. And did we mention that radiator grille?

With Thanks To – Andrew Hull