What you see here has literally nothing to do with Japan’s freshest tuning brand, except for being Ueta-san’s new daily driver. It seems the man behind BenSopra craved a little character from the car he spends most of his time in and believe it or not this P130 Nissan Cedric has replaced a very luxurious 7-series BMW. When asked why he made the rather surprising choice, he simply replied “because its cooler.” Now I don’t know about you, but I personally can’t argue with that!
This late sixties Nissan might not be the most revered of vintage Japanese cars, but like a lot of older rides it is quickly gaining popularity in the world of customs.
Which is why Ueta decided to go for it. The idea was never to go crazy or really wild on it, but rather create a decent car for the road with reliability and style being the most important aspects.
Ueta was lucky to find a “Special Six” in great condition to base the project on, not requiring any sort of restoration.
The Cedric still proudly wears the original black paint and even the chrome bumpers and most of the trim came out looking pretty good after a little polishing. The latest additions are the Speedhunters stickers on the rear windows, something Ueta stuck on as soon as I handed them to him. Thanks!
No modifications have been made to the body, as Ueta says it doesn’t need it…
…sticking to those original angular lines that made the Cedric stand out all those decades back.
5-spoke SSR Longchamp XR4 where the wheels of choice, measuring 7J by 14″ and shod in Bridgestone radials, 165/55 all around.
Ueta hasn’t gone for aggressive fitment, but rather and easy to live with classic look. The lowered ride height has been achieved by shortening the front coils and turning the rear leaf springs upside down, the dampers remaining the stock – albeit refreshed – units.
Under the hood is where you find Nisan’s L20 straight six engine…
…freshly rebuilt by BenSopra’s chief mechanic and given a very authentic factory feel.
In fact, aside from the more performance oriented and sound enhancing exhaust system…
…everything is completely stock. This includes the freshly painted air box, an unmistakable part so common on Nissan of that period. The 2-liter in-line-six develops around 125 HP and apparently returns decent fuel consumption…well, better than a V8-powered 2-ton 7-series that’s for sure!
Inside the stock seats have been temporarily covered until Ueta decides what to do. He has thrown on an oldschool Nardi steering wheel as the stock one was far too big, now giving better access to the column shifter, which actuates the 4-speed manual transmission.
Ueta’s Cedric was a refreshing look at how some people approach the whole daily-driver dilemma. Dropping a top of the line modern car for a 40+ year old classic may not be for everyone, but if you value riding in style more than anything else, well the choice might be easier than we may think.
BenSopra related posts on Speedhunters
-Dino Dalle Carbonare
Photo By Dino Dalle Carbonare
Photo By Dino Dalle Carbonare
Photo By Dino Dalle Carbonare
Photo By Dino Dalle Carbonare
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“because its cooler.” the same reason i plan on selling my 5 year old car and "downgrading" to a 30 year old corolla, awesome car
Considering what it costs to keep a 7-series on the road for a year, I would drive a 40+ year old Nissan too!
what year model is this?
Thanks for the spotlight on this car! Of the sedans of this era, I personally prefer the Cedric over the more popular Gloria and Crown. If only they were a little bigger...
The song Common People by Pulp comes to mind.
I would fit some old Recaro bucketseats, a 4 point rollcage, an RB25DET with a huge intercooler and some wing mirrors. Cool car.
@greenroadster And by that you would have ruined everything this car is about.
Period correct and looking well looked after. Nice car.
I'm really glad he is taking his time with seating - it can make or break a car a lot of the time.
@777 Upgrading*
cool to see a "slightly" modded classic. sometimes a drop, a little stancing, and a little bit louder pipes is all a car needs to be dope.
This is what taste looks like.
ps. Dino you threw that shot of the "cedric" badge in there just for me right?
@S30z @777 retrograding
EPIC! I love the 130 shape... I've got a 230 Cedric myself, modified in a strikingly similar fashion! Love seeing some appreciation for the Japanese classics.
haha my daily 230 Cedric is a little more extreme than this one, but I totally rate it.
@tomok Gloria was still Prince when this car was made, but when Nissan & Prince combined, the Gloria and Cedric were the same bodyshape for a couple of models (like, 10 years or more). I think the main appeal of the Gloria is normally better trim & option of pillarless.
Beautiful P130 Japanese Classic ! Look inside the driver for this woman photo uncensored!
@jmath93 1970-1973 Datsun -Nissan P130
You don't really have a imagination, don't you?
You don't really have a imagination, don't you?
Glad to see that I am not the only person out there daily driving a car from the 1970's! Old cars are just better, in every way! Nice looking P130...
Glad to see that I am not the only person out there daily driving a car from the 1970's! Old cars are just better, in every way! Nice looking P130...
I was comparing the popularity of the last Prince Gloria ('67-'71, A30, stacked headlights) and the old Toyopet Crowns ('62-'71, #S4, #S5) with these 130 Cedrics. The '60s style boxy sedans. The former both have dedicated owner clubs and events, but not the 130 Cedric. As you wrote, after Prince was absorbed by Nissan, the Gloria and Cedric became sister models; only minor cosmetic differences. Same car sold through different dealer networks. That relationship continued until the end of the pair, in 2004. NIssan was a bigger company than Prince, but it feels like there are more A30 Prince Glorias still on the road than 130 Nissan Cedrics.
@tomok Ah yes, most people generalise about the later models rather than the early ones; refreshing to hear someone talk about the chrome bumper cars enthusiastically. From what I've seen on the internet, the A30 definitely seems to be a more popular and more desirable car. We never got them in Australia, but we do have the 130s, 230s and 330s, and the very occasional 2nd generation Gloria (pre-A30). All gorgeous cars
@greenroadster lol it's not about him not having an imagination. There is a certain niceness of having the original little six, the bench seat and all that shit.
Very cool! Classic, clean, simple, reliable, and much cooler than a new car for sure!
@greenroadster Oh, and you forgot lower offset wheels and bosozoku pipes...NOT. Leave the classic alone, rice out your "drift car" instead.
@Censport Yeah, newer Bimmers are money pits.
“because its cooler.” LOL personally can't argue with that either
I like the pic next to steering wheel LOL
Its not a P130, its a H or G 130. The P130 was the pre-facelift version.