Noel Tidybeard Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 looking at the pic of the blue 180b i saw FFJ and thoughy i know that reg! sure enough a quick trawl through an npoc post confirmed my thinking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Is it possible EEL the 240k appeared in top gear magazine in 1995? It was an issue all about bangers/cheap cars. 4 of the team had £500 to buy a car and they variously ended up with a cx, wokseley, volvo 265 and a fiat uno. The reg rings a bell- I think it was viewed with a view to purchasing but can't be 100% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadworkUK Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Is it possible EEL the 240k appeared in top gear magazine in 1995? It was an issue all about bangers/cheap cars. 4 of the team had £500 to buy a car and they variously ended up with a cx, wokseley, volvo 265 and a fiat uno. The reg rings a bell- I think it was viewed with a view to purchasing but can't be 100% July '95, issue 22. I have it somewhere in the attic. It's the issue in which they printed a letter In which I discussed painting my bedroom in BL Champagne. I was not awarded the star letter prize. SL: You never told me you had a 300C estate. What a glorious machine. Or Cedricus, as it were. Angrydicky, wuvvum, Skizzer and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seth Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 A few of those photos seem vaguely familiar but nice to see this progression through the ages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datsuncog Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Is it possible EEL the 240k appeared in top gear magazine in 1995? It was an issue all about bangers/cheap cars. 4 of the team had £500 to buy a car and they variously ended up with a cx, wokseley, volvo 265 and a fiat uno. The reg rings a bell- I think it was viewed with a view to purchasing but can't be 100%Just had a quick look there - the Skyline in that issue was HMJ500V, unfortunately. That's the only issue of Top Gear mag I kept! HMC, Spottedlaurel and fordperv 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 ^ I really liked that issue too. IIRC you could win a Morris marina. I really wanted to win it (I was 15 at the time) Datsuncog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datsuncog Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 ^ I really liked that issue too. IIRC you could win a Morris marina. I really wanted to win it (I was 15 at the time)Snap! Also fifteen at the time, also desperate for a car (and very very taken with that Marina Coupe prize - DUR509K). I didn't win, tragically. HMC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigger Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 I've got that issue of TP on the garage, Top Gear magazines were real quality back in its early days, I was a massive fan of them. This is a awesome thread Nigel, it's pornographic seeing all those Essex and Suffolk number plates! Obviously you peaked with the Acclaim but it's nice to see that it didn't put you off more inferior cars Datsuncog, Joey spud and HMC 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spottedlaurel Posted March 5, 2018 Author Share Posted March 5, 2018 Great to see that other 240K, it's not an article I've seen before. DVLA says it lasted until 2000, not bad going (unless that's when its last SORN expired?). I have pic's of the 'FFJ' 180B from before Will did all the work on it, it was just a typical example near the end of its life. And sorry Seth, as one of the old boys on here you may well have seen some of these photos before....... SL: You never told me you had a 300C estate. What a glorious machine. Or Cedricus, as it were. More of that sort of thing to come....... After a year with the 300C estate this Laurel became available and I couldn't resist it for £200: 1976 Datsun Laurel 200L 'Six' (C130) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1976 Datsun 200L (C130) c.2000 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr I bought it without an MoT but I don't recall any significant issue getting it through. These things are very low-tech with a solid rear axle on car springs, carb-fed engine and no PAS or anything. Really nice drive though, the baby 2-litre '6' is a low capacity version of the 240Z etc engine and it revved really well, so the lack of 5th gear was no hardship. Dream Datsun Driveway? c.2000 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr It'd been owned for many years by a chap who operated several launderettes around Ipswich - I'd seen it in town once or twice and viewed it when it was for sale in 1995 (but he wanted more than I could afford). 1976 Datsun Laurel 200L 'Six' (C130) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Fantastic rear light arrangement. Datsun Laurel (C130) Boltons of Ipswich ad 1976/77 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Datsun Laurel (C130) Boltons site 2001 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Recreated this shot at Boltons Garage where mine was sold new. Other Laurels started appearing....... 1983 Datsun Laurel 2.4 (C31) c.2000 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr This one had been owned by the father of a former colleague. I'm not so enthusiastic about this model, with slightly plain styling looking a bit like a big Sunny, so I just took what I could off it, sold the spare pair of wings which were in the boot and scrapped it. 1979 Datsun Laurel 240L (C230) c. 2000 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Then I got a call about this one. Another Ipswich car, being sold by the widow of the chap who'd owned it from new. It had languished in a car port for some years but cleaned-up nicely and was pretty solid. However, with the 240K and older Laurel on the road it just sat on my driveway for a while. Datsun Laurel pair: 1976 200L + 1979 240L by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr It cost me £100, which seemed a lot for a non-MoTed example back then. I'd befriended some local banger racers and this was the first of a number of cars they helped me collect (without HIAB assistance). Another year rolled by and I fancied a change again. Datman had got hold of a damaged 300C saloon, and luckily my racing friend had got one he was due to build. I stripped it for him and swapped the panels that I needed, giving it an almost invisible repair: 1986 Nissan 300C 4dr (Y30) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr I swapped my pair of Laurels with Datman for it. This thing was a hoot to drive, it had the same 3-litre V6 as the estate but with a 4-speed auto 'box. Steering and handling not great, but that added to its appeal. Even comparing it to the Laurels, let alone smaller stuff, there was a real sense of big car occasion about driving it. I liked it so much I part-ex'd it for another one, in better condition: 1986 Nissan 300C (Y30) x2 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1986 Nissan 300C (Y30) x2 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Within days of getting the new one the exhaust went and I had to splash out on a full stainless steel Powerflow system (cheaper than the standard one, and something I've had to do several times on my stuff over the years). I can't remember why I eventually sold this one, a lot of cars (and our first child) were coming and going at this time. I ended up buying it back from the subsequent owner and then I sold it complete with a spare engine to someone in Norway. 1986 Nissan 300C 4dr (Y30) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr The first saloon ended up like this. 1989 Mazda 323F GT by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr In the meantime Mrs SL's Acclaim had been replaced by this G-reg 323 GT. What a great car, we both really liked this one. Nigh-on 140bhp made it usefully quick, but sadly it wasn't well-suited to family use so we got the Carina E instead for sensible stuff and I used the Mazda for a bit. The H-reg one was purchased for £50 when I needed a replacement radiator. 1996 Toyota Carina E 1.8CD by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr The Toyota stayed with us for quite a few years and was then donated to father-in-law. As you may recall, he stopped driving it only last year and after trying to sell it here it went for export. I can't remember the order but various other small cars came and went: 1977 Datsun 100A FII estate (F10) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1974 Datsun 100A 4dr (E10) in 2001 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1978 Datsun 100A FII Estate (F10) c.2001/02 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Happily the last one is still around. More to follow at some point soon. Skizzer, RoadworkUK, trigger and 21 others 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthecapriman Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 I’m loving this, so please keep the pics coming. A few of these old beauties really were rather ripe weren’t they! The Japs didn’t half know how to build a good looking and reliable well made car back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercrocker Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Superb thread, SL....I have never been a Jap-licker but most of my L-plate days were spent in a driving school 120Y and my Grandfather's brand new 160B which he put me on insurance for at 17 with a provisional! Kind of regret that I missed the cheap affordable years of big Dats - I should have tried one in my Granada decade! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadworkUK Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 The 300C is peak Japanese car for me. That era is the focus of my JDM brochure collecting. It's just a shame that picking them up is on the costly side. BorniteIdentity and HMC 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Bell Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Solid gold ten star thread. Will read again when drooling subsides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlosfandango Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Really great thread, thanks for putting the effort in compiling it. CFD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2_craig Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 Loving this, SL!! Those matching 323s brought back some fond memories of forum early days. Split_Pin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 Often the background happenings are just as interesting as the main subjects of the pic. This one is fascinating.......https://flic.kr/p/6PTZeT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datsuncog Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 This is a fantastic thread! Cracking photos, fascinating backstories, and plenty of lust being generated... having only been familiar with many of the big 70's Datsuns through the smudgy thumbnail pics from Graham Robson's "A-Z of Cars of the 1970s", I can confirm that my levels of want for a C130 Laurel have just gone off the scale... Echoing the sentiments above, thanks for taking the time to put all this together - it's very much appreciated! Split_Pin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlo Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 I love those Datsun 240Ks, dad had one briefly in the eighties when he was trading all sorts of interesting European/Japanese stuff. I did a thread about it many moons ago. Skizzer, danthecapriman, Angrydicky and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorniteIdentity Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 I love those Datsun 240Ks, dad had one briefly in the eighties when he was trading all sorts of interesting European/Japanese stuff. I did a thread about it many moons ago. C0015.jpg C0005.jpgThat'd look great outside of my 70s bungalow. What a car! I imagine these cost the earth now - from Malta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belfast Gipsy Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 What a brilliant thread - right up my street as a Jap gatherer and the right era too. Congratulations on having chronicled them so meticulously - please keep them coming right up to the more modern Toyotas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flat4alfa Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 I thought by the title this was thread about open top Mercedeses Not disappointed though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-T Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 Loving this thread, I'd forgotten just how many variations of 70s/80s Datsuns there were, I think I'm seeing some for the 1st time. Please continue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigger Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 That P reg 200L really is a magnificent looking car, I'd love to own something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.welfare Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 We've not had the Starsky & Hutch Cherry yet have we? Also, you've appeared to not have aged a bit you jammy sod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LessThanEqual Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 Circa 2016 ProgRocker, Spottedlaurel, mercrocker and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tadhg Tiogar Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 ....The Japs didn’t half know how to build a good looking and reliable well made car back then. ....and that's how they sounded the death knell for British carmaking. Reasonably cheap, yet reliable. Production not prone to awkward squad / industrial action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlo Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 I wonder if it was you Spottedlaurel who bought a silver 300C saloon off me around 1999/2000? I'd bought one very cheap off the Peugeot dealership I worked for, smoked around in it for a few weeks then sold it to someone who I remember loved them and had at least one other. I lived in Harefield, Middx at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProgRocker Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 Very impressive, SL. The styling of the 1973 Violet 140J looks bang on! Can't recall ever seeing one on the roads. I used to see a 300C (Cedric?) estate like that parked outside a council house in Norwich in the 1990s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spottedlaurel Posted March 7, 2018 Author Share Posted March 7, 2018 Thanks everyone, your comments and interest are appreciated. This is a bit self-indulgent..... I love those Datsun 240Ks, dad had one briefly in the eighties when he was trading all sorts of interesting European/Japanese stuff. I did a thread about it many moons ago. Aha, that's solved a mystery. I had the photos saved on my PC and now I know where they're from. Those 240Ks are popular with Kuwaitis, my pockets wouldn't be deep enough to own one nowadays which is why it's a shame I let that solid yellow one go. There again, if I had that I probably wouldn't have gone through one or two other cars and ended up with what I have now. I wonder if it was you Spottedlaurel who bought a silver 300C saloon off me around 1999/2000? I'd bought one very cheap off the Peugeot dealership I worked for, smoked around in it for a few weeks then sold it to someone who I remember loved them and had at least one other. I lived in Harefield, Middx at the time. Not I, but maybe someone within the Datsun OC? Even though they weren't particularly old back then they were beginning to be appreciated. We've not had the Starsky & Hutch Cherry yet have we? Also, you've appeared to not have aged a bit you jammy sod. No, and thanks A few more: 1979 Datsun 240K GT C210 (pic'd in 2000) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Should've added this local 240K to my collection, but the owner refused my generous offer of £10....... 2002 was a particularly fruitful year. Despite it being the year we got married and I had more than enough things to spend my time and money on, quite a few cars came and went. I was in the fortunate position of living in an ex-council house which didn't cost us too much and had plenty of space around it (along with non-complaining neighbours), and no children back then either. I think this one will be familiar to a few of you: 1989 Nissan Skyline 3.0SGL (R31, SA) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Found in a Colchester scrapyard when I was filling time whilst Mrs SL-to-be was trying on wedding dresses. 1989 Nissan Skyline 3.0SGL + Transit recovery truck by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr For some reason I collected this one myself, I think the banger racers were busy that weekend (Swaffham Icebreaker maybe?). 1989 Nissan Skyline 3.0SGL (R31, SA) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1989 Nissan Skyline 3.0SGL (R31, SA) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Cost me £150, which seemed a bit much but the 3-litre RB engine would probably have sold for more as it could be used as the basis for a big-capacity GT-R upgrade. South African spec with lots of toys inside. I didn't get it on the road myself but it went to my friend in Holland after he'd replaced the water pump and done a bit of work on it here. I think he still has it, if so it's in the best possible hands. 1972 Vauxhall Victor FE, Autobreak 2002 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr The yard offered me this for £100, but back then it would have been a bit of a liability and despite the FE being a model I'm very fond of I doubt I'd have done anything with it. 1985 Nissan Laurel 2.4SGL (C32) c.2002 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Another of the local banger racer/exporter boys tipped me off about this one. I ended up buying it for £50 off a council estate in Norwich, where it had shared an overgrown front garden with a Bedford CF ambulance. It was tidy enough, Ratdat ended up having it off me and found a buyer for it up his way. When we went to collect it my friend bought a Sunny from around the corner for £300 that we happened to see, so it was a good evening for liberating older Japanese stuff. I got a call from someone near Colchester offering this oddity: 1992 Nissan Cedric 3.0 Y31 (2002) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Looks interesting. 1992 Nissan Cedric 3.0 Y31 (2002) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Oh. I think it was rear-ended by a truck on the M11. Still drove very nicely, had some great features on it and certainly didn't deserve to be scrapped/raced. The boot floor was completely intact, as it was hit high-up all the damage was confined to softer panels. I got given it for free and just had to pay fuel for the truck to collect it. I thought it would be interesting to get an estate/hearse-type rear end cobbled-up for it, using some other big estate as a donor. As a genuine exclusive to this thread, here is my design: The reality is that I kept it on the driveway, enjoyed starting it up every so often then sold it for £50 to a Cedric enthusiast up north. He got it back on the road with a degree of ingenuity..... The result of all this was that sitting on my driveway when we got back from honeymoon I had all of this lot: My Cars Sept 2002 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Apologies for the rubbish scan which I must re-do one day. All of these cars were V- or straight-6, and around the back of the house I had a couple of the 240K spares cars pictured earlier on. It may never get this good again? Just noticed that my neighbour had a silver Audi coupe on his driveway. I recall that he bought this one as a spares car for the black one that'd been in his family for some years (can just be seen right at the back). Happy days. That's 2002 out of the way. I need to have a bit of a think about 2003 and beyond, I think it was a bit of a quiet one car-wise - we had our first child, built an extension on the house and at work I designed and drew-up in great detail a new £1.3m Toyota showroom so other things were occupying me. This one made a brief appearance on the driveway however: 1986/87 Ford Sierra XR4x4 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr My mum and stepdad had owned it some 10+ years previously then bought it back for its registration (which they still put on their cars to this day). My banger racing friend bought it and had it on the road for a bit. I used to enjoy driving it around every so often, had a solid, gutsy feel which I imagine to be quite at odds with normal Sierras. Forgot about this one from the mid '90s, which I suppose qualifies as my first Toyota although I don't recall if it got put in my name: 1980 Toyota Celica 1600ST c.1994/95 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Bought for spares, all I had off it were the slotmags (traded with a local Datsun owner). A Toyota friend had a few bits in exchange for some Datsun parts which sold on at a useful profit. I'd always rather liked this generation of Celica as a 2dr but this one wasn't worth bothering with. sporty-shite, Datsuncog, trigger and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spottedlaurel Posted March 7, 2018 Author Share Posted March 7, 2018 I thought by the title this was thread about open top Mercedeses Not disappointed though Could also be 1960s/70s Vauxhall trim levels? The styling of the 1973 Violet 140J looks bang on! Can't recall ever seeing one on the roads. I don't remember many, but there was one I distinctly recall in 1986/87. It was in excellent condition and would have been no more than 10-12 years old yet it really stood out amongst the Sierras, Maestros and the like of the day with their integral colour-coded bumpers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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