Today in Rare Rides, we’re keeping it brougham. Last time, we examined a grey Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia (as 1970s America addressed brougham).
Now, we check out a grey Nissan Gloria Brougham VIP, as 1990s Japan addressed brougham.
The historic Gloria nameplate started off as a luxury offering from Prince, all the way back in 1959. At that time Gloria was offered as a luxury-oriented version of the Prince Skyline. Once Nissan married into the family, Gloria took a new first name. In the early 1970s, the Gloria became a version of Nissan’s Cedric sedan. The family relationship stayed the same through the very end in 2004, which was coincidentally one of only two years you could buy a Gloria in North America. That’d be the short-lived Infiniti M45 of 2003-2004 (seen above).
Our subject today is the very JDM and very upright Y31 generation Gloria. This is the pillarless hardtop sedan version, which existed in this iteration between 1988 and 1991.
Of the seven different trim levels of the Gloria, Brougham VIP rests atop the price list. At the time, Nissan’s JDM lineup suffered from a lot of crowding. The major competitors to the Gloria were other versions of Nissan sedans — often built on the same platform. The Leopard, Cedric, Skyline, Cefiro, and Laurel were all similar sedans appealing to roughly the same customer.
It’s easy to see, however, that this particular Gloria trim was aimed squarely at the more conservative buyer. An interior of brown velour still wears its branded, protective doilies.
A power rear seat control for the split bench provides executives riding in the back with comfort options. Most surfaces are covered in power feature buttons, along with high-gloss wood trim.
In a unique design choice, the three-spoke wheel turns around a stationary center cluster. In what was likely a first-of moment, there was an optional integrated hands-free phone system available for the Gloria. Look at that!
Powering all of this luxury equipment is something familiar to the American Nissan enthusiast: a turbo VG30ET engine, similar to what you’d find in a Nissan 300ZX.
With about 37,000 miles on the odometer a less-than-perfect condition, this Gloria Brougham is available in the trendy city of Austin, Texas for $3,495. I would not, as the ad suggests, use it for rural postal carrier delivery. I might, however, drive it about town in a formal and dignified fashion while wearing a conservative, double-breasted suit.
H/t to commenter JohnTaurus for providing today’s Rare Rides subject. Have your own submission? Send it to editors@ttac.com
[Images via Nissan, seller]
Dem JDM doilies. Absolutely ubiquitous on grey-market JDM imports in Siberian Russia in the 90s-2000s.
I adore this thing, and I will point to the K900 Kia article and argue there are quite some parallels to be drawn. The Kia needs some brown velour and doilies though.
Minor correction Corey: I think this VG30DET is a single turbo like on the Z31 (not VG30DETT as seen on Z32 300ZX).
I’m trying to fix it, I know. I knew that while writing too – erroneous mention! As soon as I can get access to WP.
Trust me, I’ve given him plenty of crap about this error.
I KNEW IT EVEN WHILE TYPING IT
What is it about the Japanese, and curtains and doilies in vehicles? This thing just has doilies, but if it were a JDM van, it would have curtains, too. Toyota Estimas (Previas) imported into the US usually have them.
I’d heard from Russian sources (a used JDM car buyer’s guide published in the 90s for what its worth) that the white doilies were there in part to emphasize how clean the interior was. A white piece of cloth will obviously show dirt easily, so pristine white doilies = clean car! The guide also spends a lot of time on automatic transmissions and how to test them within the constraints of an auction yard. At the time the Russian masses knew only stick shifts from Ladas, Moskvitches and the like. Smooth shifting automatics were truly witchcraft.
I’d like to read their procedure on how to test automatics in the auction yard. Sure, you can go from Park to Reverse to Drive and back, etc., but that won’t tell you if the transmission slips, jerks, flares, etc. Information like that would be useful anywhere.
It was fairly generic stuff like watching for delays in engagement going between park/drive/reverse, checking fluid color, listening for any whining from the pump, etc. Wouldn’t necessarily tell you everything about a gearbox like flares and such, but might alert you to one that is totally a goner.
In other news:
https://portland.craigslist.org/yam/cto/6538199573.html
Those speakers in the doors – someone should die because of that.
Yummy.
The “doilies” are antimacassars, and date from the late Victorian practice of putting covers on the backs of furniture to prevent stains from hair dressing oils (macassar oil being a common one). In Japan, they became a standard decoration for more luxurious cars (you won’t typically see them on Skylines or Bluebirds, for example).
Yes, the twin-turbo was reserved for the Z32. The engine lineup for this generation included the RD28 diesel (for taxicab duty), base model VG20E (single cam 2-liter), VG20DET (twin cam turbo, about the same output as the VG30E), VG30E (single cam 3-liter, same as the ’80s 300ZX and Maxima), and the VG30ET (single-cam single turbo). The twin-cam VG30DE and VG30DET were reserved for the Cima (same chassis with different styling) and the Leopard.
Ah I knew I may have been missing something, and it was the “D” part of the engine code to differentiate SOHC and DOHC heads. Yesterday’s J30 had the naturally aspirated DOHC variant, for example. Mazda had a similar setup with their JE 3.0L V6, lesser 929s (and the MPV) got SOHC variants with 150hp, the 929 “S” got the DOHC 190-ish hp version.
Interesting to learn about the antimacassars as well.
If that Gloria-based M45 had been pillarless, it would have been absolute JDM perfection.
This earlier version isn’t bad, but despite their authenticity the embroidered seat covers have to go.
I’ve always liked the M45, even if the styling is a little weird. A big engine in a slightly smaller car; a Japanese hot rod. I always imagine them being driven by Yakuza, headed off to lean on people who’ve crossed their bosses.
I love that M45 as well. Its on my list lol.
Same here – M45s of that vintage are on my list as well. Love the styling.
This was right at the very end of the true hardtop sedan era in Japan. The Y31 Cedric/Gloria/Cima (87/88), U12 Bluebird (88), and C33 Laurel (89) were the last ones from Nissan.
That automatic shifter is triggering memories of the beater ’87 Stanza which was my ride in college car until my brother got in an accident with it. I remember it being an overdrive button that would stay lit when on.
This reminds me of the Cressida, which I always loved.
These cars and the Mark II/Cresta/Chaser/Cressida were direct competitors back in the homeland.
“Of the seven different trim levels of the Gloria, Brougham VIP rests atop the price list.”
Kinda the flipside of Dante’s circles of Hell. I like it.
Plus, with that flagpole on the left front fender, you can fly a flag and pretend you’re a third world dictator with an insatiable desire for JDM unicorn cars.
The “flagpole” is actually a retractable parking marker, so you can tell where the left front corner of the bumper is when parking in notoriously tight Japanese parking spaces.
Those flagpoles are popular in countries where the leader is known as “El Presidente”.
I want to add them to my Saturn.
Figured it was something like that, bumpy, but the romantic in me likes to think it would fly the Ugandan flag.
Considering how many Japanese cars have been exported to Africa over the years, one of them probably does.
I would like to have this car, and the asking price isn’t outrageous.
It is pretty nice from 20 feet away (probably needs some mechanical husbandry, though). There is also a pimptacular R31 Skyline on BringaTrailer:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1986-nissan-skyline-passage-gt/
You’re right, I’m sure it’s far from perfect, but at that price, it doesn’t need to be.
About three years ago I was in Taiwan and I am almost certain I saw these Glorias or Cedrics all over the place with LHD steering. I am not sure of the model year in the photo link below, but the Cedric/Gloria always came in two sedan body styles; sedan and hardtop, the latter being pillarless.
This is a Taiwanese Cedric/Gloria sedan. Notice the LHD steering wheel position.
https://farm9.static.flickr.com/8381/29053119503_028c554e3e_b.jpg
That one is actually a Y30, the early-mid ’80s generation preceding our subject car.
Many of the JDM RWD sedans at this time ended up being used then (and later) as mild rework/rebadge jobs by Korean manufacturers, who didn’t have the know-how to play in that arena.
So they take a Gloria and swap some bumpers or something, make it LHD, and sell it places where Nissan doesn’t sell the Gloria.
Kia Enterprise is a good example which comes to mind. A rework of the final generation Mazda Sentia – which was also sold as the 929. Another frameless hardtop.
Corey,
Great information. I had to google the Mazda Sentra/929 – not a bad-looking ride.
Bumpy,
Thank you for clearing that up.
That brown velour interior is what a white one would look like if my Uncle Carl owned that vehicle for a couple of years. Carl smoked in his cars, his house, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he smoked in the shower. Old Gold kings were his cancer sticks of choice. Carl bought a new car every two years like clockwork and then traded them in, I pity the sucker who bought them. There’s no way that smell came out of those cars, you’d could cure a ham in the backseat when he was driving. He smoked with the windows rolled up in the cold weather, it looked like the car was on fire when he opened the doors. Those brown seats remind me of him. The cigs didn’t kill him btw, an Ithaca 12-gauge did, he was shot in a hunting accident back in ‘78.
Are you trying to channel CrabSpirits?
Great interior design. I just wanna push all the buttons…
Absolutely! A lot of idle time in my childhood was spent poking around our family’s 80s-90s Hondas and Mazdas. My older brother the analytic would sit and read the entire manual, I just wanted to press everything and feel how the buttons felt. I’m this goes a long way towards explaining my gravitation towards these sorts of vehicles. I have a hard time getting excited about modern touch screens and interior design. But show me a manual equalizer on an old stereo and a tidy digital clock in the dash, now we’re talking!
Toyota called, they want the tooling to their Cressida back. The rear view in particular is 100 per cent Cressida. I do love all these Salary-man cars though, no matter which manufacturer.
“I do love all these Salary-man cars though, no matter which manufacturer.”
Amen!
84′ Nissan Leopard ad:
youtu.be/JqfiShbQiAY
My first suit is double-breasted, I still have it somewhere in my closet. I’m waiting for it to be fashionable again before I gain that middle age belly.
I hope its sharkskin Andy Garcia style in Black Rain