Cedric's Scandinavian adventure

Here's a first for this blog, as I've been asked by someone else to write about their experiences with classic cars. This is such an epic adventure that there was no way I could say no when my friend James asked me to feature his Scandinavian road trip bringing home a rare Nissan he had just bought in Finland of all places. He spent a whole week on the road just doing his own thing, clocking up the miles and living his dream, so read on to find out how this adventure of a lifetime came about...

What a thing of beauty! I bet many of you have never seen one of these.

James had long harboured a desire to own a classic Japanese estate and now he's made that dream come true in style. He wasn't even looking for a Nissan Cedric as he didn't think any still existed, but then this vision in gold appeared on the Finnish equivalent of eBay. Item location: Kesälahti, in eastern Finland close to the Russian border, a mere 2000 miles from his home in Birmingham. He could have had it shipped to the UK but where's the fun in that? No, James was going to drive his new purchase all the way home, a week-long road trip through five countries in the middle of winter, in a car that's almost 50 years old!

A very happy man, 2000 miles from home with just a 48-year old car to get him there

The car in question is a 1969 Nissan Cedric 2000 Custom Six Station Wagon from the 130 series, believed to be one of only four survivors in Europe. The Cedric range of that era included a bewildering array of models and this version of the estate was sold in the UK as the Datsun 2000 but only in small numbers, so it's now forgotten and almost extinct and I don't think I've ever seen one. This particular car still looks pretty standard but under the skin its Finnish owner had upgraded it with the bigger engine from a 260Z, an automatic gearbox, power steering and disc brakes, making the perfect long-distance cruiser for a trip like this.

A Nissan in the heart of Volvo country

James's other passion is Lego so the route home through Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands was devised to visit as many Lego stores as possible, along with the Volvo Museum in Gothenburg so the Swedes could see that estate cars didn't have to be boxes on wheels. You might think doing such a marathon road trip in a 48-year old car you've only just bought is asking for trouble, but you'll be disappointed if you wanted a tale of constant breakdowns and inventive repairs - the worst thing that happened was a hubcap falling off. The only problem was trying to stow the Lego in an already very full Cedric as the seller had packed the boot with a huge stash of spare parts, none of which were needed on the journey home but they're invaluable to have for the future.

Plenty of rare spares and not much room for Lego shopping

So, a week, 2000 miles and five countries after setting off, Cedric touched down in the UK in snowy conditions reminiscent of his native Finland. It was an uneventful drive to Birmingham but there wasn't much time to settle in to his new home as Cedric was on the road again the very next morning, destination Cannock car auctions. Don't worry, this isn't one of those stories where someone imports a rare car just to sell it on - Cedric was going to be the star of the Autoshite Christmas gathering and both the car and his intrepid new owner were much admired by all. He is James's dream car and has already made some amazing memories so he definitely isn't for sale at any price.

That hubcap made a bid for freedom but nothing else bad happened

That's a brief and highly condensed summary of the amazing story of how James bought his dream car and had the road trip of a lifetime. Some might say he was crazy to even consider doing such a thing, but nothing went wrong and he has fulfilled his wish for a Japanese estate in so much more style than just buying one in the UK or having it shipped here. He already plans to bring Cedric to several events next year so hopefully I'll soon get the chance to see this well-travelled car in the flesh, and maybe one day I'll be able to do my own road trip like this. For more about Cedric and James's other automotive adventures, be sure to check out his YouTube channel.   

Home and dry, Cedric's first stop on UK soil

All photos copyright James Railton.