The 1988 Nissan Cefiro A31 was offered as a sporty four-door saloon alternative to the Toyota Cresta and Chaser competitors. It shared many components with the Skyline (R31), Laurel (C31) and Leopard (F31) of a similar generation. The drivetrain and rear multi-link setup were shared with all four of them and the front strut-based suspension with the Laurel. If you squint your eyes, you will also conclude it shares its design with the beautifully styled 1988 Nissan Silvia S13.
So can we conclude the Nissan Cefiro A31 is just a Nissan Laurel C31 with a Silvia S13 nosejob? Perhaps it does. Judging from the various ads I found online it’s rather aimed towards the sportier image of the Silvia than the dull salaryman image of the Laurel. Most ads tend to highlight this. Most of them. Most of them except this one featuring a whale:
What the heck is that whale doing in the ad? It waves its tail above the surface on the left side of the screen and then the Cefiro drives off on the right. The whale makes a long and slow corkscrew splash at the bottom of the screen and then the Cefiro is shown at the top.
Why would Nissan decide to compare a sporty four-door saloon with a whale? A whale is basically seen as a big, clunky, slow and sluggish animal. Why wouldn’t they just use a more agile creature like a shark, manta ray or even a dolphin?
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