It was excellent spending the day with you for this video Jonny. For those interested I will be doing more videos on my channel covering the (hopeful) restoration of the Primera.
Hi Neil . Bung it in for an MOT If you haven't already . They were very well built so l don't for see any structural corrosion problems I bought a write off diesel (not recorded ) in '92 the road holding was phenominal and it would happily cruise at a ton + , normally aspirated as well ! Good luck !
It would have been so easy to dismiss this as not old enough, not premium enough, not heritage enough, not rare enough, or not pretty enough to merit interest. And instead you went the opposite direction and got a racer and one of the engineers who worked on it to appear in cut aways. I mean, who does that?? Absolutely brilliant. The best automotive content on any platform is right here.
97 Primera owner here. 337.000 miles and still going strong. Inherited the car from my grandfather who bought it brand new in 97. Primeras are highly underrated cars
Mid-90s to mid-00s was peak-car imo! They were refined enough while maintaining an element of maintainability. They were big enough without the bulbous bloating of the modern age. Love this era of cars!
Absolutely! The way this car turned over on the first twist of the ignition just shows the reliability. I'm looking at a few early 2000s cars as a 3rd car/project/fun. Precisely for all the reasons you said. Anything after about 2007-8 just gets into an era of poor build quality, questionable engineering and environmental decisions and more difficult to work on.
@@mattkinsella9856 I still daily my mk1 Seat Leon Cupra. Tunable 1.8 turbo engine, loads of mods available, can pick up the 180bhp version for less than a grand. £300 gets you a stage one map, 210bhp and makes for a fun cheap car.
Whenever I see cars of this era on the road, it makes me remember the times when cars were car-shaped and weren't covered in a million unnecessary styling details. Cars that didn't have voice-activated sun visors and gesture-controlled door handles that fail and cost £8,000 to repair. This is why my daily driver is a Mk1 Focus (until it fails its MoT test in four days' time, at which point my 2005 Renault Grand Scenic is going to have to take over).
A true testament to late 90s Japanese engineering. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Suzuki etc. All of them made great cars. I'm glad I still have my 1998 UK Honda Integra Type R (owned since 2007).
Jonny's history intro, and the clips with Matt Neal and David Twohig made this the best Barn Find Episode ever. The fact that just ran and drove with no problems is of course exactly what you would expect from an old Nissan!
Where are my PlayStation TOCA Touring Car Championships brothers and sisters at? As well as being a great game, I didn’t realize at the time what a great car education games like these gave to me.
Many an hour spent on the PS playing TOCA. The same can be said for Gran Turismo 1/2, a significant portion of what I know about obscure 90s Japanese cars came from scouring the dealership descriptions in those games.
I loved it and what a surprise the first time I played TOCA2 on my PC to hear Tiff Needell narrating! Funnily I have the theme music uploaded to my channel for anyone who wants to nostalgise (if that's even a word)
I played a fair bit of TOCA 2. Japanese cars are so common here in NZ though, especially in the 90's. I would have assumed a Primera was just another Nissan.
As a huge nissan,btcc enthusiast and owner, to me this was the best barn find video. I absolutely loved these, such a slept on car and can't wait to see the progress 😎
The late 90’s was THE era for all great cars. Modern enough to start on a cold day but retro to still be endlessly cool. This is a sweet (sweet) spot for barn finds and has probably made a load of people realise that their car in the garage is probably more special than they think!
Now, that's what it's all about- a guy who loves his car. Never mind what it is, it's what it means to him, and that came over in a great video. Also enjoyed Matt and David's contributions. Great stuff everyone! 👏
Nice looking car, the 90s was the peak of automotive technology in my opinion, there has been some great cars since then but for me it's the balance of enough tech to feel like a modern car without too much stuff to go wrong and interfere with the driving experience
To me this is a prime example of why the late brake show is soooo popular as this particular video has a number of factors that any other channel would fall short on. The first being an interesting young-young timer classic that most would overlook. Secondly Jonny’s connections to the motor industry, bringing us insight from not one but two intrinsically important people to this car. The first of those being an actual designer on the project and the second the legend that really thrust this car into the limelight. We would not get this rich and important content from any other barn-finder. As always I’m loving your work Johnny, Cheers.👌
What an absolute legend Johnny! It was so nice to be able to include some insight from Matt and David who both had such a personal connection to the Primera.
I had a silver P11 Primera 1.6SX from new in 1998. What a superb car. Revvy engine, great chassis and steering. Drove way better than a repmobile had any right too. Bullet proof too. I smiled when the GT fired up and drove relatively easily. I would Have loved the GT, but my company wouldn't let me. Great episode. Thanks Johnny!
Back in the mid 90s I had to borrow a colleague's Primera to shuttle between Stoke and Derby on the A50. It was such a great car. So comfy and with the sweetest gear change. Loved it.
My dad had a Primera SE. First time i got to drive it was Heathrow to Essex. I was gobsmacked at how it handled and how smooth it was. Fantastic car. So agile. The Mondeo always got so much praise about its road manners. The Mondeo wasn’t a patch on the Primera. Great video.
Back in the mid 90's I used to work for a company that produced engine parts for the Primera assembly plant at Sunderland. I remember we used to comment about how over engineered the components seemed to be in comparison with the parts we supplied to other manufacturers. I knew the barn find car would run as soon as I saw it was a Primera. My girlfriend had a Primera Si as a company car and I bought a black Primera GT as my own personal car. Great handling and utterly reliable.
I grew up with a friend who had one of these. I always thought it was so boring but couldn’t ignore how fast and comfortable it was. Stereo was great too!
A barn find episode on a sunday night is becoming more of a tradition than heartbeat was. Great episode and especially like the snippets of history added in, the effort you put in doesnt go unnoticed! The primera is a proper unsung hero
My favourite BTCC livery was always the Primera @ 3:00. Matt Neil was always so down to earth and I remember thinking what a much nicer and instantly likable person than some of his later rivals were. No ego, just racing and pushing the limits. Great episode Johnny, right up my barnfind, this one.
Well done Jonny. I had no idea the Primera GT was a good car, loved seeing Matt Neal and David Twohig, two absolute legends. We are living in a golden age where car experts feed car nerd's passion. There should be an annual gathering, imagine the TG/GT, 5thG, TI, old school journos and YT mob all in a massive car show with classic, restos and modern cars on display...
Oh wow! At last! Respect for the Primera. I have a French registered P10 EGT (1993) in white with speedlines, bilsteins and a ‘btc look’ locked up in a garage. Fantastic car, owned since 1998, chassis up there with the Accord type R. Bravo Johnny, great cars, great episode 👌👍🏻
Can totally understand where Neil is coming from trying to find people who can be bothered to work on them, trying to get people to do work on my Mk1 Puma has been difficult (but its now been sorted 100%), I even overheard someone at a show saying I don't know what that's doing here, yet it went on to win a prize! Loved this episode good luck with the Primera Neil!
I can remember Dave Twohig. I was at the plant and I think he was at Cranfield. The build quality and engineering of these cars was off the charts. When you know, you know.
As a car dealer I sold my sister one of these primeras it was ultra reliable. My nephew was born in it ! Pulled up at Brighton hospital but it was all a bit late ! Outside A&e Ziggy was born in the Nissan !!!
I briefly drove the estate version of the Primera for my work and couldn’t believe how great it was to drive. I’m delighted this video backs up that I was right to love it despite its bland looks.
Great episode. I had a Primera GT P11 back in 2008. Bought it for £800. Collected my 1st daughter from hospital when she was born in the primera, she’s now 15! I ran it for 4 years and sold it to someone in Scotland. Fantastic cars to drive. Would love to drive one again. No surprises that it started running instantly
Few years ago now, I got given one of these for nothing. We had to drag it round the M25 to get it home. It’d sat for a long while but amazingly it went through an MOT no bother. I then threw a few quid at it and turned it into a trackday car. Full Cage, a couple of seats, suspension etc. it then did countless trips to the Ring, 150 odd laps and many trips round Europe, including one to Corsica, where I then drive it home from Genoa non-stop in about 14hrs. Bloody loved that car, it created so many memories. It was hammered everywhere and it never broke once! Eventually the rot started to get to it. Sad day that was. Thanks for this video, it was fab, and took me back down memory lane.
I have a friend who is a great welder & works on restoring retro cars. He actually did some top notch work on my 1998 Nissan Micra Si. He's based in the South East Kent area.
When i was a teenager my dad had 2 p10 eGTs and we were members of primera owners club going to car shows together like JAE and japfest, and meet ups with the NPOC this video reminded me how much i love these cars and brought back a lot of good childhood memories, i hope i get to own one someday
My dad got a contract to supply nissan with materials for their interiors in that era. As a thank you, he was invited to donington park, by nissan Motorsport, and he got to drive and be driven round the circuit, in a primera touring car by Tiff needel. ❤
The ads for the G20 in the US - even had BTCC footage of it having been “chased on England’s racetracks” - remember like it was yesterday! (Sometime in 97/98)
A mate had one of these back when we were all young and carefree, his parents bought it secondhand as it was a 'sensible' car compared to the hot hatches we had. It was ridiculously fast and capable, easily comparable to anything else around at the time! Sadly he crashed it, losing it on ice one morning, and it was taken away to sit in the local scrap yard for well over a decade while it was picked apart. Be good to follow the rebirth of this one.
@@TheLateBrakeShow his parents were wealthy but sensible, they thought it was just a decent spec boring car! The ice was on the lane they lived up, the joys of living in the middle of Wales, and the scrap yard seemingly never got rid of anything.
Probably one of your best barn find videos Jonny. Really enjoyed the guest appearances with links to the car. Great to see you actually get to ride in one of the barn finds too. Nice one.
I was mocked by my parents for admiring these as a kid. But it’s still a good looking thing, and I stand by my admiration. Someone at school’s dad had one identical to this and I always liked it. I still love mundane cars and have zero interest in supercars. I read Autocar and skip the Porsche and Ferrari reviews or read them last. Great video Jonny as always and made even better because it fired my nostalgia synapses.
In Australia we had the equivalent model car called the Nissan Pulsar. The SR20DE was available in a few different versions from the years 91-00. I originally bought my SR20DE Pulsar in 2003 when the car was 11yrs old, since then it's been sold(4yrs) it was written off, bought back from the auction, rebuilt(2010) & for the last 5 years it's been turboed, using some GTIR bits & pieces (210hp atw, 156kw, 8psi).
I think the Pulsar was known as the Almera in the UK (at least, for the N15 generation). The Primera is a bigger car. There's something about Nissans of this era, even the cooking models. I still drive an N15. Nothing special, 1.6, slow, no clearcoat left, objectively it is a shitbox. Yet I can't seem to get rid of it, driving it just puts me in a good mood. Newer, "better" cars have come and gone, but that one stays. I would love to own a Primera GT. So many BTCC memories!
@@blahblahwhatblahblah I think the N15 is good older car to drive around in. I like driving my N14 Pulsar even though I also have another newer car......nostalgia, cheap parts, good handling, turbo noises. My favourite's of the N15 generation if I were to own one would be the Almera GTI SR20, VZ-R Pulsar or an Australian N15 SSS.
@@sandygarage3802 for sure! Would really like a VZ-R, would be fun to have something rare like that that nobody knows about. Did you see Sandro @ Car Craft Auto Detailing did a detail vid on one a few years ago?
@@blahblahwhatblahblah My newer car weighs about 600kg more than the Pulsar, the difference on the road is very noticeable & it also has electric assist power steering, its hard to notice any difference between hydraulic power steering....it feels normal/good. I'll have to check out the VZ-R you mentioned & awhile ago I remember seeing an old Japanese video of an N1 VZ-R racing another car?, but I can't remember if it was UA-cam or Instagram where I saw it.
I was lucky enough to be doing some work for Vodafone in the 90's, so they send me a VIP pass to the Silverstone BTCC, where I had breakfast in the same tent as David Leslie & Anthony Reid, and got to say hi. I've still got my ticket, lanyard, program and giant NISSAN flag. A great era of touring cars.
Hello from Australia. Great episode of TLBS BFE Jonny. Watching from Australia and Neil has a Holden pullover on and you have Matt Neal mentioning Bathurst - couldn't get any better. Cheers.
5yrs ago our dealership was having a clear-out, in the skip was a signed print of a primera touring car. the frame was smashed, so i took it out + rolled it up, then went to see a salesman about it. "its just an old car photo with scribble on" yeah, right... Philistines... still got it in my loft somewhere keep up the good work young man
What a great watch, these cars are the sleepiest of sleepers. I have the Primeras 2-door brother, a B14 SE-R. The most common reactions I get when giving people rides are "Why does it sound like a rally car? Wait why is it so quick? WTF THIS THING IS ACTUALLY AWESOME!?". Yep. *sip* They don't make em like that anymore.
My Dad had a Gen1 2.0 eGT for a while, at the time I worked at a Vauxhall dealer, the eGT, was vastly superior to the Cavalier SRi or Vecta Sri that was around at the time. Yes it was really bland in side, but that engine was amazing compared to 2.0 ECOTEC's (not too difficult really) Great car.
Great to see a little Australia represent in Neil’s Holden top! Would be great to see a revisit episode on all the cars that were going to be restored and seeing them when they are back on the road.
I owned a MK1 Primera eGT second hand back in the day when it was 6 years old and I was only 24 years old. It was a very fine car, so well engineered and took my road car driving experience to another level. The harmony between steering, suspension, gearbox and handling feel was a benchmark. The two litre motor in mine had (factory) metallic red engine covers and looked great. Great to see the Primera getting long overdue kudos and recognition as it remains one of my favourite road cars I have ever owned. Pub fact: The MK1 Primera was so good, Ford used it as a benchmark for the MK1 Mondeo.
Cars like these are a labour of love. The sexier cars are worth spending the time and money on but these sorts of cars probably arent financially viable for restoration. They are though the sort of cars I love to see at car shows as you know the owner must really have an attachment to them.
Amazing, as always. I had an Almera GTI. Think they had the same engine. It had 212000 miles on the clock when I got rid of it. Incredibly reliable car with brilliant handling. Keep up the good work Jonny.
Love this, I actually bought one of these myself as a young lad 20 years of age, just like Neil. Mine was an S plate hatch but same colour & same interior, I bought it in Y2k. Fantastic cars, superb handling on the OE P6000 Pirellis, just a little bit underpowered - if they'd fitted the SR20DET turbo version used in the 200SX, it would've been a real weapon. Thanks so much for the vid and the trip down memory lane 🥹
Great video again Jonny and have to agree with all the comments regarding 90s or 90s origin cars. Absolutely my sweet spot. Over the last few years I've owned a succession of Saabs, Volvos, Lexus, Hondas etc. All the creature comforts (cassette players FTW), new enough to be reliable but simple enough to work on. And as a man of a certain age, all the stuff I couldn't afford 25-30 years ago.
I bought a GT LE when it was 6 years old with 40k miles for just under £3k. I remember the lift off oversteer well as a 19 year old 😂 Great car, should've kept it
This brought back some fun memories of the P10 eGT that I owned in the very early 2000s. That was a great car, it handled brilliantly for a FWD and revved beautifully. P363 BWL - looks like to MOT expired in 2011, so sadly it’s no longer around 😢
Jonny, this video has it all - underrated 90s car, die-hard car enthusiast owner, great cuts to icons of the racing and engineering side of things, and even a bit of Woolarding. What’s not to love? This is why I watch everything you do…
My boss had one of these when i did pizza delivery at 17 in my 95 Daewoo Nexia. If my car wouldn't start he let me borrow his, funny how i never had enough petrol. A highly under appreciated, good performing car.
The first car I bought was a used 1993 Sentra SE-R with this motor. What a sweet driving, fun, zippy, great looking car. And who doesn't love '90s Supertouring.
I drove one of these during the early 2000’s that a mate kindly gifted to me. It was genuinely excellent to drive and felt properly rapid. Engine was a screamer and it handled very well indeed.
I bought a 1 year old 99T plate LE in silver , August 2000 for 10K with 14K on clocks, loved it and still maintain it was my most fun car to drive I've owed. kept it for 3 and half years then swapped it with my brother in law for a 03 plate lexus is200 sport. always wished I kept it and would have 1 tomorrow again in a heart beat. Still have the VHS tape of the BTCC 99 season in the loft, the reason I bought to primera in the 1st place. ❤
Bloody hell Jonny. That brings back memories of trying to race a primara my work mate had in my XR3i. I don’t remember ever beating him easily. If only we all had a crystal ball we would have snapped them up while they were worthless.
I grew up close to brands hatch and getting to watch these rip around was genuinely one of the happiest times of my childhood. Always had a soft spot for primeras. Brilliant video!
Loved this trip down memory lane. When we became pregnant and needed a family car the vr6 corrado went into storage and that was the car we brought. Huge and comfortable, quick and handled like a dream, fantastic car. Sadly both have been sold long ago and I miss them both equally 😢 Great episode Jonny, keep them coming. Late 80’s early 90’s is a fantastic era, so many great cars I’d love to have now! 👌
As someone who spent many years in the motor trade, there is an obvious giveaway that this was an ex-demo. It is the '69' number plate. A sad reflection of the mentality of the average sales manager.
My brother had one for years and put big mileage on it, skidded in snow and hit a tree. Was lucky to get out as a branch came through the drivers window! Was a great car.
You beat me to this......I left the UK almost ten years ago...but until pretty recently you could still see the guardia civil driving 1990s Nissan's in Spain...😂😂...the Terrano is imortal....
Lol thanks to renault money you Nissan fanboys got the 350z and GTR without Renault it would never happened. I 2 would loved if renault and Nissan never worked together. Lots of Nissan engines wich Renault use. Use lots of oil and timing chain problems . Renault never had problems with this. So Nissan is more junk in my eyes
I've sent Neil a message . But this proves the build quality of these cars . I had a diesel in the early '90's . l bought it as a none recorded write off . It would happily cruise at a 100mph , normally aspirated and the road holding was incredible !! This was a 5 star ending to a 5 star programme . Thanks Jonny
I owned one myself back in the late 90s. Handling and suspension were truly brilliant. The faster you travelled the more the thoroughbred engineering revealed itself. A long way down the road from Nissnaults of today.
This was the car I aspired to own in my early 20s as a big BTCC fan. Moved overseas so it never happened, Great video bringing back forgotten.memories.
If they can afford them by then...one of the few examples of a type of car that appreciate at a rate you sometimes just have to say what the bloody hell... It didn't take long for things like a 200sx to go from pocket change to they don't make pockets that big. I remember when even a mark 4 Supra wasn't that much and then I blinked and someone added a few digits to the price
I used to work at a Ford main dealer in the late nineties, obviously flogging Mondeos then and they used to take us on comparison days, where you drove all the mondeo competitors first and then the mighty mondeo last (in an attempt to show the prowess of the Ford) on this day I had a 2.0 Primera which again we all thought was an engineering beast if not a tad dull visually but one also to mention was that they gave us a 2.5V6 Vauxhall Vectra! Smooth as silk V6 against the 4 potters certainly stood out...
Didn't fifth gear do a comparison with the 406, primera, vectra, mondeo. The 406 and the vectra were 1.8 the mondeo and the primera were 2.0 because of cost comparison. The primera had abs. Interesting watch.
Been trying to buy a Primera GT, on and off, for several years now - every one I saw listed were rusted and rotten to hell. Such a shame. I've owned a Mk1 Laguna, Mk2 Mondeo, yet this Primera still eludes me 😢
I worked with a guy who owned one of these, he absolutely adored it also, and as you say, it’s a special car 👍🏻, love the eclectic mix of barn finds 👍🏻
I didn't doubt for a second that it wouldn't have started right away, those cars are the most reliable there is. Body rust can be a problem, but technology works
Well they’re very reliable for sure. My friend had that version of primera and it did drive ever so well. But I’ve had various Hondas and they like other Japanese cars were also extremely reliable.
Really enjoyed that, I had one in the day as a company car with the same interior . Really comfortable and capable of big miles outlasting Ford’s of the day!
It was excellent spending the day with you for this video Jonny.
For those interested I will be doing more videos on my channel covering the (hopeful) restoration of the Primera.
Good Luck, it's a cool car.
Nice attire, always good to see some aussie love.
It's a lovely car mate and a great story. You must get this back on the road. Good luck.
I love cars like this. Looking forward to seeing progress on Neil’s channel
Hi Neil . Bung it in for an MOT If you haven't already . They were very well built so l don't for see any structural corrosion problems I bought a write off diesel (not recorded ) in '92 the road holding was phenominal and it would happily cruise at a ton + , normally aspirated as well ! Good luck !
It would have been so easy to dismiss this as not old enough, not premium enough, not heritage enough, not rare enough, or not pretty enough to merit interest. And instead you went the opposite direction and got a racer and one of the engineers who worked on it to appear in cut aways. I mean, who does that?? Absolutely brilliant. The best automotive content on any platform is right here.
Agreed x 100 and adds a lot having Matt neil and the ex Nissan engineering contributing - one of my top 3 barn find episodes love it !
Agree. As the saying goes Sometimes the history of the car is just as interesting as the car itself.
@rallycrosscraig don't you mean agree 100+ 😉
Who does that ?
Every engine head that loved a car 😂😂😂
97 Primera owner here. 337.000 miles and still going strong. Inherited the car from my grandfather who bought it brand new in 97. Primeras are highly underrated cars
Mid-90s to mid-00s was peak-car imo!
They were refined enough while maintaining an element of maintainability. They were big enough without the bulbous bloating of the modern age.
Love this era of cars!
Pretty much summed it up m8...exactly👍🏽....
Absolutely! The way this car turned over on the first twist of the ignition just shows the reliability. I'm looking at a few early 2000s cars as a 3rd car/project/fun. Precisely for all the reasons you said. Anything after about 2007-8 just gets into an era of poor build quality, questionable engineering and environmental decisions and more difficult to work on.
@@mattkinsella9856 I still daily my mk1 Seat Leon Cupra. Tunable 1.8 turbo engine, loads of mods available, can pick up the 180bhp version for less than a grand. £300 gets you a stage one map, 210bhp and makes for a fun cheap car.
It's the reason I daily an R53 Cooper S, fast enough, light and small, while reliable enough and pretty easy to work on.
Whenever I see cars of this era on the road, it makes me remember the times when cars were car-shaped and weren't covered in a million unnecessary styling details. Cars that didn't have voice-activated sun visors and gesture-controlled door handles that fail and cost £8,000 to repair. This is why my daily driver is a Mk1 Focus (until it fails its MoT test in four days' time, at which point my 2005 Renault Grand Scenic is going to have to take over).
A true testament to late 90s Japanese engineering. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Suzuki etc. All of them made great cars.
I'm glad I still have my 1998 UK Honda Integra Type R (owned since 2007).
Jonny's history intro, and the clips with Matt Neal and David Twohig made this the best Barn Find Episode ever. The fact that just ran and drove with no problems is of course exactly what you would expect from an old Nissan!
Where are my PlayStation TOCA Touring Car Championships brothers and sisters at?
As well as being a great game, I didn’t realize at the time what a great car education games like these gave to me.
Many an hour spent on the PS playing TOCA. The same can be said for Gran Turismo 1/2, a significant portion of what I know about obscure 90s Japanese cars came from scouring the dealership descriptions in those games.
TOCA Touring Car on the PlayStation was brilliant. Remember the real weather effects etc.
Wow, I had completely forgotten about that game! I remember enjoying it more than Gran Turismo back in the day
I loved it and what a surprise the first time I played TOCA2 on my PC to hear Tiff Needell narrating!
Funnily I have the theme music uploaded to my channel for anyone who wants to nostalgise (if that's even a word)
I played a fair bit of TOCA 2. Japanese cars are so common here in NZ though, especially in the 90's. I would have assumed a Primera was just another Nissan.
As a huge nissan,btcc enthusiast and owner, to me this was the best barn find video. I absolutely loved these, such a slept on car and can't wait to see the progress 😎
Really glad you enjoyed this one.
The late 90’s was THE era for all great cars. Modern enough to start on a cold day but retro to still be endlessly cool. This is a sweet (sweet) spot for barn finds and has probably made a load of people realise that their car in the garage is probably more special than they think!
Now, that's what it's all about- a guy who loves his car. Never mind what it is, it's what it means to him, and that came over in a great video. Also enjoyed Matt and David's contributions. Great stuff everyone! 👏
Nice looking car, the 90s was the peak of automotive technology in my opinion, there has been some great cars since then but for me it's the balance of enough tech to feel like a modern car without too much stuff to go wrong and interfere with the driving experience
Can we remember the limited run of the GT that had chameleon/flip paint? Stunning.
I used to love the Almeria GTI of this era too.
Great video.
The inserts from Matt Neal and David Twohig made this video brilliant. Top work !
Cheers v much
To me this is a prime example of why the late brake show is soooo popular as this particular video has a number of factors that any other channel would fall short on.
The first being an interesting young-young timer classic that most would overlook.
Secondly Jonny’s connections to the motor industry, bringing us insight from not one but two intrinsically important people to this car. The first of those being an actual designer on the project and the second the legend that really thrust this car into the limelight.
We would not get this rich and important content from any other barn-finder. As always I’m loving your work Johnny, Cheers.👌
I had a 90s Primera for a few years. Used and abused it the whole time, the most reliable car I've ever owned
What an absolute legend Johnny! It was so nice to be able to include some insight from Matt and David who both had such a personal connection to the Primera.
Can we have an interview episode with Mr Twohig, please and thank you.
Second this, please Jonny.
I could listen to him speak all day! Sounds like a very interesting guy
Yes please. I love how proud he is of the bits he designed, great enthusiasm.
His book is a great read.
Absolutely. Car design is fascinating. It’s so much more than just what it looks like and what engine is in it!
I had a silver P11 Primera 1.6SX from new in 1998. What a superb car. Revvy engine, great chassis and steering. Drove way better than a repmobile had any right too. Bullet proof too. I smiled when the GT fired up and drove relatively easily. I would Have loved the GT, but my company wouldn't let me. Great episode. Thanks Johnny!
Back in the mid 90s I had to borrow a colleague's Primera to shuttle between Stoke and Derby on the A50. It was such a great car. So comfy and with the sweetest gear change. Loved it.
My dad had a Primera SE. First time i got to drive it was Heathrow to Essex. I was gobsmacked at how it handled and how smooth it was. Fantastic car. So agile. The Mondeo always got so much praise about its road manners. The Mondeo wasn’t a patch on the Primera. Great video.
Back in the mid 90's I used to work for a company that produced engine parts for the Primera assembly plant at Sunderland. I remember we used to comment about how over engineered the components seemed to be in comparison with the parts we supplied to other manufacturers. I knew the barn find car would run as soon as I saw it was a Primera. My girlfriend had a Primera Si as a company car and I bought a black Primera GT as my own personal car. Great handling and utterly reliable.
Shame that Nissan end up linking up with Renault as they aren't so over engineered at all.
I grew up with a friend who had one of these. I always thought it was so boring but couldn’t ignore how fast and comfortable it was. Stereo was great too!
A barn find episode on a sunday night is becoming more of a tradition than heartbeat was. Great episode and especially like the snippets of history added in, the effort you put in doesnt go unnoticed! The primera is a proper unsung hero
Well said sir 👍
90s Heartbeat catering to people reminiscing about the 60s, 30 years previous. Here we are reminiscing about the 90s 👍🏻😜.
My favourite BTCC livery was always the Primera @ 3:00. Matt Neil was always so down to earth and I remember thinking what a much nicer and instantly likable person than some of his later rivals were. No ego, just racing and pushing the limits. Great episode Johnny, right up my barnfind, this one.
Glad you liked this one. Thank you for the message.
Well done Jonny. I had no idea the Primera GT was a good car, loved seeing Matt Neal and David Twohig, two absolute legends. We are living in a golden age where car experts feed car nerd's passion. There should be an annual gathering, imagine the TG/GT, 5thG, TI, old school journos and YT mob all in a massive car show with classic, restos and modern cars on display...
Oh wow! At last! Respect for the Primera. I have a French registered P10 EGT (1993) in white with speedlines, bilsteins and a ‘btc look’ locked up in a garage. Fantastic car, owned since 1998, chassis up there with the Accord type R. Bravo Johnny, great cars, great episode 👌👍🏻
Can totally understand where Neil is coming from trying to find people who can be bothered to work on them, trying to get people to do work on my Mk1 Puma has been difficult (but its now been sorted 100%), I even overheard someone at a show saying I don't know what that's doing here, yet it went on to win a prize! Loved this episode good luck with the Primera Neil!
Thanks Jay, much appreciated.
I can remember Dave Twohig. I was at the plant and I think he was at Cranfield. The build quality and engineering of these cars was off the charts. When you know, you know.
As a car dealer I sold my sister one of these primeras it was ultra reliable. My nephew was born in it ! Pulled up at Brighton hospital but it was all a bit late ! Outside A&e Ziggy was born in the Nissan !!!
I briefly drove the estate version of the Primera for my work and couldn’t believe how great it was to drive. I’m delighted this video backs up that I was right to love it despite its bland looks.
Great episode. I had a Primera GT P11 back in 2008. Bought it for £800. Collected my 1st daughter from hospital when she was born in the primera, she’s now 15! I ran it for 4 years and sold it to someone in Scotland. Fantastic cars to drive. Would love to drive one again. No surprises that it started running instantly
Few years ago now, I got given one of these for nothing. We had to drag it round the M25 to get it home. It’d sat for a long while but amazingly it went through an MOT no bother. I then threw a few quid at it and turned it into a trackday car. Full Cage, a couple of seats, suspension etc. it then did countless trips to the Ring, 150 odd laps and many trips round Europe, including one to Corsica, where I then drive it home from Genoa non-stop in about 14hrs. Bloody loved that car, it created so many memories. It was hammered everywhere and it never broke once! Eventually the rot started to get to it. Sad day that was.
Thanks for this video, it was fab, and took me back down memory lane.
3:30 shout out to Neil for wearing the Holden hoodie!
Great work as always Johnny!
Cheers Pat 🇦🇺
My hoodie is getting a lot of love 😂
I have a friend who is a great welder & works on restoring retro cars. He actually did some top notch work on my 1998 Nissan Micra Si. He's based in the South East Kent area.
Do you have details?
@@NeilsCarsAviationTravel Barry Towner Classic & Rally Car body repair specialist.
When i was a teenager my dad had 2 p10 eGTs and we were members of primera owners club going to car shows together like JAE and japfest, and meet ups with the NPOC this video reminded me how much i love these cars and brought back a lot of good childhood memories, i hope i get to own one someday
My dad got a contract to supply nissan with materials for their interiors in that era. As a thank you, he was invited to donington park, by nissan Motorsport, and he got to drive and be driven round the circuit, in a primera touring car by Tiff needel. ❤
What a great story. Wonder if he still has any of the fabric left?
Don’t forget that Nissan also sold this car in the USA as the Infiniti G20. Ours was 145BHP. Awesome video too.
This video caused me to search for a manual G20.
The ads for the G20 in the US - even had BTCC footage of it having been “chased on England’s racetracks” - remember like it was yesterday! (Sometime in 97/98)
@@justinschultz4325hard to find but worth it (I have a 96 P10)
I had the P11 1.6 Si. 99bhp!!
One of the very best handling fwd cars I've ever driven.
Outstanding handling and very controllable lift off oversteer!
A mate had one of these back when we were all young and carefree, his parents bought it secondhand as it was a 'sensible' car compared to the hot hatches we had. It was ridiculously fast and capable, easily comparable to anything else around at the time! Sadly he crashed it, losing it on ice one morning, and it was taken away to sit in the local scrap yard for well over a decade while it was picked apart.
Be good to follow the rebirth of this one.
In a scrapyard for over a decade? Blimey. Sad to hear it ended on ice. What a sensible car to be bought for you!
@@TheLateBrakeShow his parents were wealthy but sensible, they thought it was just a decent spec boring car! The ice was on the lane they lived up, the joys of living in the middle of Wales, and the scrap yard seemingly never got rid of anything.
I used to joyride in a orange one when I was 15 😂
I owned 3 Prim P11 GTs and worked with them for 7 years, the most highly underrated car of the 90s
Probably one of your best barn find videos Jonny.
Really enjoyed the guest appearances with links to the car.
Great to see you actually get to ride in one of the barn finds too.
Nice one.
I had a 99 almera gti and that handled unbelievably well.
I was mocked by my parents for admiring these as a kid. But it’s still a good looking thing, and I stand by my admiration. Someone at school’s dad had one identical to this and I always liked it. I still love mundane cars and have zero interest in supercars. I read Autocar and skip the Porsche and Ferrari reviews or read them last. Great video Jonny as always and made even better because it fired my nostalgia synapses.
In Australia we had the equivalent model car called the Nissan Pulsar. The SR20DE was available in a few different versions from the years 91-00. I originally bought my SR20DE Pulsar in 2003 when the car was 11yrs old, since then it's been sold(4yrs) it was written off, bought back from the auction, rebuilt(2010) & for the last 5 years it's been turboed, using some GTIR bits & pieces (210hp atw, 156kw, 8psi).
I think the Pulsar was known as the Almera in the UK (at least, for the N15 generation). The Primera is a bigger car.
There's something about Nissans of this era, even the cooking models. I still drive an N15. Nothing special, 1.6, slow, no clearcoat left, objectively it is a shitbox. Yet I can't seem to get rid of it, driving it just puts me in a good mood. Newer, "better" cars have come and gone, but that one stays.
I would love to own a Primera GT. So many BTCC memories!
@@blahblahwhatblahblah I think the N15 is good older car to drive around in. I like driving my N14 Pulsar even though I also have another newer car......nostalgia, cheap parts, good handling, turbo noises. My favourite's of the N15 generation if I were to own one would be the Almera GTI SR20, VZ-R Pulsar or an Australian N15 SSS.
@@sandygarage3802 for sure! Would really like a VZ-R, would be fun to have something rare like that that nobody knows about. Did you see Sandro @ Car Craft Auto Detailing did a detail vid on one a few years ago?
@@sandygarage3802 forgot to add, the main thing I dislike with modern cars in comparison is the weight and the crap electric steering. Yuck!
@@blahblahwhatblahblah My newer car weighs about 600kg more than the Pulsar, the difference on the road is very noticeable & it also has electric assist power steering, its hard to notice any difference between hydraulic power steering....it feels normal/good. I'll have to check out the VZ-R you mentioned & awhile ago I remember seeing an old Japanese video of an N1 VZ-R racing another car?, but I can't remember if it was UA-cam or Instagram where I saw it.
I was lucky enough to be doing some work for Vodafone in the 90's, so they send me a VIP pass to the Silverstone BTCC, where I had breakfast in the same tent as David Leslie & Anthony Reid, and got to say hi. I've still got my ticket, lanyard, program and giant NISSAN flag. A great era of touring cars.
Hello from Australia. Great episode of TLBS BFE Jonny. Watching from Australia and Neil has a Holden pullover on and you have Matt Neal mentioning Bathurst - couldn't get any better. Cheers.
5yrs ago our dealership was having a clear-out, in the skip was a signed print of a primera touring car. the frame was smashed, so i took it out + rolled it up, then went to see a salesman about it. "its just an old car photo with scribble on" yeah, right... Philistines...
still got it in my loft somewhere keep up the good work young man
Nissan have always made highly underrated rated cars. They will run forever.
Loving the newer barn find
Great stuff, Jonny. Thanks for the mention 👍🏻
✊🏽
Oh I miss my old primera. Was a Slx est trimmed from a GTi. Best 40 quid and 5 yrs of motoring I've ever had 😂
I’ve always wanted to make a GT Estate.
What a great watch, these cars are the sleepiest of sleepers. I have the Primeras 2-door brother, a B14 SE-R. The most common reactions I get when giving people rides are "Why does it sound like a rally car? Wait why is it so quick? WTF THIS THING IS ACTUALLY AWESOME!?".
Yep.
*sip*
They don't make em like that anymore.
I had the Sentra SE-R's australian cousin. N14 Pulsar SSS (5 door hatch). The 2L engine was a punchy compared to the 1.6/1.8 Japanese competitors
Wow can’t believe he has owned this from new snd still has it looks amazing can’t believe how easy it started 🤣🤣
Great edition and a great story. Also good interesting input from the other contributors. Thanks for sharing!
My Dad had a Gen1 2.0 eGT for a while, at the time I worked at a Vauxhall dealer, the eGT, was vastly superior to the Cavalier SRi or Vecta Sri that was around at the time. Yes it was really bland in side, but that engine was amazing compared to 2.0 ECOTEC's (not too difficult really) Great car.
Great to see a little Australia represent in Neil’s Holden top! Would be great to see a revisit episode on all the cars that were going to be restored and seeing them when they are back on the road.
I owned a MK1 Primera eGT second hand back in the day when it was 6 years old and I was only 24 years old. It was a very fine car, so well engineered and took my road car driving experience to another level. The harmony between steering, suspension, gearbox and handling feel was a benchmark. The two litre motor in mine had (factory) metallic red engine covers and looked great. Great to see the Primera getting long overdue kudos and recognition as it remains one of my favourite road cars I have ever owned. Pub fact: The MK1 Primera was so good, Ford used it as a benchmark for the MK1 Mondeo.
Wow brings back memories of watching matt neal and the other primeras in the 1999 btcc
Cars like these are a labour of love. The sexier cars are worth spending the time and money on but these sorts of cars probably arent financially viable for restoration. They are though the sort of cars I love to see at car shows as you know the owner must really have an attachment to them.
Great vid again. Also great to see Neil wearing a Holden jacket! A blast from the past for us Australians!
My hoodie got nearly as much attention as the car 😂
@@NeilsCarsAviationTravel We love our Holdens in Australia 🇦🇺
OMG. What a fantastic video. I was so close to not watching this when you announced a Nissan Premier, so glad I watched this.
They really are good cars…. But I am bias 😂
Very nice. The Primera GT was preceded by the Primera ZX which had a red cam cover.
Amazing, as always. I had an Almera GTI. Think they had the same engine. It had 212000 miles on the clock when I got rid of it. Incredibly reliable car with brilliant handling. Keep up the good work Jonny.
Love this, I actually bought one of these myself as a young lad 20 years of age, just like Neil. Mine was an S plate hatch but same colour & same interior, I bought it in Y2k. Fantastic cars, superb handling on the OE P6000 Pirellis, just a little bit underpowered - if they'd fitted the SR20DET turbo version used in the 200SX, it would've been a real weapon.
Thanks so much for the vid and the trip down memory lane 🥹
Ah yes the P6000 OE tyres. Almost makes me want to get some more.
Had those tyres on my Metro GTa epic in the dry, crap in the wet
@@NeilsCarsAviationTravel it looked like yours was still sporting some! 😁 I think they're still made as a classic car tyre.
Great video again Jonny and have to agree with all the comments regarding 90s or 90s origin cars. Absolutely my sweet spot. Over the last few years I've owned a succession of Saabs, Volvos, Lexus, Hondas etc. All the creature comforts (cassette players FTW), new enough to be reliable but simple enough to work on.
And as a man of a certain age, all the stuff I couldn't afford 25-30 years ago.
I bought a GT LE when it was 6 years old with 40k miles for just under £3k. I remember the lift off oversteer well as a 19 year old 😂 Great car, should've kept it
This brought back some fun memories of the P10 eGT that I owned in the very early 2000s. That was a great car, it handled brilliantly for a FWD and revved beautifully. P363 BWL - looks like to MOT expired in 2011, so sadly it’s no longer around 😢
Late 90s and early 00's is a classic era now? That's the market I shop in, I like the term classic better than old banger.
Right? Got a few "classics" out in the lawn now. 😅
This era probably represent the end of bangernomics :(
It won't be possible to keep later cars on the road as easily, or cheaply.
Jonny, this video has it all - underrated 90s car, die-hard car enthusiast owner, great cuts to icons of the racing and engineering side of things, and even a bit of Woolarding. What’s not to love? This is why I watch everything you do…
Mate Neil was great, and besting those extremely good Volvo's and Mondeo's was a massive achievement.
My boss had one of these when i did pizza delivery at 17 in my 95 Daewoo Nexia. If my car wouldn't start he let me borrow his, funny how i never had enough petrol. A highly under appreciated, good performing car.
Well, it is technically a classic. I now know more about a 90s Nissan than I ever thought I would 😮
The first car I bought was a used 1993 Sentra SE-R with this motor. What a sweet driving, fun, zippy, great looking car. And who doesn't love '90s Supertouring.
Yes Johnny i love this generation taxi - i mean primera. Very successful racing career.
I drove one of these during the early 2000’s that a mate kindly gifted to me. It was genuinely excellent to drive and felt properly rapid. Engine was a screamer and it handled very well indeed.
We have just put one of these back on the road, had been stood in a field for two years
I bought a 1 year old 99T plate LE in silver , August 2000 for 10K with 14K on clocks, loved it and still maintain it was my most fun car to drive I've owed. kept it for 3 and half years then swapped it with my brother in law for a 03 plate lexus is200 sport. always wished I kept it and would have 1 tomorrow again in a heart beat. Still have the VHS tape of the BTCC 99 season in the loft, the reason I bought to primera in the 1st place. ❤
Bloody hell Jonny. That brings back memories of trying to race a primara my work mate had in my XR3i. I don’t remember ever beating him easily. If only we all had a crystal ball we would have snapped them up while they were worthless.
That last sentence can be said for many a car
I grew up close to brands hatch and getting to watch these rip around was genuinely one of the happiest times of my childhood. Always had a soft spot for primeras. Brilliant video!
Loved this trip down memory lane. When we became pregnant and needed a family car the vr6 corrado went into storage and that was the car we brought. Huge and comfortable, quick and handled like a dream, fantastic car. Sadly both have been sold long ago and I miss them both equally 😢 Great episode Jonny, keep them coming. Late 80’s early 90’s is a fantastic era, so many great cars I’d love to have now! 👌
As someone who spent many years in the motor trade, there is an obvious giveaway that this was an ex-demo. It is the '69' number plate. A sad reflection of the mentality of the average sales manager.
Perhaps he was a Gemini 😆
Absolutely loving seeing some 90’s automotive content, feel this could be a rich seam of really interesting cars
This is a cool car. I have the Tamiya ff01 rc kits of the p10 primera in both the calsonic blue and castrol green liveries
I didn't know there had ever been a Tamiya Primera...
Look up Tamiya kit #58147 and #58151 on Google image for the P10 Primera kits. Huge fan of the Late Brake Show btw. Cheers 😁
Look up Tamiya kit #58147 and #58151 on Google image for the P10 primera kits. Huge fan of the Late Brake Show btw. Cheers 😁
My brother had one for years and put big mileage on it, skidded in snow and hit a tree. Was lucky to get out as a branch came through the drivers window! Was a great car.
A proper Nissan before the Renault amalgamation debacle.
You beat me to this......I left the UK almost ten years ago...but until pretty recently you could still see the guardia civil driving 1990s Nissan's in Spain...😂😂...the Terrano is imortal....
@marcmorris-kb9ry and a terrano is a ford maverick 😂
Lol thanks to renault money you Nissan fanboys got the 350z and GTR without Renault it would never happened. I 2 would loved if renault and Nissan never worked together. Lots of Nissan engines wich Renault use. Use lots of oil and timing chain problems . Renault never had problems with this. So Nissan is more junk in my eyes
I've sent Neil a message . But this proves the build quality of these cars . I had a diesel in the early '90's . l bought it as a none recorded write off . It would happily cruise at a 100mph , normally aspirated and the road holding was incredible !! This was a 5 star ending to a 5 star programme . Thanks Jonny
Thanks John 😀
I think Matt Neal owns his own company making alloy wheels amazing driver love him and Jason Plato
Team Dynamics
I owned one myself back in the late 90s. Handling and suspension were truly brilliant. The faster you travelled the more the thoroughbred engineering revealed itself. A long way down the road from Nissnaults of today.
I'm so glad I was of an age where I was watching these race for real alongside Mondeos and Volvo T5 estates in the BTCC.
Engine and front subframe fits straight into the k11 micra
We had forgotten that. Oh. My. Word. 💡
This was the car I aspired to own in my early 20s as a big BTCC fan. Moved overseas so it never happened, Great video bringing back forgotten.memories.
Cockroaches will drive '90s Japanese cars when we've all gone
If they can afford them by then...one of the few examples of a type of car that appreciate at a rate you sometimes just have to say what the bloody hell... It didn't take long for things like a 200sx to go from pocket change to they don't make pockets that big. I remember when even a mark 4 Supra wasn't that much and then I blinked and someone added a few digits to the price
I used to work at a Ford main dealer in the late nineties, obviously flogging Mondeos then and they used to take us on comparison days, where you drove all the mondeo competitors first and then the mighty mondeo last (in an attempt to show the prowess of the Ford) on this day I had a 2.0 Primera which again we all thought was an engineering beast if not a tad dull visually but one also to mention was that they gave us a 2.5V6 Vauxhall Vectra! Smooth as silk V6 against the 4 potters certainly stood out...
Didn't fifth gear do a comparison with the 406, primera, vectra, mondeo. The 406 and the vectra were 1.8 the mondeo and the primera were 2.0 because of cost comparison. The primera had abs. Interesting watch.
Ford never really disappoint. Except with the mk5 escorts till the focus arrived.
Been trying to buy a Primera GT, on and off, for several years now - every one I saw listed were rusted and rotten to hell. Such a shame.
I've owned a Mk1 Laguna, Mk2 Mondeo, yet this Primera still eludes me 😢
I worked with a guy who owned one of these, he absolutely adored it also, and as you say, it’s a special car 👍🏻, love the eclectic mix of barn finds 👍🏻
I didn't doubt for a second that it wouldn't have started right away, those cars are the most reliable there is. Body rust can be a problem, but technology works
Well they’re very reliable for sure. My friend had that version of primera and it did drive ever so well. But I’ve had various Hondas and they like other Japanese cars were also extremely reliable.
Pre-Renault Nissan is best Nissan
I test drove one of these 2.0 GTs in 2000 and thought it was one of the best cars I had ever driven. I have always regretted not getting it.
And off to Autotrader we go
Wishing you luck. You'll need it!
@@TheLateBrakeShowlove these old Primera gt have owned over 10, sold 3 p11 GT this year there are still loads out there being used.
Really enjoyed that, I had one in the day as a company car with the same interior .
Really comfortable and capable of big miles outlasting Ford’s of the day!