The is a compact car with a model name introduced in 1957. It has been Nissan's most internationally recognized sedan, in multiple body styles, and is known for its dependability and durability. The Bluebird originated from Nissan's first vehicles, dating to the early 1900s, and its traditional competitor became the
Toyota Corona
The is an automobile manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota across eleven generations between 1957 and 2001. On launch, the Corona was Toyota's next to highest product in their range, just below the Crown. The Corona was marketed i ...
. The Bluebird was positioned to compete with the Corona, as the Corona was developed to continue offering a sedan used as a
taxi
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
since
Toyota Crown
The is an automobile which has been produced by Toyota in Japan since 1955. It is primarily a line of mid-size luxury cars that is marketed as an upmarket offering in the Toyota lineup.
Introduced in 1955 as the Toyopet Crown, it has served ...
was growing in size. Every generation of the Bluebird has been available as a taxi, duties that are shared with base level
Nissan Cedric
The is a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family. In later years, the Nissan Skyline was posi ...
s. It is one of the longest-running nameplates from a Japanese automaker. It spawned most of Nissan's products sold internationally, and has been known by a number of different names and bodystyles, including the 160J/710/Violet/Auster/Stanza line.
Export and foreign-built model names
Export versions were sold variously as the
Datsun 510
The Datsun 510 was a series of the Datsun Bluebird sold from 1968 to 1973, and offered outside the U.S. and Canada as the Datsun 1600.
The 510's engineering was inspired by contemporary European sedans, particularly the 1966 BMW 1600-2 &mdash ...
, Datsun 180B (with 160B and 200B versions) and the Datsun Bluebird. The Nissan Bluebird nameplate began appearing around 1982 as the
Datsun
Datsun (, ) was an automobile brand owned by Nissan. Datsun's original production run began in 1931. From 1958 to 1986, only vehicles exported by Nissan were identified as Datsun. Nissan phased out the Datsun brand in March 1986, but relaunche ...
marque was phased out in favour of Nissan.
From 1981 to 1985, Australia followed the Japanese convention by calling its car the Bluebird, and had a unique, facelifted rear-wheel-drive version for 1984 and 1985. That car was replaced in 1986 by the
Nissan Pintara
The Nissan Pintara is a compact automobile that was manufactured by Nissan Motor Australia from 1986 until 1992.
First generation (R31; 1986–1990)
The first generation R31 Nissan Pintara is a compact family car which was built by Nissan ...
. It would be replaced by the successive Bluebird, also called Pintara, until 1992; then the range was brought in line with the Japanese model, for the U13 series from 1993 to 1997. In an unusual twist, brought about under the short lived
Button Plan
The Button car plan, also known as the Button plan, was the informal name given to the Motor Industry Development Plan, an Australian federal (Labor) government initiative intended to rationalise the Australian motor vehicle industry and transi ...
, the Pintara was also rebadged for
Ford Australia
Ford Motor Company of Australia Limited (known by its trading name Ford Australia) is the Australian subsidiary of United States-based automaker Ford Motor Company. It was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Comp ...
as the
Ford Corsair
The name Ford Corsair was used both for a car produced by Ford of Britain between 1963 and 1970, and for an unrelated Nissan-based automobile marketed by Ford Australia between 1989 and 1992.
Ford Consul Corsair (1963–1965), Ford Corsair V4 (19 ...
, reviving a Ford UK nameplate last used in the 1960s.
In the United States, the Bluebird was eventually sold as the
Nissan Stanza
In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have eithe ...
. In 1992, the Stanza became the
Nissan Altima
The Nissan Altima is a mid-size car that has been manufactured by Nissan since 1992. It is a continuation of the Nissan Bluebird line, which began in 1955.
The Altima has historically been larger, more powerful, and more luxurious than the Nissa ...
. Currently, the Bluebird is not sold in North America; in 1998, the Altima was completely redesigned, becoming a model unique to the North American market. The Bluebird sold in Europe between 1986 and 1990 was in fact a rebadged
Nissan Auster
The Nissan Violet is a model of car that appeared in Japan in 1973, and was exclusive to Japanese Nissan dealerships called ''Nissan Cherry Store '' as a larger companion to the Nissan Cherry.
In 1977 the second generation arrived. This was spli ...
—this was replaced by the
Primera in Nissan's European line-up in 1990. A six-cylinder version called the
Maxima was released in the 1980s and became a separate model.
Historic vehicles
The DAT corporation had been producing cars since 1914, but through the 1920s, much of their profitability depended on government subsidies of their large trucks. A 1930 ministerial ordinance by the Japanese government declared that drivers' licenses would not be required for cars with engines up to 500 cc displacement, and that the purchase of these vehicles would be taxed at a lower rate. DAT began to produce a small car for this market. The new car was called "Datson"(i.e. "Son of DAT")
[ Madeley, p. 22] and later "Datsun" to distinguish it from the full-sized trucks and cars the company had produced in the past.
Datsun Type 10 – 17
Type 10
In 1929, DAT built a small-car prototype called the DAT 91. They ended up marketing this model as the DATSON Type 10 ("son of DAT"), since it was a shrunken version of the earlier 31.
"DAT" was now a backronym for Durable, Attractive, and Trustworthy. The car fit into a new category of small cars, limited to half a liter's displacement.
The production version was powered by DAT's own four-cylinder,
side-valve
A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, as ...
engine of 495 cc. It (and the inauspicious "DATSON" name, with "son" being close to
損, the Japanese word for "loss"
[) was replaced by the Datsun Type 11 in 1932.
]
Types 11 – 14
The 1932 Datsun
Datsun (, ) was an automobile brand owned by Nissan. Datsun's original production run began in 1931. From 1958 to 1986, only vehicles exported by Nissan were identified as Datsun. Nissan phased out the Datsun brand in March 1986, but relaunche ...
Type 11 was a small car with a 495 cc, 10 HP side valve engine and a three speed transmission. SAE
SAE or Sae may refer to:
Science and technology
:
* Selective area epitaxy, local growth of epitaxial layer through a patterned dielectric mask deposited on a semiconductor substrate
* Serious adverse event, in a clinical trial
* Simultaneous Auth ...
It was offered in several body styles, and DAT/Nissan sold 150 of the Type 11 in 1932. SAE
SAE or Sae may refer to:
Science and technology
:
* Selective area epitaxy, local growth of epitaxial layer through a patterned dielectric mask deposited on a semiconductor substrate
* Serious adverse event, in a clinical trial
* Simultaneous Auth ...
The Type 11 was only produced during the year 1932, as changes in the law allowed Nissan to sell a new model with a larger engine in 1933.
The Datsun Type 11 had the same engine displacement and external dimensions as an Austin Seven, and information about the British car was widely available within Japan. In October and November 1929, the chief engineer of Austin presented a paper in Tokyo called "The British Light Car". This paper is supposed to have provided detailed explanations and illustrations of many of the mechanical components of the Austin Seven.[ The exact relationship between the two cars is, however, in dispute. Some authors say that it was a licensed copy of the Seven.] Others insist it was a copy, but not an authorized one.[https://www.amazon.com/dp/1870979680 Mills, Rinsey] Herbert Austin was definitely concerned about the possibility of the Datsun infringing on his patents; he subsequently imported a 1935 Datsun to examine, but decided not to file a complaint. Some websites have pointed to this as evidence supporting the hypothesis that the Datsun was not a copy of the Austin.[http://www.motorsnippets.com/cars/datsun/index.htm motorsnippets] Other websites have pointed out that the decision to not press charges might have been because that by then the Datsun designs had begun to differ from those of the Austin.[http://www.ratdat.com/?p=35#respond Rat Dat]
The 1933 Datsun Type 12 was a small car produced by the Nissan corporation. The name Datsun
Datsun (, ) was an automobile brand owned by Nissan. Datsun's original production run began in 1931. From 1958 to 1986, only vehicles exported by Nissan were identified as Datsun. Nissan phased out the Datsun brand in March 1986, but relaunche ...
was used by DAT for their line of small cars. After the DAT corporation was absorbed into Nissan, these cars continued to be produced, and the original model name was maintained. The Type 12 was basically similar to the earlier 1932 Type 11, but had a larger engine.
Japanese laws at that time did not require a license to drive automobiles with small-displacement engines. DAT/Nissan produced the Datsun Type 11 as their entry into this market. The original limitation for this class of vehicles was 500 cc displacement engines, but that was changed to 750 cc in 1933. Nissan responded to this change by producing a larger engine, and gave the more powerful car a new name, the Type 12.
The 1934 Datsun Type 13 went into production in April 1934 with its chassis built in the ''Osaka Plant of the Automotive Division of Tobata Casting'', which merged with ''Nihon Sangyo Co.'' (Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
) after selling its factory. Its grille was chrome plated with a tall heart shaped opening instead of the Austin 7 like grille. It is the first Datsun model to have a truck variant called the 13T, along as being the first car exported from Japan; a total of 44 vehicles were exported to South Africa and Australia.
The 1935 Datsun Type 14 is externally very similar to the Type 13 but uses the addition of a leaping rabbit emblem at the front. Mechanically, the old DAT engine of the Datsun 13 was replaced with the Datsun Type 7 engine, a side valve
A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, as ...
four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 722 cc (44.1 cu in). It marked "''the birth of the Japanese car industry''" according to Britain's National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. Nissan produced the vehicle at Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
, along with its commercial truck version called the 14T.
Type 15 – 17
The 1936 Datsun Type 15 was mechanically very similar to the preceding Datsun Type 14
The Datsun Type 14 was a small Japanese car introduced in February 1935 and built until 1936. It had a sidevalve engine and was offered in several body styles. According to Britain's National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, the Type 14 "marked the birt ...
. The Type 7 engine was retained, by with a higher compression ratio, increased from 5.2 to 5.4, which increased power by 1 hp (0.75 kW). All Datsun 15 models have bumpers. Both the Type 15 and 15T were produced in Yokohama on May 1936, with the 15T having a different engine cover that has near vertical vents instead of the cars horizontal vents.
The Datsun Type 16 is the successor of the Type 15. It could only be differentiated externally by detailing on the bonnet and changes in the bonnet mascot and its logo.
The last Datsun small car is the Datsun Type 17 which is distinguished by a wide vertical bar in middle of the front grille. Production began in April 1938 and according to Nissan, continued until January 1944, although David Bent claims that it finished in late 1938 as part of the cessation civilian car production that followed the Japanese decision to focus on military vehicles. The Datsun Type 17T resumed production after the Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
in 1949 until the 1955 introduction of the all new Datsun 120-series truck.
File:Datsun 16 Sedan 1937.jpg, 1937 Datsun Type 16 2-door sedan
File:1938 Datsun Model 17 Phaeton.jpg, The Datsun Type 17 was the last pre-war Datsun small car
Datsun DA/DB/DC/DS/DW series
Nissan resumed automobile production starting in November 1947 with the Datsun DA series. The DA was a very modest and simple car based on the Type 17, with bodywork made partially of wood as a result of materials shortages. The better equipped and more modern looking DB "Deluxe" series was added in March 1948. Nissan also offered commercial vehicles, and the DA was sold as the Datsun 1121 truck, which was essentially the DA with a shortened cab for the front seat and an exposed cargo area attached to the chassis. An open-top roadster/convertible called the Datsun DC-3 appeared 12 January 1952, largely created by Yuichi Ohta. Yuichi was the son of Hiro Ohta, who founded the Ohta Jidosha
was one of the largest Japanese automotive manufacturing companies in the 1930s. The company was established in 1922, and produced cars from 1934 until 1957, when it was acquired by Tokyu Kurogane Kogyo company and ceased auto production. The fac ...
car company, which produced cars in Japan between 1934 and 1957, until it became part of Tokyu Kogyo Kurogane
, or Kurogane, was one of the first Japanese automakers. It built vehicles from about 1926 until 1962 when a subsidiary of Nissan, called Nissan Machinery (Nissan Koki Co., Ltd. 日産工機), assumed operations as the company had become a member ...
shortly thereafter. The Datsun DS appeared in 1950, replacing the DA series as Datsun's Standard Sedan.
All of these models were built on the identical pre-war chassis, itself a copy of or at least heavily inspired by the Austin 7
The Austin 7 is an economy car that was produced from 1923 until 1939 in the United Kingdom by Austin. It was nicknamed the "Baby Austin" and was at that time one of the most popular cars produced for the British market and sold well abroad. ...
. The chassis is short and with a narrow tread, as do most inter-war British cars, leading to somewhat ungainly designs with large overhangs on all sides as Datsun attempted to incorporate the post-war automobile design language. The one major change took place in August 1951, when the wheelbase was increased from to accommodate a four-door body (or more cargo space in case of the trucks).[ The DA and DS (Standard) were the entry-level Datsuns, with the Deluxe DB being more modern and better equipped. In 1952 Nissan entered into an engineering cooperation with the British ]Austin Motor Company
The Austin Motor Company Limited was an English manufacturer of motor vehicles, founded in 1905 by Herbert Austin in Longbridge. In 1952 it was merged with Morris Motors Limited in the new holding company British Motor Corporation (BMC) Limi ...
, and offered a Japanese-built Austin A40
A number of different automobiles were marketed under the Austin A40 name by Austin between 1947 and 1967.
Austin's naming scheme at that time derived from the approximate engine output, in horsepower. Therefore, the models were also given name ...
as their top-of-the-line model.
110 series
In 1955 Nissan revamped its passenger car products, begn with the Datsun
Datsun (, ) was an automobile brand owned by Nissan. Datsun's original production run began in 1931. From 1958 to 1986, only vehicles exported by Nissan were identified as Datsun. Nissan phased out the Datsun brand in March 1986, but relaunche ...
Sedan 110 series. It was introduced to Japan within a month of the introduction of the Toyota Crown
The is an automobile which has been produced by Toyota in Japan since 1955. It is primarily a line of mid-size luxury cars that is marketed as an upmarket offering in the Toyota lineup.
Introduced in 1955 as the Toyopet Crown, it has served ...
RS series, and was smaller than the Prince Sedan
The Prince Sedan was a Japanese compact executive car made from 1952 until 1957 by the Tama Motor Company (renamed the Prince Motor Company in November 1952), which was one of the successors of the Tachikawa Aircraft Company. It was replaced by t ...
introduced earlier in 1952 and the Subaru 1500
The Subaru 1500 is the first car built by Fuji Heavy Industries, with the development code-name of P1. The prototype used a monocoque body structure and adopting the " ponton" style appearance, with an independent front wishbone suspension and a ...
introduced in 1955. Sedans built in Japan during the 1950s were mostly intended to serve as taxis, and introduced mass production techniques, as opposed to earlier vehicles made using a slower hand-made process.
This sedan was designed to be compliant with the Japanese Government's dimension regulations passed in 1950. The engine displacement was kept below the 1000 cc designation to reduce the annual road tax
Road tax, known by various names around the world, is a tax which has to be paid on, or included with, a motorised vehicle to use it on a public road.
National implementations Australia
All states and territories require an annual vehicle registra ...
obligation, but more importantly, the engine displaced less than 910 cc as this was the upper limit for small taxis. Nissan did have an engineering relationship with the Austin Motor Company
The Austin Motor Company Limited was an English manufacturer of motor vehicles, founded in 1905 by Herbert Austin in Longbridge. In 1952 it was merged with Morris Motors Limited in the new holding company British Motor Corporation (BMC) Limi ...
.
The Datsun 110 series used the Nissan D10 type engine based on an original (albeit Austin 7
The Austin 7 is an economy car that was produced from 1923 until 1939 in the United Kingdom by Austin. It was nicknamed the "Baby Austin" and was at that time one of the most popular cars produced for the British market and sold well abroad. ...
inspired) design from before World War II. The engine is a water-cooled inline-four cylinder with two crankshaft bearings, side intake and exhaust valves, a displacement of 860 cc and with at 4000 rpm. Aside from not using the name, the A110 is the direct forerunner of the modern Bluebird line. Incremental changes were denoted by 112 and 113 codes – the 111 designation was skipped. The last model, introduced in June 1956, received an all-new, developed in-house gearbox. The earlier 110 and 112 had been using the four-speed, floor-mounted transmission from the Austin A40 Somerset
:''See Austin A40 for other A40 models.''
The Austin A40 Somerset is a automobile, motor car which was produced by the Austin Motor Company from 1952 until 1954. The Somerset replaced the Austin A40 Devon and, as a body-on-frame car, it was com ...
(then built under license by Nissan), but the new 113 received a column-shifted four-speed unit which narrowly allowed seating for three in front. The new unit was also lighter than the Austin one. Both units received synchronization on the top three gears only, as was the norm for the time.
The 110 series was available as a sedan or as the rare W110/112/113 station wagon, which had a horizontally split tail gate. There was also a K110 listed, a two-door cabrio coach
A cabrio coach or semi-convertible is a type of car that has a retractable textile roof, similar to a convertible/cabriolet. The difference is that where a convertible often has the B-pillar, C-pillar and other bodywork removed, the cabrio coac ...
version. Based on the 110 was the stronger duty 120 series (intended for commercial usage), also available as a two-door delivery van, as a double cab truck, or as a two-seater pickup truck – part of the Datsun truck
The Datsun Truck is a compact pickup truck made by Nissan in Japan from 1955 through 1997. It was originally sold under the Datsun brand, but this was switched to Nissan in 1983. It was replaced in 1997 by the Frontier and Navara. In Japan, i ...
lineage. The 110 series' body was manufactured by Nissan Motor Kantō, using steel from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
210/211 series
Although Nissan's own materials indicate that the Bluebird name emerged in 1959, some records show that the name first adorned a , four-door sedan in 1957, which was part of the company's 110/210 series. Its engine was based on an Austin design, as Nissan had been building the Austin A50 Cambridge under licence in the 1950s.
The 210 was known for doubling Nissan's production at the time and was the first Nissan to be exported to the United States. In some markets, this model was exported as the Datsun 1000. It was the first passenger car to be built in Taiwan, by the fledgling Yue Loong
Yulon Motor Co., Ltd. () is a Taiwanese automaker and importer. Taiwan's List of Taiwanese automakers, biggest automaker as of 2010, Yulon is known for building Nissan models under license. The original romanization of the company's name is Yue L ...
works, as the 1960 YLN 701 Bluebird. The 210 established an early reputation for reliability, with two of them winning the 1000 cc class in the 1958 Australia Mobilgas Rally, competing against the first generation Toyota Crown.
The 210 had succeeded the similar 110 series, which had been on sale since two years earlier. The Datsun 114 was introduced in October 1957 as a low cost option to the 210, mainly intended for taxi use.[ The 114 used the 210's body except for the grille and exterior trim, combined with the old 25 PS "D10" engine to stay beneath the 910 cc limit imposed by the government on small taxis. Nissan did consider manufacturing a 908 cc version of the new C engine but in the end chose to keep the old sidevalve unit in production instead.][ The 114 was succeeded by the Datsun 115, a corresponding lower specification version of the updated 211, which was similar to the 114 with the exception of a bigger rear window and slightly redesigned front turn signals. The same engine was used, but thanks to some improvements it now produced and it was called the "B-1" engine instead due to its new overhead valve architecture.] Small engine displacements also helped to keep the vehicle affordable, as the Japanese Government began to impose an annual road tax to help develop and maintain a national transportation infrastructure in 1950.
Subsequent models included the 211 (October 1958) which featured cosmetic changes, including twin taillights, a larger rear window, and chrome trim that extended to the rear fender. Power was increased somewhat, now up to at 4600 rpm. For export markets, mainly the United States and Australia, there was also a bigger engined version available. "P211" in internal parlance, it was marketed simply as the "Datsun 1200". It has the "E" engine which produces at 4800 rpm. There was also the 220-series of small trucks based on the 210.
File:1958 Datsun 1000 210.jpg, 1958 Datsun 1000 (210)
File:Datsun 1000.jpg, 1959 Datsun 1000 (211)
File:1958 Datsun 1000 210 rear.jpg, 1958 Datsun 1000 rear view
310/311/312 series
The Datsun Bluebird which debuted in August 1959 was an all-new car, and was available in Japan at the dealership sales channel '' Nissan Bluebird Store''. The 310 series had a 1 L engine from the 210 model. The 310 was built from 1960 to 1963. There were three models built: 310 (1960), 311 (1961), and 312 (1962–1963). In Taiwan it also replaced the 701 and was known as ''Yue Loong Bluebird 704''. The Datsun 312 was also sold in Korea. The 310 series was also built in South Africa at a factory in Rosslyn Pretoria in CKD form during 1962 and 1963. The model was also sold in New Zealand and was one of the first Japanese models available there, beginning in May 1962.
In July 1960, a five-door station wagon was added (WP310). The P310 was powered by the 1.2 L Nissan E engine
The Nissan E series name was used on two types of automobile engines. The first was an OHV line used in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. The second was an OHC version ranging from and was produced from 1981 till 1988. It was replaced by ...
. A smaller-engine version (simply called "310") was powered by the 1.0 L Nissan C engine
The Nissan C-series was an inline-four automobile engine produced in the 1950s and into the 1960s. It displaced 1.0 L (988 cc) and produced 37 hp (27.6 kW) and 47.7 to 49 lb·ft (64.7 to 66.4 Nm). It was a pushrod en ...
. The P311 and P312 (powered by the 60 hp 1.2 L Nissan E-1 engine) also had smaller-engined versions ("311" and "312") that were powered by the 45 hp 1.0 L Nissan C-1 engine. The 310 and 311 were equipped with a 3-speed manual transmission (fully synchronized for the 311 and 312). The station wagon was also available for the 311 and 312. The 312 was also available in a deluxe version (DP312). A trim model called the "Fancy Deluxe" (model code DP312-L) was marketed for the female driver; it featured a pale yellow exterior, pale yellow/grey interior, high heel shoe holder under the dash, a vanity mirror on the back of the driver's side sun visor, a turn signal relay that played music, curtains, automatic clutch, and bigger mirrors. By February 1961, a 1.2 L overhead-valve engine (codenamed E-1) became an option on a higher-trim DX model.
Styling tended to mimic larger American cars. A very small number did make it to the United States. This generation of Bluebird became one of the first Japanese cars to be sold in significant numbers in Europe, after Finland fully opened its doors to automobile imports in mid-1962. 700 were brought in, and by the time the 410-series had arrived, Datsun had passed SAAB
Saab or SAAB may refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB
** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB
* Saab Automobile, a fo ...
and Triumph
The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
in registrations. Although not very fast, the sturdy Datsun was well-suited to the rugged Finnish roads of the time.
File:Datsun Bluebird 1200 Deluxe rear.jpg, Datsun Bluebird sedan (310)
File:1963 Datsun Bluebird (WP312) Special station wagon (20895999998).jpg, Datsun Bluebird station wagon (WP312)
410/411 series
In September 1963, Nissan brought the Bluebird up-to-date with boxier styling (by Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930.
On 14 December 2015, the Indian mu ...
), resembling European designs, particularly the Lancia Fulvia
The Lancia Fulvia (Tipo 818) is an automobile produced by Lancia between 1963 and 1976. Named after Via Fulvia, the Roman road leading from Tortona to Turin, it was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1963 and manufactured in three variants: B ...
. The 410 was built from 1964 to 1967. The appearance appears to have had an influence on Nissan's first V8-powered Nissan President
The is a Japanese luxury sedan that manufactured and marketed by Nissan from 1965 to 2010 as a JDM luxury sedan, the flagship of Nissan's range, marketed at its ''Nissan Motor Store'' dealerships.
Initially marketed in the JDM, in the late ...
in 1965, and the Nissan Sunny
The is an automobile built by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1966 to 2006. In the early 1980s, the brand changed from Datsun to Nissan in line with other models by the company. Although production of the Sunny in Japan ended in 2006, the na ...
in 1966.
This generation Bluebird was introduced in time for the 1964 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...
as Nissan wanted to offer an all new, modern appearance in time for the games.
Two basic models were built: 410 (1964–1965) with a combination rear lamp set consisting of round and rectangular lenses, and 411 (1965–1967), which featured the same combination rear lamp set as the earlier 410 through 1966, changing to higher mounted rectangular tail light sets for 1967. On both, the rear direction indicators were red or amber, according to market – New Zealand, which allows either, took the 410 with both and the 411 with red only. This Bluebird was one of the first Japanese car lines assembled in New Zealand, initially imported under a tariff/duty arrangement allowing 300 cars a year (the so-called '300 Club') with CKD kits built up by Motor Holdings at Mount Wellington in Auckland. The 410 series sedan and station wagon plus a light delivery van was assembled in South Africa at a factory in Rosslyn Pretoria. These cars were all in CKD format.
A sporting model, the Bluebird SS, was launched in Japan in March 1964, with a tuned 1.2 L engine. The SS was originally available only in a four-door configuration (MTK), but a two-door (RTK) joined about a year later. Two versions of the SS were built: the DP410-MTK/RTK and the DP411-MTK/RTK. The DP410 was powered by a version of the 1.2 L Nissan E-1 engine. The double-carburetted version of the J13 powered the DP411. All SS models were equipped with a four-speed manual transmission.
Initially, only a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon were in the range, but a two-door was added in September 1964. The two-door SS was launched in February 1965. The 410 and 411 were also available in a deluxe version (DP410 and DP411). A "Fancy Deluxe" version was also available in the home market. A DP411 SSS was entered in motor sport by the Datsun factory in South Africa and was used as test car for Nissan Japan. A Datsun DP411 SSS was also entered in the 1964 Monte Carlo rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially ''Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo'') is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. The rally now takes place along the French Riviera in Monaco and southeast ...
, where it was driven by a South African, Ewold van Bergen.
To minimize production costs for export, the windshield wipers
A windscreen wiper, windshield wiper, wiper blade (American English), or simply wiper, is a device used to remove rain, snow, ice, washer fluid, water, or debris from a vehicle's front window. Almost all motor vehicles, including cars, tru ...
used a pattern where the wipers started in the center and wiped towards the edge of the windshield, instead of from the passenger side towards the driver.
In May 1965 the base engine was enlarged to a downtuned version of the 1.3 L unit already used in the 411-series SS, now with a single (twin-barrel) carb and developing at 5,200 rpm. The transmission remained a three-speed. The SS was downtuned somewhat, now with but still with the four-speed unit. More excitingly, a twin-carb 1.6 L SSS model was launched the same month, with no less than . This began a line of famous Nissans in Japan, with the Bluebird SSS a mainstay of the range until its deletion in 2001.
As usual, a pickup truck version was developed and sold in parallel. For some reason it broke with the earlier standard of simply changing the second digit of the chassis code to a "2", instead labelling it the 520. The commercial-use 520 further marked the divergence of Datsun's Bluebird and truck lines as it continued to be available until 1972. Later versions received a modernized front end, similar to the contemporary 510 Bluebird.
In the United States, only the four-door sedan and wagon were offered; the two-door was never available. The 1.6-litre, featuring the same R16 engine as the SP(L)311 Roadster, was only available in 1967. The 1.2 and 1.3 410 and 411 series' had a manual gearbox, while the 1.6-litre was available as either a manual or automatic. The cars were labeled ''DATSUN'', with no mention of Bluebird either on the car or in the owner's manual.
In Taiwan the Bluebird 410 was built and sold as the ''Yue Loong YLN-705B''.
510 series
Launched in August 1967, it was one of the most comprehensive Bluebird ranges in terms of body styles: a two-door sedan, a four-door sedan, a five-door station wagon, and a two-door coupé (added in November 1968). The "510" still enjoys considerable fame in the U.S.
Like its predecessors, the 510 Bluebird line was imported into New Zealand, this time as a single 1.6-litre, four-speed manual Deluxe model, assembled from CKD kits by Campbell Industries (later Toyota New Zealand Thames assembly plant). Local content included glass, radiator, upholstery, carpet, paint, wiring and numerous other items. A few automatic and twin carburettor SSS versions were imported built-up from Japan, primarily for buyers who had access to funds overseas and could utilise the country's 'no remittance' new car purchase scheme to avoid lengthy waiting lists.
The trim designation "SS" was changed to "SSS" as General Motors was already using the term for performance branded Chevrolet products called the Super Sport starting in 1961.
The P510 sedan and coupé were built in South Africa retoriafrom 1969 to 1974 and had the L16 engine, available as 1600 SSS (twin carbs) and as the single carbed 1600 DeLuxe. An automatic gearbox model was also available for the DeLuxe range. The factory also made two versions of the two-door coupé. They were a 1600GL and a 1800GL. The 1600GL had a single carburetor or twin carbs and 1800 cc cars had twin carbs. The 1600 SSS was also used in motorsport as test cars for Nissan Japan. The cars were used in numerous motorsport rallies by Ewold van Bergen from Pretoria, South Africa, who was a test engineer for Nissan Japan.
610 series
The 610 series was launched in Japan in August 1971 and was badged as the Datsun Bluebird-U. The meaning behind the U suffix is "User Oriented", to signify the higher comfort levels than 510 predecessor could muster. A domestic advertising campaign used the catch-line "Bluebird U – Up You!", and was short-lived due to the innuendo. The 610 was one of the first Nissan products to adopt a popular styling appearance, called "coke bottle
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
" which appeared internationally during the 1960s and 1970s, an appearance shared with the larger Nissan Cedric
The is a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family. In later years, the Nissan Skyline was posi ...
, as both vehicles were available at Japanese Nissan dealerships called '' Nissan Bluebird Store''. The SSS hardtop coupe was the first Nissan to adopt the new bodystyle, and subsequent Nissan products soon offered the appearance in both 2- and 4-door versions for several decades.
For the Japanese domestic market, the 610 was pitted against the second generation Toyota Corona Mark II
The is a compact, later mid-size sedan manufactured and marketed in Japan by Toyota between 1968 and 2004. Prior to 1972, the model was marketed as the Toyota Corona Mark II. In some export markets, Toyota marketed the vehicle as the Toyota Cres ...
. Also in Japan, the 610 was initially sold alongside the 510 but eventually replaced the 510. 610s were available as a four-door, two-door hardtop, and a five-door wagon/light van. Trim levels in Japan were GL (Grand Luxe), SSS (Super Sports Sedan), DX (Deluxe) or STD (Standard). It borrowed its suspension and drive train from the outgoing 510, with some modifications. Likewise, the 610 four-door and two-door retained the class-leading, independent rear trailing arm design, while the wagon reused the rear live axle with leaf springs from the 510 wagon.
Whether four or six-cylinder models, all 610s were equipped with Nissan's L-series inline engines. In many export markets, including UK, Europe, and Australia, the 610 was badged as the 160B or 180B with respect to particular engine displacement. The Bluebird name also often appeared in advertising and in brochures. In the UK the popularity of the 160B/180B/180B SSS Coupe range further strengthened Datsun's position as the leading Japanese importer. As a result of Japanese Government passage of emission control regulations, Nissan introduced their emissions technology in 1975, using a badge that said "Nissan NAPS
NAPS stands for Nissan Anti Pollution System a moniker used in Japan to identify vehicles built with emission control technology. The technology was installed so that their vehicles would be in compliance with Japanese Government emission regulati ...
" (Nissan Anti Pollution System) on vehicles thus equipped. Most 610s worldwide came equipped with either a four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic transmission, but a five-speed manual transmission was available in the Japanese and Australian markets.
As with the 510, the SSS trim included miscellaneous sport options and a higher output engine with twin-Hitachi carburetors. A Japan-only SSS-E model was equipped with Bosch-licensed electronic fuel injection
Manifold injection is a mixture formation system for internal combustion engines with external mixture formation. It is commonly used in engines with spark ignition that use petrol as fuel, such as the Otto engine, and the Wankel engine. In a mani ...
, and so was one of the first, mass-produced Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
vehicles to be sold without a carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...
. Another 610 never exported was the inline-six U-2000 GT and U-2000 GTX (nicknamed "shark-nose" in Japanese), which shows some visual similarities to the Pontiac GTO
The Pontiac GTO is an automobile that was manufactured by American automaker Pontiac from 1963 to 1974 for the 1964 to 1974 model years, and by GM's subsidiary Holden in Australia for the 2004 to 2006 model years.
The first generation of the G ...
and Oldsmobile Cutlass
The Oldsmobile Cutlass was a series of automobiles produced by General Motors' Oldsmobile division between 1961 and 1999. At its introduction, the Cutlass was Oldsmobile's entry-level model; it began as a unibody compact car, but saw its greates ...
. Called the G610, it came with a stretched front end to accommodate the longer engine and featured a different grill and other aesthetic modifications. This model was not available as a wagon
A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people.
Wagons are immediately distinguished from ...
. The most powerful GTX-E received fuel injection and .
The 610 Bluebird received a facelift in 1974, with prominent turn signals mounted on the front corners and with a more squared off grille as well as new taillamps. The SSS models now had styled steel wheels without hubcaps. New equipment such as a remote trunk opener, interval wipers, a central handbrake (rather than the earlier "umbrella style" one), and new interior materials accompanied the external changes, while the engines were now capable of meeting the most recent emissions regulations, marketed as Nissan NAPS
NAPS stands for Nissan Anti Pollution System a moniker used in Japan to identify vehicles built with emission control technology. The technology was installed so that their vehicles would be in compliance with Japanese Government emission regulati ...
.[ This means that the 610 was available with three different front ends: original, facelift, and the "shark-nose" six-cylinder front. A minor upgrade to the front suspension (offset strut tops) for the 610 led to slightly improved handling before the introduction of the 810.
;Australia
In Australia, Datsun released the locally produced 180B in October 1972 as a four-door sedan in Deluxe and GL trims, and a two-door SSS coupe.] The engine fitted was the 1.8-liter ''L18'' engine paired to a four-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission; Datsun upgraded the SSS to a five-speed manual in 1975. Over the base Deluxe, GL models added: vinyl roof, radio with separate speaker, upgraded interior upholstery and trim, cut-pile interior carpeting, chrome exhaust extension, rear mounted GL badge, and whitewall tyres. In early 1974, wrap-around front indicators, new tail-lights and cabin trim changes heralded a range-wide facelift, while a fully imported (not locally manufactured) luxury GX sedan arrived in November 1974.
The GX model could only be differentiated on the exterior by its grille, wipers and badges, although the interior gained luxuries such as cloth inserts for the vinyl upholstery and a three-way adjustable driving seat (fore/aft, recline, thigh support). A GX wagon followed in June 1975, followed by a minor trim and grille facelift in 1976. The 180B proved popular right to its discontinuation in October 1977, when the P810 200B range arrived in Australia.
;North America
In the United States and Canada, the car was sold simply as the "Datsun 610". The four-door sedans, a two-door hardtop coupé, and a five-door station wagon were available, and were marketed as a more luxurious and larger product than the 510
__NOTOC__
Year 510 ( DX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severinus without colleague (or, less frequently ...
. For 1973 and 1974, North America was the only market outside Japan to have its 610 HT models equipped with the unique, six-bulb tail lights that covered the entire rear panel, requiring the license plate to be mounted below the rear bumper. The car originally received criticisms for elevated noise levels and engine drivability problems; Nissan responded with engine improvements during 1973 and a new engine for 1974, mounted on new engine mounts to lower noise and vibration. The window seals were also modified, to lower wind noise.
While the original Datsun 610 had a 1770 cc L18 engine, 1974–1976 610s received the larger 2.0-liter L20B engine (as did the Datsun 710 from 1975), although with only (SAE Net).[ The federalized 2.0 thus produced less than what was claimed for a Japanese market 1.6.][ California-spec cars have . The federal/Canadian version took leaded fuel and depended on an EGR system for pollution control, while the California cars have a ]catalytic converter
A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device that converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction. Catalytic converters are usually ...
and require unleaded gasoline. Gross horsepower ratings are 110 and 107 respectively. The 1974s also received larger bumpers mounted on hydraulic cylinders to meet new safety standards, increasing weight by about and making the car longer.[ The additional weight meant performance still suffered moderately (while fuel consumption dropped by about ten percent) from the higher weight and additional emissions equipment.][
Until the 1977 introduction of the six-cylinder ]810
__NOTOC__
Year 810 ( DCCCX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Byzantine Empire
* Spring – The Venetian dukes change sides again, submitting to Kin ...
, the 610 was Datsun's largest car sold in North America.
;New Zealand
New Zealand market cars initially were a single 1.8-litre 180B sedan, again with four-speed manual transmission and assembled from CKD kits under contract by Campbell's. A three-speed automatic – using a transmission made by Nissan Japan subsidiary JATCO – was later added as a factory option. Relaxed restrictions on car assembly kit imports and increasing affluence in NZ meant Campbell's, which also assembled Toyota, Renault, Rambler, Hino, Isuzu and Peugeot models over the years, could not meet demand so Nissan-Datsun (NZ) contracted Chrysler/Mitsubishi importer Todd Motors to assemble additional manual 180Bs at its Porirua factory alongside the Chrysler Valiant, Hunter, Avenger and Alpine model ranges and Mitsubishi Lancer sedan and Colt Galant coupe. The Todd-built cars gave Datsun dealers a new range of paint colours all different from those Campbell's offered.
;Racing history
A 610 four-door participated in the 1972 and 1973 East African Safari Rally
The Safari Rally is a rally held in Kenya. It was first held in 1953 as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The event was part of the World Rally Championship from 1973 until 2002, before returning in 2021. It is historically ...
. Bob Sharp drove his 610 HT race car to second place overall in the American SCCA B Sedan Championship for 1973 and 1974. The same car achieved a first place for the 1976 SCCA B-Sedan Championship but with Elliot Forbes-Robinson
Elliott Forbes-Robinson (born October 31, 1943 in La Crescenta, California) is a road racing race car driver. He is known for his race wins and championships in many different series, including the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), Super Vee, Trans ...
driving.
710 series
Shortly after the introduction of the 610, Nissan launched a new line of slightly smaller cars January 1973 utilizing parts and styling cues from the 610. This new line of cars was sold in various markets as the Datsun
Datsun (, ) was an automobile brand owned by Nissan. Datsun's original production run began in 1931. From 1958 to 1986, only vehicles exported by Nissan were identified as Datsun. Nissan phased out the Datsun brand in March 1986, but relaunche ...
140J/160J, Datsun Violet, or Datsun 710. In Japan, it was exclusive to '' Nissan Cherry Store'' Japanese dealerships as a larger companion to the smaller Nissan Cherry
The Datsun Cherry (チェリー), known later as the Nissan Cherry, was a series of subcompact cars which formed Nissan's first front-wheel drive supermini model line.
The Cherry featured the front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. The Cherry l ...
, thereby giving Nissan the opportunity to sell a Bluebird-sized vehicle at a different sales channel. The use of the 710 name was a source of confusion because it implied that the model was either a larger, upscale version of the 610 (it was the opposite) or a newer model in the Bluebird line. This car was built at various international plants and was marketed under different names as local conditions required. As the Bluebirds traditional cross-town rival, the Toyota Corona split into a new model called the Toyota Carina
The is an automobile which was manufactured by Toyota from December 1970 to December 2001. It was introduced as a sedan counterpart of the Celica, with which it originally shared a platform. Later, it was realigned to the Corona platform, but re ...
, the Violet appeared just under three years after the Carina did.
810 series
The 810 was introduced in July 1976. Engine options were largely carried over, with all petrol engines offered in Japan meeting the 1976 emissions requirements thanks to Nissan's NAPS system. Styling was an evolution of the 610s, with slightly squared off features but retaining a slight "coke bottle
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
" shape. No two-door sedan was available, but the four-door sedan, two-door hardtop coupé (SSS Coupé) and five-door station wagon were offered. As usual, the wagon was mainly sold as a "light van" in Japan, meaning that it was engineered with cargo in mind and had a live, leaf-sprung rear axle rather than the independent rear suspension of the saloons and coupés.
The Bluebird 810 was sold in export markets as the Datsun 160B/180B/200B and as the Datsun 810
The Datsun 810 is a mid-size car that was sold in North America by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Datsun between February 1977 and 1981. Datsun based the first generation—sold for model years 1977 to 1980—on the four-cylinder Datsun Blu ...
.[ Australian magazine '']Wheels
A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be ...
'' called the 200B 'a 180B with 20 more mistakes.' The heavy-looking and rather outdated 810 did not sell very well and Nissan responded by accelerating work on the next generation Bluebird (910), leaving the 810 in production for only three years and four months.
In Japan the range gradually received upgraded motors which could pass the 1978 emissions standards; these models carry 811 series chassis numbers. Japanese market 811-series vehicles replaced the Bluebird badge on the rear decklid with a NAPS badge, identifying emission control technology as having been installed. The process of meeting the 1978 standards began in October 1977 and continued until August 1978 and meant replacing the earlier L-series engines with the new crossflow Z engines, based on the L. From March 1979 until the end of production in November that year, the NAPS badge was once again removed from passenger cars (although taxis featured a "NAPS-Z" badge as they were now equipped with the new Z engine).
In Japan there continued to be a six-cylinder version of the Bluebird available. As before, this received a longer wheelbase and nose, while retaining the rear end of the regular Bluebird range. The Bluebird G6 used a carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...
for the base model and fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All comp ...
for the sporty version. The 2.0 L engine was good for JIS depending on fuel feed. In August 1978 the Bluebird G4 was introduced (PD811), a 1.8-litre four-cylinder model fitted with the long-nose bodywork.
Europe (160B/180B)
At this time, with several UK auto-producers such as British Leyland
British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...
losing market share, Datsun had grabbed the headlines as the UK's leading car importer. The magazine ''Autocar'' road tested a 180B Bluebird and recorded a top speed of along with a 0–60 mph (0 – 97 km/h) time of 13.6 seconds. The Datsun's overall fuel consumption for the test was 27.7 mpg (10.2 L/100 km).[ For all three of these performance measurements, it was marginally better than the Ford Cortina 1600 GL which continued to dominate this sector in the UK, but both cars were beaten for speed and acceleration (though not for fuel economy) by the relatively crude Morris Marina 1.8HL.][ It was probably more significant that the Bluebird had a manufacturer's recommended retail price, including sales taxes, of £2950 as against £3263 for the Ford and £3315 for the Morris.][ The testers found the car matched the competition in most respects, though the brakes were criticised for being "not up to current standards".][
In Europe, the 160B claimed , while the larger-engined 180B had to offer. The sporting SSS model had to make do with a very modest power increase; two more horsepower for .
]
Australia (200B)
Introduced in October 1977 in Australia, the first 200Bs were all fully imported in sedan, station wagon
A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...
and coupe
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
forms, the latter retaining the SSS badge. In January 1978 local assembly began for the sedan, followed shortly by the wagon. The sedan trim levels were GL and GX. While the coupe remained a hardtop
A hardtop is a rigid form of automobile roof, which for modern cars is typically constructed from metal. A hardtop roof can be either fixed (i.e. not removable), Convertible#Detachable hardtop, detachable for separate storing or retractable ha ...
, Datsun added an opera window
An opera window is a small fixed window usually behind the rear side window of an automobile. They are typically mounted in the C-pillar of some cars. The design feature was popular during the 1970s and early 1980s and adopted by domestic U.S. m ...
in the rear pillar. The coupe was discontinued in Australia in 1979. The engine used is a larger version of the L series engine from the preceding 180B. Dubbed the L20B its capacity was increased to 1952 cc, making it good for .
Almost immediately the 200B became Australia's top selling four-cylinder car, a position it held until it was displaced by the Mitsubishi Sigma
Mitsubishi Sigma is a model name that was used by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors between 1976 and 1996. Mitsubishi has utilized the "Sigma" name on several different vehicles based on Mitsubishi Galant and Mitsubishi Dia ...
. Its popularity however remained strong right through the production run, family buyers appreciative of the plentiful interior room and standard features. It may have been somewhat conservatively styled, but the effort Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
had put into the engineering of the car made it reliable and tough, qualities most Australians rated higher than a more advanced design.
Only the early fully imported 200B sedans and coupés retained the independent rear suspension from the 180B, locally assembled 200B sedans instead switched to coil spring
A selection of conical coil springs
The most common type of spring is the coil spring, which is made out of a long piece of metal that is wound around itself.
Coil springs were in use in Roman times, evidence of this can be found in bronze Fib ...
s with a live axle, while the wagon (imported from Japan) had a live axle
A beam axle, rigid axle or solid axle is a dependent suspension design in which a set of wheels is connected laterally by a single beam or shaft. Beam axles were once commonly used at the rear wheels of a vehicle, but historically they have als ...
in the rear with leaf spring
A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. Originally called a ''laminated'' or ''carriage spring'', and sometimes referred to as a semi-elliptical spring, elliptical spring, or cart spring, it ...
s. Seen as a giant step backwards, the reason for the change was certainly not a cost-cutting measure, but simply the need for Nissan to reach an 85% local content quota that the then Federal Government demanded of Australian car manufacturers. However, in practice the live rear axle, being an Australian development, proved to actually benefit the car's overall handling dynamics.
The 2-litre overhead cam engine could be loud at high revs, and there were drive line vibration issues. A correction programme was instituted by the parent company in Japan.
A sportier version of the 200B sedan was released in June 1978. The new SX featured a revised grille, front spoiler, alloy wheels, revised door and seat trim (striped seat inserts) and tachometer, while the suspension was altered to improve handling. The colours available for this model were simply blue, white or red, and the only transmission available was a 4-speed floor shift. Significantly the SX was a unique model to Australia, the added input from Nissan's Australian design engineers signified a step away from just assembling cars. This in turn led to the locally built Datsuns, and later Nissans, being re-engineered to better suit Australian conditions, with many components being sourced locally a tradition that would continue right up until 1992, when Nissan ceased local manufacture.
In October 1979, the 200B was revised with a new grille, bumpers, seats, trim, and dashboard. The seats were a unique Australian design for the locally built cars. This facelift was penned by Paul Beranger
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
, a former Holden
Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last thre ...
designer – years later he would style the 2006 Toyota Aurion
The Toyota Aurion is a mid-size car produced by Toyota in Australia and parts of Asia from 2006 to 2017. In the two generations it was produced, the Aurion was derived from the equivalent Camry. Changes were mainly limited to revised front- an ...
.
In 1980, a limited edition 200B Aspen GL sedan was released featuring distinctive shadow tone paint available in green, blue, or grey. The 200B was discontinued in May 1981, replaced by the Datsun Bluebird
The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush (bird), thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in t ...
. Australian comedy band, Tripod, have written a song about the 200B, called "200B."
New Zealand (160B/180B/200B)
This model was also released to New Zealand in 1977, assembled CKD in 4-door sedan and 5-door wagon forms. A coupe model was also released, imported built-up from Japan. Unlike the Australian models the sedans used the independent rear suspension system of the Japanese specification models. This Bluebird was the first to be assembled in Nissan New Zealand's own brand-new assembly plant at Wiri, South Auckland. For the first two years of assembly the cars were fitted with a 1.8-litre unit, hence they used the ''180B'' nameplate. Automatic transmission was optional for both. Nissan also added its first luxury ZX version with this generation – features included velour upholstery, 'luxury' cut-pile carpet sourced locally and tinted glass. There was also, for the first time in Kiwi assembly, a wagon variant with mid-range trim and equipment.
During 1979 a number of changes were made on the car, namely an engine enlargement to 2.0 (leading to a renaming of the car to ''200B''), and a mild facelift, using new dual rectangular headlights and a new grille. Due to New Zealand's favour for smaller-engined models, a 1.6-litre ''160B'' variant was also introduced.
Production of the New Zealand 160/200B continued until late 1980, when it was replaced by the Datsun Bluebird (910).
North America (810)
In North America, Datsun marketed the 810 series Bluebird sold as the Datsun 810
The Datsun 810 is a mid-size car that was sold in North America by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Datsun between February 1977 and 1981. Datsun based the first generation—sold for model years 1977 to 1980—on the four-cylinder Datsun Blu ...
from February 1977 to 1980—the direct ancestor of the long running Datsun/Nissan Maxima range. The Datsun 810 model line began with the six-cylinder Nissan Bluebird 2000G6 sold in Japan. With a longer nose than the regular Bluebird, to accommodate a longer inline-six engine, it was powered by two versions of the SOHC
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...
'' L-series'' I6 engine: a 2.0 L displacement for the Japanese market and a 2.4 L24E unit for the US market. The bigger American engine could reach 125 hp SAE
SAE or Sae may refer to:
Science and technology
:
* Selective area epitaxy, local growth of epitaxial layer through a patterned dielectric mask deposited on a semiconductor substrate
* Serious adverse event, in a clinical trial
* Simultaneous Auth ...
(93 kW). The sport version channeled power through a four-speed manual transmission
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...
for the sedan and wagon, five-speed transmission for the coupe. These cars were rear-wheel drive
Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars.
Most rear-wheel ...
and had a semi-trailing arm rear suspension. The station wagon
A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...
variant, only sold in North America, had a rear live axle to handle extra weight. Some fuel-injected versions had automatic transmissions.
The 2-door coupé version was introduced in North America in January 1979 for the 1979 model year. Around the same time, the 810 received an exterior refresh. The coupé version was never available in second generation 810/Maximas. The new Datsun 280ZX
The Nissan S130 is a sports coupé produced by Nissan in Japan from 1978 until 1983. It was sold as the Datsun 280ZX, Nissan Fairlady Z and Nissan Fairlady 280Z, depending on the market. In Japan, it was exclusive to Nissan Bluebird Store locatio ...
did not share much of the 810's chassis as thought, though the 810 was not available with that Z car's larger 2.8 L engine. The first use of the "Maxima" name happened on a domestic Japanese market luxury version of the Stanza
In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or Indentation (typesetting), indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme scheme, rhyme and ...
, in August 1977.
910 series
The Bluebird 910, the last of the rear-wheel drive Bluebirds, featured simple clean-cut lines, unlike the "Coke Bottle" styling of its predecessor.[Martin Lewis, A-Z of Cars of the 1980s, 1994, page 102] It did however retain the same engine range, the same MacPherson strut suspension and the same wheelbase as the 810.[ Starting with this generation, in Japan the Bluebird returned to offering only four-cylinder vehicles, and the six-cylinder Bluebird was replaced by the ]Nissan Skyline
The is a brand of automobile originally produced by the Prince Motor Company starting in 1957, and then by Nissan after the two companies merged in 1967. After the merger, the Skyline and its larger counterpart, the Nissan Gloria, were sold in ...
based Nissan Leopard
The Nissan Leopard is a line of sport/luxury cars built by Japanese carmaker Nissan. The Leopard began life in 1980 and was discontinued in 1999. The Leopard were initially based on the Japanese market Nissan Skyline and Nissan Laurel, then later ...
at ''Nissan Bluebird Store'' Japanese dealerships. Bluebirds of this generation were renowned for reliability but rusted away in salted areas long before the engine gave trouble. Nissan realigned with the Japanese Stanza/Auster/Violet sedans which were assigned to individual Japanese Nissan dealerships.
This car was also assembled in Australia, in South Africa, in Taiwan, and in New Zealand. This generation was also the basis of the North American Datsun/Nissan 810 Maxima from 1980 onwards.
In Europe, the Bluebird was joined in 1981 by the similar-sized Stanza
In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or Indentation (typesetting), indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme scheme, rhyme and ...
, which gave Nissan buyers the alternative option of front-wheel drive and a hatchback body style for the first time, as front-wheel drive hatchbacks were by now overtaking rear-wheel drive saloons in popularity.
U11 series
The Bluebird was modified to front-wheel drive in October 1983, but retained the boxy styling of its predecessor. At the time, Nissan's design chief believed this method of styling would remain popular. Even though every panel was changed and most details were considerably smoother, the drag coefficient remained a fairly high 0.39.
The range was offered in four-door sedan, four-door hardtop, and five-door station wagon forms. The coupé was deleted, and the hardtop sedan is rarely seen outside Japan.
This model was offered in Europe for only two years before Nissan began building the Auster
Auster Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1938 to 1961.Willis, issue 122, p.55
History
The company began in 1938 at the Britannia Works, Thurmaston near Leicester, England, as Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Limited, ma ...
as the Bluebird at its newly opened plant in the UK in 1986. Certain Bluebird models (diesels and station wagons) continued to be offered alongside the T12 "Bluebird" in some markets. As usual, the Bluebird received ample standard equipment in European markets. In some markets, the petrol 2.0 was only available coupled to an automatic gearbox.['' Le Moniteur de l'Automobile'' (no. 793), p. 18]
Although the U11 sedans were replaced for the 1988 model year, the station wagon continued to be built until 1990. The six-cylinder Maxima also continued to be built (without the "Bluebird" portion of the name from May 1987) until October 1988, when an all-new Maxima appeared. Most of the wagons sold in Japan were to commercial vehicle specifications, but a plusher Wagon was also offered. The "Bluebird Wagon SSS Turbo Wingroad" had a 1.8-liter inline-four. It was the first car to receive the " Wingroad" name, in September 1987. The wagons/vans were built until May 1990, when they were replaced by the Nissan Avenir
The Nissan Avenir is a line of station wagons beginning production in May 1990 by Nissan of Japan, with the budget oriented delivery van starting out as the Avenir Cargo, then being renamed the Nissan Expert ( ja) in 1999. The Avenir replaced the ...
( Primera wagon in most export markets).
The range was available with 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 L petrol engines, with the 1.8-litre four available with an optional turbocharger. The VG20ET V6 was offered for the first time in Japan in 1984, in a model with an extended front end, called the Bluebird Maxima. This 2-litre V6 was available naturally aspirated or as an intercooled turbo. The U11 Maxima featured a larger 3.0 L VG30E
The VG engine family consists of V6 engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series was introduced in 1983, becoming Nissan's and Japan's first mass-produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2 ...
. There were also naturally aspirated or turbocharged 2-litre diesels. Counterintuitively, the turbodiesel had better gas mileage in standardized test cycles, presumably due to it being less stressed – as long as one did not take full advantage of its better performance.[
]
Australia continued with the 910 series, which was facelifted in 1985. New Zealand marketing for the U11 proclaimed the vehicle as the 'Widetrack Bluebird', to differentiate it from its very similar-looking predecessor. Several Wiri-assembled models including a wagon were offered with 1.6 (base) or two-litre carburettor engines. The alloy head castings all had an unused location for a second spark plug per cylinder, as twin-plug, fuel-injected versions of the same engines were used in certain markets (US, Japan, Scandinavia) with stricter emission laws.
In the United Kingdom, the following versions were offered:
* 1.8 DX (1984–86)
* 2.0 GL/GL estate/SGL (1984–86)
* 1.8 Turbo ZX (1984–86)
The U11 was sold as the ''Yue Loong Bluebird 921 / 923 '' in Taiwan.
T12/T72 series
The T12 and the later T72 Nissan Bluebird, is a third-generation Auster
Auster Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1938 to 1961.Willis, issue 122, p.55
History
The company began in 1938 at the Britannia Works, Thurmaston near Leicester, England, as Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Limited, ma ...
, rebadged and sold in Europe. The T12 was introduced in Europe in 1985 as a replacement for the U11 Bluebird. From July 1986, the T12 was assembled from parts shipped in from Japan, at Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, England. The saloon versions (four-door) were available first and the hatchback (five-door) became available in January 1987.
U12 series
Nissan replaced the boxy U11 in September 1987 with the U12 series, offered in four-door sedan and four-door hardtop body types. It was designed to have a rounded appearance in comparison to the previous generation. The hardtop sedan was later fitted with a center "B" pillar structure to increase body stiffness. The top level car was the V6 VG20ET "Bluebird Maxima" station wagon from the previous generation U11 series and was still in production at the introduction of this generation.
The various grade configurations included the traditional "SSS" (SSS / twincam SSS / twincam SSS-X). In addition to the SSS series, the Bluebird wagon was replaced by the Nissan Avenir
The Nissan Avenir is a line of station wagons beginning production in May 1990 by Nissan of Japan, with the budget oriented delivery van starting out as the Avenir Cargo, then being renamed the Nissan Expert ( ja) in 1999. The Avenir replaced the ...
, and the sedans (LE / SE Saloon / XE Sedan / Super-select) were also available. The entry level 1600LE (five-speed manual transmission) started out at ¥1,198,000 to the top level Twin Cam Turbo 1800 cc offered on the SSS Attesa Limited (four-speed automatic) starting at ¥2,998,000 in sedan, and Hard Top bodystyles and boasted a wide variety of equipment and different combinations and grades. At the time of introduction, there was also the limited production SSS-R model, with lowered weight and a special high-power engine as well as oversized extra headlamps and racing livery.
Innovations for the U12 included the introduction of Nissan's mechanical four-wheel-drive system, called ATTESA
ATTESA (acronym for Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain) is a four-wheel drive system used in some automobiles produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan, including some models under its luxury marque Infiniti.
The 'mechani ...
and the ever-popular SR20DET engine which was introduced in the series 2 (HNU12) bluebirds (1989–1991). With the Maxima having been spun off into its own range, U12 Bluebirds were all four-cylinder models, with either a 1.6-, 1.8-, or 2.0-liter petrol engine and also the option of the LD20 2.0-liter diesel. The sports and luxury versions came with a factory viscous LSD. Nissan made a turbocharged Bluebird from 1987 to 1990 named the RNU12, using the 1809 cc DOHC
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...
CA18DET that was sold in Japan and New Zealand. It, too used the ATTESA system.
In October 1989 the U12 Bluebird was facelifted, receiving new rear lamps and other minor external changes. More importantly, the 1.8-liter engines were switched from the somewhat noisy old CA family to the new SR engines displacing 1.8 or 2.0 liters. The base 1.6 engine remained the carburetted CA16S. There was only a single 1.8, the single-point injected SR18Di with , a significant increase over the CA18i. This was also available with the ATTESA system, in either XE or SE trim. Beginning in November 1990, Nissan managed to fit an FE ATTESA trim level between the two existing ones.
In May 1991 the "Bluebird Aussie" went on sale, a rebadged Pintara Superhatch (see below for Australian production). It only remained on sale until the next generation Bluebird was introduced in August 1991, and so only 1,300 of these cars were sold in Japan. Unlike Australian-market cars, the Bluebird Aussie came equipped with a Japanese-spec SR20DE engine.
Export markets
The U12 was also sold in North America as the Nissan Stanza
In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have eithe ...
.
;Australia and New Zealand
This model was sold as the Nissan Pintara in Australia, replacing a larger Skyline-based model, from 1989 to 1993. There, it had been codenamed ‘Project Matilda’, leading the press to speculate it was a car developed uniquely for Australia — which was not the case. In Japan, a four-door sedan and four-door hardtop were offered, although Nissan of Australia did create a five-door Pintara 'Superhatch' model that was sold as the Bluebird in some export markets, including New Zealand. It was marketed as the 'Bluebird Aussie' in Japan, selling complete with a fluffy little koala, an Australian flag under the clock and other small touches.
Australian models came with the CA20E SOHC 2.0l EFI and KA24E SOHC 2.4l EFI motors. Sadly for Nissan Australia, Project Matilda was not the success it had hoped, even with a twin built for Ford Australia
Ford Motor Company of Australia Limited (known by its trading name Ford Australia) is the Australian subsidiary of United States-based automaker Ford Motor Company. It was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Comp ...
called the Corsair
A corsair is a privateer or pirate, especially:
* Barbary corsair, Ottoman and Berber pirates and privateers operating from North Africa
* French corsairs, privateers operating on behalf of the French crown
Corsair may also refer to:
Arts and ...
, which was even less successful. This led to the collapse of Nissan’s Australian manufacturing operations in the early 1990s. Most of the early Bluebirds of this generation sold in New Zealand were again assembled locally from CKD kits, as had been the case with almost all NZ-bound cars since the first generation in the early 1960s. The Japanese-made, NZ-assembled cars were replaced by Australian made U12 sedans at 'facelift' time though the Kiwi-built wagon, a body variant not made in Australia, carried on. NZ trim levels included SGS and ZX; like rival Toyota Australia, Nissan Australia, which ceased local manufacturing in 1994, was willing to build uniquely specified and badged models for its trans-Tasman customer.
Trim levels of the Australian U12 Pintara were as follows:
*GLi: 2.0 L manual 5 speed, high mounted brake light, AM/FM radio cassette
*Executive: 2.0 L auto 4-speed, as above plus, power steering, remote boot release
*T: 2.4 L manual or auto, as above plus 4-wheel disc brakes, tacho, split fold rear seat
*Ti: 2.4 L manual or auto, as above plus limited slip differential, cruise control, climate control, central locking, electric windows, graphic equaliser, fog lamps, alloy wheels
*TRX: 2.4 L manual or auto, as above plus sports seats, sports suspension, body kit, alarm, 6Jx14" alloy wheels (all other models have 5.5Jx14" wheels)
All models were available as a 4-door sedan and 5-door hatch, except the TRX, which was only available as a 4-door sedan. The Ford Corsair was available as a GL (CA20 engine) and Ghia (KA24, similar features as the Ti).
;Malaysia
Local assemblers Tan Chong were losing the low-cost market to local upstart Proton
A proton is a stable subatomic particle, symbol , H+, or 1H+ with a positive electric charge of +1 ''e'' elementary charge. Its mass is slightly less than that of a neutron and 1,836 times the mass of an electron (the proton–electron mass ...
in the mid-1980s (by 1986, Nissan sales in Malaysia were down 90 percent from their peak a few years earlier). To revive their fortunes, Tan Chong attempted to reposition the brand as "upmarket standard," taking on brands such as Honda. As a result, the U12 Bluebird was priced much higher than the preceding generation, and was also available with more equipment and in a more powerful, fuel injected 2-litre Super Select model. The 1974 cc CA20E engine produces at 5600 rpm. There was also a carburetted 1.8 SE model available, equipped with the CA18NS engine.[
;Chile
In Chile the U12 Bluebird only arrived in 1990, as the U11 generation had remained available until then. It was available with the carburetted CA18NS or 2-liter CA20S with SE Saloon equipment, as well as the same fuel injected CA20E engine for the Super Select as used in Malaysia and other markets with minimal emissions regulations. Outputs are . A five-speed manual was standard, with a three-speed automatic available in the 1.8 and a four-speed auto for the 2-liter models.
]
U13 series
The U13 series was launched in Japan in September 1991 as a four-door sedan and four-door pillared hardtop. The two models were visually distinct: the four-door sedan had curves where its U12 predecessor had edges, while the hardtop, called the Nissan Bluebird ARX, had more traditional styling. The Bluebird wagon was replaced by the new Nissan Avenir
The Nissan Avenir is a line of station wagons beginning production in May 1990 by Nissan of Japan, with the budget oriented delivery van starting out as the Avenir Cargo, then being renamed the Nissan Expert ( ja) in 1999. The Avenir replaced the ...
. This series replaced the Stanza/Auster/Violet platform expansion that enabled Nissan to sell a Bluebird-sized product at Nissan's Japanese dealership network, as the economic effects of the collapse of the Japanese asset price bubble
The was an economic bubble in Japan from 1986 to 1991 in which real estate and stock market prices were greatly inflated. In early 1992, this price bubble burst and Japan's economy stagnated. The bubble was characterized by rapid acceleration ...
began to unfold in Japan. Projected production for 1992 was 15,000 cars per month, 13,000 of which were intended for the Japanese domestic market.
The new Bluebird was designed with comfort in mind. The more spacious cabin was the result of a longer wheelbase and a slightly taller design, in a package retaining the length and width of the previous model. Another piece of equipment for comfort was the Active Noise Cancellation
Active noise control (ANC), also known as noise cancellation (NC), or active noise reduction (ANR), is a method for reducing unwanted sound by the addition of a second sound specifically designed to cancel the first. The concept was first develop ...
(ANC) system available in domestic market Hardtop models.[ This was the first installation of such a system, although its effect was limited and it was to be another twenty years before it reached wider adoption.
Several Japanese models included an All Wheel Drive version (]ATTESA
ATTESA (acronym for Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain) is a four-wheel drive system used in some automobiles produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan, including some models under its luxury marque Infiniti.
The 'mechani ...
). The engines used in the Japanese models ranged greatly in capacity and type. The SSS Attesa LTD model used a "redtop" SR20DET
The SR20DET is a straight-four four-stroke gasoline engine that is part of the SR family of engines from Nissan, produced from 1989 to 2002. It is a turbocharged version of the SR20DE engine and is a replacement of the CA18DET engine.
The SR ...
with . This was a similar engine/drivetrain package to the more powerful one used in the Pulsar GTi-R. It had only a single throttle body as opposed the GTi-R's multiple throttle body, smaller bearings, hydraulic rather than solid lifters, and a smaller turbo. The GTi-R had a large top mount intercooler
An intercooler is a heat exchanger used to cool a gas after compression. Often found in turbocharged engines, intercoolers are also used in air compressors, air conditioners, refrigeration and gas turbines.
Internal combustion engines
Mo ...
, while the SSS ATTESA LTD had a smaller front mount intercooler. The Bluebird SSS was set apart from the North American Altima in that not only having the SR20DET and AWD Attesa as an option, it also had other details such as power folding retracting mirrors (some heated) and a rear wiper if equipped with a spoiler. US cars are also larger due to the fitment of bigger bumpers.
Export markets
The Australian delivered U13 Bluebird was released in late 1993 and terminated in 1997. Series 1 ran from 1993 until 1995 while Series 2 ran from 1995 to 1997. Series 2 saw the addition of a driver's airbag, revised grille styling, and a seat belt warning light. The Series 1 LX model came equipped with cruise control standard but strangely it was an option on the Series 2.
The Australian U13 Bluebirds were available in three different models, LX—the base model but very well equipped, Ti—the luxury model, and the SSS—the sports model. Compared to the LX, the Ti had climate control, a sunroof, woodgrain styling, and gear selector display on the instrument cluster (automatic models only). while comparing the LX to the SSS, the SSS had a HUD (heads-up display—digital speedo on windscreen), climate control, fog lights, ski-port, woodgrain styling, and gear selector display on the instrument cluster (automatic models only). Despite there being a sports model (SSS), the LX was the fastest of the Australian models due to having the least weight. The engine used in the Australian and US U13 models was the KA24DE
The KA engines were a series of four-stroke inline-four gasoline piston engines manufactured by Nissan, which were offered in 2.0 and 2.4 L. The engines blocks were made of cast-iron, while the cylinder heads were made of aluminum.
Despite their ...
with and 210 Nm of torque).
The U13 Bluebird was introduced in New Zealand in early 1993, and was produced at Nissan's assembly plant in South Auckland
South Auckland is an imprecisely defined urban area of Auckland, New Zealand, with a young population, a relatively large Polynesian and Māori demographic, and lower incomes than other parts of Auckland. The name ''South Auckland'', though not ...
from CKD packs imported from Japan until 1997, when it was replaced by the Primera. The model received much praise for its handling roadholding, with some models benefitting from the Attesa's passively steered rear wheels. New Zealand models were; S (base model, not available until later), SE (mid-spec), SES (sport) and SEL (luxury). Several versions of the sedan, including the first local Bluebird to have standard factory-fitted air conditioning (automatic climate control in this case) and optional locally supplied leather upholstery. At launch, some local motoring writers criticised Nissan NZ's decision to fit luxury equipment items instead of airbags in top versions but the company insisted there was not yet sufficient retail or fleet buyer demand.
The US-built U13 (Nissan Altima
The Nissan Altima is a mid-size car that has been manufactured by Nissan since 1992. It is a continuation of the Nissan Bluebird line, which began in 1955.
The Altima has historically been larger, more powerful, and more luxurious than the Nissa ...
) was released in 1993 and was similar to the Australian U13.
EQ7200 series
Nissan Motor signed an agreement with Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd.
Dongfeng Motor Company Limited (abb. DFL), most commonly known in English-language sources as Dongfeng Nissan,In Chinese sources, () most commonly refers to Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company, a DFL subsidiary. is a Chinese automobile m ...
of China, to build the Bluebird there in the early 2000s. It was the U13 model that was chosen, and is sold there as the Fengshen(Aeolus) Bluebird.
Yulon
Yulon Motor Co., Ltd. () is a Taiwanese automaker and importer. Taiwan's biggest automaker as of 2010, Yulon is known for building Nissan models under license. The original romanization of the company's name is Yue Loong, but in 1992 the company ...
Motor, the Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
-based automaker, developed this variant of the U13, called the EQ7200-II series, in 2001. This featured a U13 central section but heavily revised front and rear ends with tail lamps and trunk lid design derived from the L30 Altima. However, the centre of the car remains the same, and the wheelbase is retained.
The EQ7200-I ,which basically kept the look and specs of facelifted Bluebird U13 SSS, commenced production in 1999 and lasted until 2002 being replaced by the EQ7200-II. The EQ7200-II was built from 2001 to 2003, when it was replaced by a revised EQ7200-III model. The EQ7200-III was sold from 2003 to 2007.
The car is marginally longer at , as opposed to the original U13's . These Chinese models used a Chinese built SR20DE called EQ486.
File:China patrol car.jpg, Fengshen EQ7200-I
File:2003 Dongfeng-Nissan Bluebird.jpg, Aeolus Bluebird EQ7200-II
File:2003 Dongfeng-Nissan Bluebird (rear).jpg, Aeolus Bluebird EQ7200-II
File:2004 Dongfeng-Nissan Bluebird.jpg, Aeolus Bluebird EQ7200-III
File:2005 Dongfeng-Nissan Bluebird.jpg, Nissan Bluebird Zhizun (EQ7200D)
U14 series
Nissan switched to boxy styling for the final U14 Bluebird for January 1996. The American Altima developed into a completely separate line of cars, with new L-series chassis codes. But in its home market of Japan – also the only market it was sold new in – the Bluebird was targeted more at buyers who favoured the formality of larger Japanese sedans. To fit in with a lower bracket in Japanese taxation legislation, the U14 retained a sub- width.
Only a four-door sedan was offered. The hardtop and the option of a 1.6 L engine were removed. Engine choices were either the SR18(DE), SR20(DE) and the SR20(VE) with available all-wheel-drive (ATTESA) versions. The Nissan Hyper CVT automatic transmission was available in this generation along with standard four-speed automatic, five-speed manual, or as an all-wheel-drive with a five-speed manual. Some models had a 1973 cc diesel CD20E engine. Models offered include the standard LeGrand, luxury Eprise, sports-oriented SSS, and a limited run SSS-Z model. The SSS-Z model came with the variable valve lift-equipped SR20VE engine and featured special interior trim which was silver rather than the wood trim found in the Legrand, Eprise, and SSS models.
In 2001, a final limited run of SSS models was produced. These cars have a special red and grey paint job, gold rather than the standard silver emblems, and red metal covers over the headlights.
Production of the Nissan Bluebird ended in Japan in 2001, and it was replaced by the mid-size Nissan Maxima
The Nissan Maxima is a full-size car manufactured and marketed by Nissan and offered as Nissan's flagship sedan primarily in North America, the Middle East, and China — and currently in its eighth generation. Having debuted for model year 1 ...
, Nissan Teana
The is a mid-size sedan produced by Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan. It was exported as the Nissan Maxima and Nissan Cefiro to certain markets. It replaces the Nissan Bluebird, Laurel and Cefiro. It shares a platform with the Nissan Ma ...
, and Nissan Altima
The Nissan Altima is a mid-size car that has been manufactured by Nissan since 1992. It is a continuation of the Nissan Bluebird line, which began in 1955.
The Altima has historically been larger, more powerful, and more luxurious than the Nissa ...
internationally, and the compact Nissan Bluebird Sylphy
, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun brands, ...
in Japan. It was a popular export to Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
,some parts of the Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
and New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
References
Nissan Heritage Collection
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External links
Drive.com.au Nissan Bluebird Review
Japanese Imports Safety Recalls
RatDat.com – paint colors, sales brochures, and model names
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{{North American Datsun vehicles
Bluebird
The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas.
...
All-wheel-drive vehicles
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Cars introduced in 1959
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