Nissan Bluebird
One of the longest-running nameplates from a Japanese automaker.
The Nissan Bluebird was a compact car built from 1955 to 2007, with its model name first appearing in 1957. It became Nissan’s best-known sedan worldwide, praised for being reliable and tough across various body styles. The Bluebird’s roots trace back to Nissan’s earliest automobiles from the early 1900s, and its longtime rival was the Toyota Corona. The Corona was created to keep offering a taxi-friendly sedan as the Toyota Crown grew larger, and every generation of the Bluebird also served as a taxi, a role it shared with entry-level Nissan Cedrics. The Bluebird ranks among the longest-running nameplates from any Japanese carmaker.
Export versions originally wore the Datsun badge, named by engine size (like Datsun 1000 or 1300), but were also sold as the Datsun 510, Datsun 180B (along with 160B and 200B variants), and the Datsun Bluebird. The Nissan Bluebird name appeared in export markets around 1982 as the Datsun brand was phased out. From 1981 to 1985, Australia used the Bluebird name like Japan, with a unique rear-wheel-drive facelift for 1984 and 1985. That car was replaced in 1986 by the Nissan Pintara, which itself was replaced by later Bluebirds also called Pintara until 1992, after which the U13 series (1993–1997) matched the Japanese model. Under the short-lived Button Plan, the Pintara was rebadged for Ford Australia as the Ford Corsair, reviving a UK nameplate last used in the 1960s.
In the United States, the Bluebird started as a Datsun named by engine size until the 510 arrived, sold by its internal model code. By the 1980s, it became the Nissan Stanza. In 1992, the next Bluebird generation became the Nissan Altima, the last Bluebird-line car sold in North America; the Altima was fully redesigned in 1998 as a separate model unique to that market. A six-cylinder version called the Maxima (originally the Datsun 810) launched in the 1980s and also became a standalone model. The Bluebird sold in Europe from 1986 to 1990 was actually a rebadged Nissan Auster, replaced by the Primera in 1990.
The DAT corporation built cars from 1914, but its profits in the 1920s depended heavily on government subsidies for large trucks. A 1930 Japanese ministerial ordinance waived driver’s licenses for cars with engines up to 500 cc and taxed them at a lower rate.
Quick Facts
- Manufacturer
- Nissan
- Production
- 1955–2001 (until 2007 in China)
- Class
- Compact car
- Layout
- Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (1955–1983) · Front-engine, front-wheel-drive (1983–2007) · Front-engine, four-wheel-drive (1991–2001)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Bluebird's lineage traces back to the DAT corporation, which had been producing cars since 1914. In 1929, DAT built a small-car prototype called the DAT 91, marketed as the DATSON Type 10, a shrunken version of earlier models. The name 'Datson' (son of DAT) was later changed to 'Datsun' to distinguish it from the company's full-sized trucks and cars. The Datsun Type 11 of 1932 was a small car with a 495 cc, 10 HP side valve engine; its exact relationship to the Austin Seven is disputed—some say it was a licensed copy, others an unauthorized copy, and Herbert Austin decided not to file a complaint after examining a 1935 Datsun. The Type 14 of 1935 marked 'the birth of the Japanese car industry' according to Britain's National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. Nissan resumed automobile production after World War II in November 1947 with the Datsun DA series, a modest car based on the Type 17 with bodywork partially made of wood due to materials shortages.
Reader's Guide
The Bluebird's significance lies in its long production run and its role as Nissan's most internationally recognized sedan. Export versions were originally sold as Datsuns named by engine displacement (Datsun 1000, 1300, etc.) and later as the Datsun 510, 160B, 180B, and 200B. The Nissan Bluebird nameplate began appearing in export markets around 1982 as the Datsun marque was phased out. In Australia, the car was called the Bluebird from 1981 to 1985, with a unique facelifted rear-wheel-drive version for 1984–1985; it was replaced by the Nissan Pintara in 1986. Under the short-lived Button Plan, the Pintara was rebadged for Ford Australia as the Ford Corsair. In the United States, the Bluebird was sold as the Datsun 510, then as the Nissan Stanza in the 1980s, and in 1992 the next generation became the Nissan Altima—the last Bluebird line sold in North America. A six-cylinder version called the Maxima (originally the Datsun 810) became a separate model. In Europe, the Bluebird sold between 1986 and 1990 was a rebadged Nissan Auster, replaced by the Primera in 1990. Every generation of the Bluebird has been available as a taxi, sharing duties with base level Nissan Cedrics.
Did You Know?
- The Bluebird's traditional competitor was the Toyota Corona.
- Export versions were originally sold as Datsuns named by engine displacement, such as Datsun 1000 and Datsun 1300.
- In Australia, the Bluebird was rebadged for Ford as the Ford Corsair under the Button Plan.
- The Datsun Type 14 of 1935 was described by Britain's National Motor Museum as marking 'the birth of the Japanese car industry'.
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