The is a compact car produced between 1955 and 2007 with a model name introduced in 1957. It was Nissan's most internationally recognized sedan, known for its dependability and durability in multiple body styles. The Bluebird originated from Nissan's first vehicles, dating to the early 1900s, and its traditional competitor became the Toyota Corona. The Bluebird was positioned to compete with the Corona, as the Corona was developed to continue offering a sedan used as a taxi since the Toyota Crown was growing in size. Every generation of the Bluebird has been available as a taxi, duties that are shared with base level Nissan Cedrics. It is one of the longest-running nameplates from a Japanese automaker.
Export and foreign-built model names
Export versions were originally sold as "Datsun" followed by the engine displacement in cubic centimetres, (Datsun 1000, Datsun 1300 and so on) but were also variously sold as the Datsun 510, Datsun 180B (also in 160B and 200B versions depending on engine fitment) and the Datsun Bluebird. The Nissan Bluebird nameplate began appearing in export markets around 1982 as the Datsun 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. 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 Pintara was also rebadged for Ford Australia as the Ford Corsair – reviving a Ford UK nameplate last used in the 1960s.
In the United States, the Bluebird was initially sold as a Datsun, named by engine size, until the introduction of the 510 which was sold by the internal model code. By the 1980s, the Bluebird was sold as the Nissan Stanza in the US. In 1992, the next generation Bluebird became the Nissan Altima. This was the last car from the Bluebird line to be sold in North America; in 1998, the Altima was completely redesigned, becoming a separate model, unique to the North American market. A six-cylinder version called the Maxima (originally the Datsun 810) was released in the 1980s and became a separate model. The Bluebird sold in Europe between 1986 and 1990 was in fact a rebadged Nissan Auster — this was replaced by the Primera in Nissan's European line-up in 1990.
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") 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 litre's displacement. The production version was powered by DAT's own four-cylinder, side-valve engine of 495 cc. It (and the inauspicious "DATSON" name, with "son" being close to 損, the Japanese word for "loss" It was offered in several body styles; DAT/Nissan sold 150 of the Type 11 in 1932. Others insist it was a copy, but not an authorized one. 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. 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.
The 1933 Datsun Type 12 was a small car produced by the Nissan corporation. The name Datsun 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, 747 cc 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 and Nissan responded by producing a larger engine. They also 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) 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. Small but steady numbers of the Datsuns were exported in the 1930s, to markets including India, Brazil, Portugal, and Spain. 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 car company, which produced cars in Japan between 1934 and 1957, until it became part of Tokyu Kogyo Kurogane 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 chassis is short and with a narrow tread, as is typical for 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).
| aka =
| image =1955_Datsun_Type_110_Sedan.jpg
| caption = 1955 Datsun 110
| production = 1955–1957
| assembly = Japan: Nissan Shatai, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa
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| class = compact
| layout = FR layout
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| engine = 860cc D10/B-1 SV I4
| related = Datsun Truck 120
| transmission = 4-speed manual
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In 1955 Nissan revamped its passenger car products, began with the Datsun Sedan 110 series. It was introduced to Japan within a month of the introduction of the Toyota Crown RS series, and was smaller than the Prince Sedan introduced earlier in 1952 and the Subaru 1500 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. The design, by Nissan's head of design Shozo Sato, won the Mainichi Shimbun's 1956 prize for Industrial Design.
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 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 Datsun 110 series used the Nissan D10 type engine based on an original (albeit Austin 7 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 (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 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 lineage. The 110 series' body was manufactured by Nissan Motor Kantō, using steel from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
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File:1955_Datsun_Type_110_Sedan_rear.jpg|Rear view (110)
File:1956_Datsun_Model_112_02.jpg|1955 Datsun 112
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210/211 series
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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" which appeared internationally during the 1960s and 1970s, an appearance shared with the larger Nissan Cedric, as both vehicles were available at Japanese Nissan dealerships called Nissan 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.
thumb|left|1972 Datsun 180B Deluxe sedan (Australia)
thumb|left|1977 Datsun 180B sedan (NZ)
thumb|left|1974 Datsun 180B SSS hardtop (Australia)
thumb|left|1977 Datsun 180B GL sedan (Australia)
thumbnail|left|1975 Datsun 180B GX station wagon (Australia)
For the Japanese domestic market, the 610 was pitted against the second generation Toyota Mark II. 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" (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, and so was one of the first, mass-produced Nissan vehicles to be sold without a carburetor. 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 and Oldsmobile Cutlass. 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. 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. as a four-door sedan in Deluxe and GL trims, and a two-door SSS coupe. The engine fitted was the 1.8-litre L18 engine paired to a four-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission; Datsun upgraded the SSS to a five-speed manual in 1975. 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. A GX wagon followed in June 1975, followed by a minor trim and grille facelift in 1976. 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-litre L20B engine (as did the Datsun 710 from 1975), although with only (SAE Net). The 1974s also received larger bumpers mounted on hydraulic cylinders to meet new safety standards, increasing weight by about and making the car longer. 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 driving.
710 series
right|thumb|Datsun Violet 710 series sedan
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 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, 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 Violet appeared just under three years after the Carina did.