Unsung heroes: Nissan Bluebird

The unsung heroes series today turns its attention to another car from a Japanese manufacturer, although in reality it was actually a product of home-grown British industry. This was the car with which Nissan established themselves as a major player in Europe and that laid the foundations for the Japanese marques' dominance of UK car production. Cars from Japan may have started to gain a substantial foothold in the 1970s, but it was in the eighties with models like the T12/T72 Nissan Bluebird that they really became a mainstream choice. It may have had a Japanese badge but the Bluebird was essentially a British car, more so than many of the contemporary Fords and Vauxhalls that despite being thought of as British were actually built elsewhere in mainland Europe. The earliest Bluebirds are now thirty years old but survival rates are higher than many of their contemporaries, a testament to their durability and the large quantities in which they were sold.

An early Washington-built Bluebird, still giving good service to its ninth owner.

True Blue, or not

The Japanese motor industry is very complex, with a long history of the same model being sold under different names in different markets, and the Bluebird story is no exception: by domestic standards the T12/T72 isn't actually a Bluebird at all and the home market Bluebirds developed in a very different direction from their European counterparts. The Japanese U11 Bluebird had been introduced to the UK market in 1983 to replace the rear-wheel-drive Bluebird 910; all straightforward so far but this lasted only 18 months here in saloon and hatchback forms before things became more complicated. In Japan and the US the T12 was known as the Nissan Auster or Stanza and was an additional model, the U11 range continuing in production alongside it, but for European markets it was badged as a Bluebird to directly replace both the U11 and the T11 Stanza.

Are you still with me?

Just to make things clear the subject of this piece is the T12-series Bluebird as launched in Europe in 1985, or T72 as it became known after the 1987 facelift. The earliest UK-market cars were imported from Japan, but in July 1986 a factory opened in Washington, near Sunderland, to produce Bluebirds for Europe. Sales of Japanese cars in the UK were restricted by import quotas so several manufacturers had already looked at production elsewhere, including Mitsubishi's short-lived and long-forgotten venture importing Australian-built cars under the Lonsdale name. Such was the growing importance of exports, earlier in 1985 Nissan had announced that future models would be developed to better suit European tastes, even if this was at the expense of the home market, and the T12 was the first such vehicle, allowing the domestic U11 Bluebird to evolve independently in line with Japanese needs.

Bluebirds aren't yet accepted as bona fide classics but this one appeared at the Festival of the Unexceptional.

 

Build quality of the Washington-built Bluebirds was said to be even better than those sourced from Japan, proving once and for all after years of strikes and quality issues that British workers were indeed capable of making cars every bit as well as their overseas counterparts. Production began with the saloon, the hatchback following in early 1987, but there is some confusion over whether estates were ever built at Washington. If you've ever wondered why the Bluebird estate looked so different from its sister models, this is because it remained part of the U11 range (and was thus a 'true' Bluebird) and there was never a T12/T72 estate; some sources claim all estates were imported from Japan but others indicate they were the only U11-series Bluebirds to be assembled in the UK.

UK production allowed the Bluebird range to be much more closely focused on this country's own specific tastes and needs. The car may have been nothing particularly special, a conventional front-drive mid-sizer with dynamics that were competent enough but hardly class-leading, but was well equipped, well made and available with a wide range of engines and trim levels to suit fleet managers and private buyers alike. Its styling and the driving experience may not have been up to the standards set by the likes of the Sierra and Cavalier, but the Bluebird made up for its dullness with exceptional reliability and build quality, and sold in huge numbers as a result.

Previous generations of Bluebird had established themselves as strong sellers, but the more European-feeling T12 was an instant and even bigger hit, such that by the end of 1987 a third shift of workers had been recruited to increase annual production from 29,000 to 40,000 cars. In Japan the U11 had been replaced in 1987 by the U12 Bluebird (also known in Australia as the Pintara), but this was never sold in Europe and was tailored much more closely to Japanese tastes, increasing the differentiation between domestic and export models. Here in the UK the T12/T72 continued until 1990 when it gave way to the Nissan Primera, which was again produced in Washington and built on the success of its predecessor; the UK plant even made some Primeras for export to Japan!  

Not exactly exciting or cutting edge but attractive enough by late eighties standards.

Cabs and bangers and a lasting legacy

Even those who have never owned a Bluebird will probably have travelled in one at least once, although they may not remember it after a drunken night out, as their reliability and ruggedness soon endeared them to taxi drivers. Certainly in my area around the turn of the century, almost all of the minicabs seemed to be either Bluebirds or Toyota Carinas that ran around the clock for years with little more than routine servicing, but this accounts for their rarity round here nowadays as most of the local examples were run into the ground on minimal maintenance by the taxi firms. Those same qualities also made the Bluebird attractive to banger racers, so many more met their end on the track. Despite this high attrition rate, survivors are still quite plentiful and their rust resistance is legendary -  those I have seen recently continue to give reliable service and remain in good condition with fewer signs of corrosion or mechanical problems than most of their contemporaries. 

The Bluebird may have been discontinued 25 years ago but its legacy is clear to see today. Other Nissan models soon went into production at Washington alongside it and the success of the UK operation inspired other Japanese manufacturers to follow suit, with Toyota opening up in Derby and Honda in Swindon, so today the bulk of UK car manufacture is by Japanese-owned firms. The Washington plant goes from strength to strength, now turning out Jukes and Qashqais by the thousands, and has recently received a massive investment so its future seems secure for many years to come. Today's British car industry owes an awful lot to the humble Nissan Bluebird, yet it is not celebrated as a milestone of the same importance as cars like the Mini, which doesn't seem fair somehow.

A late example, still going strong and remarkably rust-free.