The U11 Bluebird's turbodiesel actually beat its petrol engines on fuel economy in standardized testing — counterintuitive, since diesels usually win only when driven gently.
Lead trim: 2.0 CA20E · up to 153 hp
Nissan Bluebird U11U11 · 1983–1990
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Nissan Bluebird U11 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe U11 Bluebird's turbodiesel actually beat its petrol engines on fuel economy in standardized testing — counterintuitive, since diesels usually win only when driven gently.
The Bluebird went front-wheel drive in October 1983 but kept its boxy styling (drag coefficient a fairly high 0.39) in four-door sedan, four-door hardtop and five-door wagon forms; the coupé was dropped. In Europe it was sold for only two years before Nissan began building the Auster as the Bluebird in Britain in 1986. Sedans were replaced for 1988 while the wagon lasted to 1990, the "Bluebird Wagon SSS Turbo Wingroad" (September 1987, 120 PS 1.8) being the first car to carry the Wingroad name. Engines were the 1.6, 1.8 (with an optional turbo) and 2.0 L petrols, 2.0 L diesels (naturally aspirated and turbo, the latter oddly more economical on test cycles) and, from 1984 in Japan, the V6 VG20ET (naturally aspirated or intercooled turbo) in the long-nosed Bluebird Maxima, with a 3.0 L VG30E on the U11 Maxima. It was sold in Taiwan as the Yue Loong 921/923 and marketed in New Zealand as the "Widetrack Bluebird".
Collectors Spotted in the Nissan Bluebird Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Nissan Bluebird yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
5 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 CA16 | 1983–1987 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.8 CA18E | 1983–1987 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 113 hp | 119 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.8 CA18ET turbo wagon SSS (120 PS) | 1987–1990 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 118 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| 2.0 CA20E | 1983–1987 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | 105 hp | 118 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| 2.0 VG20ET V6 turbo Maxima | 1984–1987 | 2.0 L V6 | 153 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
This was the last Bluebird of all — and the only market that ever got it new was Japan itself, even as the nameplate lived on abroad as the Altima.
This Bluebird beat the industry by two decades: its Hardtop models got the first Active Noise Cancellation system ever fitted to a production car, long before ANC became a mainstream feature.
The U12 Bluebird SSS ATTESA Limited debuted Nissan's ATTESA all-wheel-drive system alongside the now-cult SR20DET turbo engine, both new on the Series 2 cars built 1989-1991.
The U12 Bluebird's Australian twin, the Pintara, was built under a government model-sharing scheme and even rebadged as a Ford Corsair. Neither sold, and Nissan shut its Australian factory soon after.
The U11 Bluebird's turbodiesel actually beat its petrol engines on fuel economy in standardized testing — counterintuitive, since diesels usually win only when driven gently.
George Fury's 1984 Bathurst pole lap remains the fastest by a closed sedan on the old 6.172 km layout.
Reviewers were not kind to this Bluebird: Australia's Wheels magazine dismissed the 200B as simply "a 180B with 20 more mistakes" — and it lasted barely three years before Nissan rushed its replacement.
Nissan's own catch-line for launch was "Bluebird U – Up You!", dropped fast once someone translated it back.
To save money on export models, the 410/411 Bluebird's wipers swept outward from the center of the windshield instead of side-to-side — a cost-cutting quirk you'd never see on a car today.
The 1960s Bluebird 311 had a trim built specifically for women drivers: the pale-yellow 'Fancy Deluxe' came with a high-heel shoe holder under the dash and a turn signal relay that played music.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.
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