Nissan Bluebird is a little beast
Nissan Bluebird the first Japanese car made in Britain.
Although the Triumph Acclaim was essentially a British built Honda, there is the Nissan Bluebird 30 years was the first Japanese car fully assembled by Andrew Roberts tells his story.
I f you pay a visit to Sunderland Museum winter gardens, you have the opportunity to see one of the most important cars in the British automotive history T12 series A white Nissan Bluebird 2 0 GSX can evoke mental images less concerned thrills and glamor and minicabs rights on a wet Tuesday in Doncaster, but to thousands of buyers that was its reason for being, and July 8, 1986, JOB 1 became the first car leaving the Nissan plant in Tyne and Wear.
It was thirty years ago, the launch of Sunderland Bluebird was seen by many observers to mark the culmination of two decades of Japanese cars on British roads, which began with the Daihatsu Compagno in 1965 was followed by Toyota later this year, Honda and Datsun in 1966 as pre-1984 were known Nissans UK two years later and the mid seventies no high street would be complete without at least one sunny 120Y 100A or cherry.
Their build quality was often on a par with the wet blotting paper and design inspiration for the 120Y hubcaps seemed a Fray Bentos pie plate, but these issues did not prevent motorists trading in their Allegro Austin for a well appointed and reliable foreign car Bluebird 160B was luring the same drivers of their disaster marinas, and Japanese cars were so popular that the Company automotive vehicle manufacturers and Traders negotiate VERs imports in 1975.
T he irony, some might have been enjoyed by British Leyland your average dealer is that for many years Nissans were powered by an engine derived Austin is often forgotten that the Bluebird T12 followed in a car tradition Anglo Japanese Longbridge after Nissan and signed a technological cooperation agreement in 1952.
This followed a Japanese government program to have indigenous automakers collaborate with concerns overseas to rebuild the car industry after World War II foreign vehicles would be manufactured under a licensing agreement with Western companies have their payments guaranteed royalties.
Isuzu made the Hillman Minx licensed in Japan.
M ino did the Renault 4CV, and Isuzu entered into a technical assistance agreement with the Rootes group to the Hillman Minx their Hino-shi plant Meanwhile, Nissan chose Austin as a partner, mainly because their cars were capable of supporting Japan to say and roads largely unmade.
A seven-year license allowed the A40 Somerset and its replacement, the A50 Cambridge to be in Japan subject to limited sales in the home market The arrangement also gave Nissan the right to use the models engines in future vehicles in 1960, Nissan had built 20.855 Austins - and shortly before the license has expired, visit British engineers noted that the build quality of Japanese models were superior to their counterparts Longbridge.
T wo decades later, in an almost through 180 degrees of fortune, British Leyland was looking for a partner to develop future models and initiated discussions with Honda Boxing Day 1979 it was agreed that the next Ballad, a sedan four-door Civic the second generation, would also be built in the UK as Triumph Acclaim.
Sales began in October 1981 but BL sold his last car replacement was this low spec Dolomites was very obvious that despite the badging, it was first a British retail Every Honda builds up the body and remote boot lid and the fuel charge were fragrant least the West Midlands and over a salaryman Toyko However, the last car to bear the name Triumph also showed how factory workers Cowley could produce such a reliable car than the Toyota Corolla - and with much charisma.
Nissan also builds the A50 Austin under license in Japan.
F or the motorist Acclaim medium and its 1984 successor, names familiar series SD3 Rover Brand 200, have a positive benefit they could drive a Japanese car type without appearing unpatriotic The UK was then the second largest market in Europe for Japanese cars after West Germany, but in eighty years the national origins of a car still imported from the perspective of the BL dealer sales could argue that the last triumph was more British than taste German built Vauxhall Senator, despite his import the engine and transmission.
Two years after the start of the Triumph Acclaim, Nissan has begun a collaboration with Alfa Romeo, which in 1983 Arna, which combines Japanese body panels and rear suspension with Italian engines and, ominously, limited commercial success electrical system then followed and many observers thought that this was largely due to a limited market for N10 cherry series with typical Alfa build quality.
That did not stop Nissan planning future operations of European manufacturing and in 1984, he decided to Sunderland and the assembly began CKD completely knocked down kits in 1986.
In 1987, all UK-market Bluebirds were made in the North East, exports began the following year and when production ceased in 1990, the local content was more than 70 percent.
U ontrary Arna, which remains an almost perfect illustration of any automobile cooperation should focus on the strengths of partners rather weaknesses, Sunderland Bluebird was the right car that debuted at the right time The style was innocuous, handling predictable and motors often seemed indestructible, especially diesel units 0 2 liters.
There were more interesting choices company car as the Peugeot 405 car magazine and went to complain that the Bluebird executive flagship model was used to show that means is that the T12 is dependably transport you to your next appointment without social disgrace to his local driver's Happy Eater - and without the need for the fig leaf of a British badge.
The first British-built Bluebird, JOB 1, can not convey the visceral excitement of an E-type or a Mini Cooper, but in his late eighty years suburb mode, it is equally important to the history of car making in the UK.
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