If you are a fan of the classic tram switch, you’ll want to see electricity Nissan Bluebird, or Nissan calls it “Newbird”. Nissan has just unveiled the EV on the occasion of its 35th anniversary of production at its Sunderland, UK factory. Back in 1986, the Nissan Bluebird was the first car to leave the factory.
Today, this Bluebird takes on a new life thanks to the powertrain a Nissan Leaf and an attractive new paint job. The original engine and transmission were scrapped and replaced with Leaf’s motor, inverter and 40 kWh the battery pack. The package itself has been split into two parts to make it fit. Half of the battery module is under the hood, and the other half is in the trunk. Nissan says this arrangement gives the “Newbird” a reasonably even weight distribution.
Nissan has also devised a custom suspension setup that can handle the extra weight of all the electric powertrain equipment – this sounds like something that any rebuilding project would do. Any electric motor needs to be considered. In addition to the suspension, Nissan updated all the important systems, adding power steering, electricity brake and a modern heating system.
Some thoughtful brushstrokes all over the car made us smile. For example, the hood badge has LED backlighting as a small hint of the electrical energy hidden under the skin. Recharging is done through the vehicle’s original fuel cap. Open it up and you reveal the charging port. Even the original fuel gauge works, as it is wired to correspond to the remaining charge of the car.
When you plug it in, Nissan says the maximum charging speed is 6.6 kW. Range on full battery is 130 miles and 0-62 mph time is 15 seconds super slow. That said, fast isn’t the point of a car like this.
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