SOTW: Nissan Bluebird ZX Turbo
It's all about the grandma chic...
The Bluebird was a blue rinse favourite and became sadly unloved once they finally changed hands. Some gave a few years faithful service as an illegal cab in central London but even then they would eventually be replaced by a 200,000 mile Peugeot 406. In the end they became a rare and unloved sight on our roads.
But this wasn’t the end. Not all Bluebirds came in metallic blue and there was a rather interesting version called the ZX Turbo (although in Japan there was a few other hot versions including a four-wheel drive) which admittedly most of the PH office had managed to almost erase from their minds. But when Mr Will came across this red example in PH Classifieds a glimmer of recollection turned into an all-round agreement that this is one cool car.
The Nissan Bluebird was a mid-sized car that was launched way back in 1957. Various Nissans and Datsuns carried the Bluebird name until we arrived at the U11 series, which was front-wheel drive and launched in October 1983. It was a boxy looking thing but sold reasonably well in the UK, with owners applauding its all-round capabilities and good reliability.
A V6 was even offered in Japan but the top model we got was the 1.8-litre ZX Turbo. The four-pot pumped out 135bhp and 140lb-ft of torque, hauling the ZX from 0-60mph in a very respectable 8.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 120mph.
'In 1997 Mrs. Setter decided to start driving it again, (I have every MOT from 1997 onwards) that year the mileage was 11,670 miles !
'Inside the car is very clean and tidy, drivers seat with elecrtic lumber and bolster adjustment, original over mats and a cd head unit.
'Outside the car clean up really well, I'm always getting comments about how tidy it is ! Although not perfect I keep the paint work well pollished and it does keep a good shine.
'As with all 20 year old cars there is the od little parking ding and a single rust spot on the o/s/r arch.
Since owning the car I made a few subtle changes:
Fitted intercooler
Induction kit
Sony cd head unit
x2 new tyres
I still have all the original parts, airbox, steering wheel and factory tape player.
Drives like a car with 49,000 miles should, although clutch is high, it does not slip and there is a brand new boxed clutch supplied.
£950 ono
I like it. My dad almost got one as a company car in 1987. I'll never forget, he had a choice between the Bluebird, a Montego or a Sierra. He didn't really care what he got (he's into bikes) so he let us, the family, choose.
We all chose the Montego.
It was white, with white hubcaps and a grey lower half. Does anybody remember that Austin Rover colour combo?
The 80's were ace.
Lancer 2000 Turbos are legends, but they have the BIG advantage of being RWD.
These would never be on that level, but theyd be a lot more popular, and certainly more fun!
The previous generation Bluebird turbos were RWD, and did well in Aussie and Jap touring car championships.
Never seen one of those in the UK though.
I like it. My dad almost got one as a company car in 1987. I'll never forget, he had a choice between the Bluebird, a Montego or a Sierra. He didn't really care what he got (he's into bikes) so he let us, the family, choose.
We all chose the Montego.
It was white, with white hubcaps and a grey lower half. Does anybody remember that Austin Rover colour combo?
The 80's were ace.
but the floor mat on the drivers side and the velour of the door trim are very worn for such a low mileage car...
PS- I wasted one a while back in my Accord 2.3iSR. (Then I was soudly thrashed by an RS500 Cosworth immediately afterwards!)
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