Datsun Bluebird and Datsun Leopard





Datsun Bluebirds, they're some darn slick rides from the 1970s, ain't they? Specially that Datsun Bluebird 2000 G6 Hardtop and the 810 series, they're downright slick. I remember seeing a Datsun Bluebird 910 back in the day, the mom of a kid in my class drove one, albeit a fancied-up version called the Nissan Bluebird U11 series, but it was pretty much the same deal. Heard through the grapevine that back in '89 when my folks were fixin' to buy a new family wagon (can't rightly recall, mind you, 'cause I was just a year old then), my bro and pops apparently test drove a Nissan (Datsun) Bluebird 910, Nissan U11. They took it for a spin and found somethin' off about the headlights, heck, the whole darn car seemed off. Ended up settlin' for a '85 Ford Sierra, which they stopped makin' in '87, while the Bluebird Wagon kept rollin' off the line till '90. Worst part was, that Sierra was a sorry excuse for a car, smelled like dust and had dust problems, reeked of gasoline, plus it was downright awful in the winter with rear-wheel drive and no power steering. None of them issues plagued the Nissan Bluebird, and heck, maybe the problems my old man and bro had weren't so big after all, reckon the headlight trouble mighta been an easy fix. Got a sneakin' suspicion that maybe that car belonged to the fella in my class's mom. Norway, even Bærum, was tiny back in '89 and the '90s compared to today, and there weren't many of them Nissan Bluebirds around in Norway, 'cept for the Nissan Laurel, which was a bit more common. They made some slick models of the 910 series, especially that turbo model with them double square headlights, reckon those are mighty rare. You could also get the Datsun 910 as the 910 SSS Turbo and the Leopard model.


That Datsun Bluebird 910 SSS Turbo with them double square headlights, now that's supposed to be mighty rare.

Then theres the Nissan Leopard, which is rare, at least here in Norway.

Nissan Bluebird 510 and 610: You could get the 510 as a super cool station wagon, an early predecessor of the one my brother and dad drove, including the mom of the kid in my class. The 510 was an earlier model from around the 1970 decade change. I have to warn you, though, that many of the cool models I'm writing about here were actually intended for the American market, making them hard to come by. However, when it comes to these cars, I know that a lot of American versions of both Japanese cars and many other things were imported to Norway during the boom of the '80s. But likely also during the '70s and '90s. And in the past 20 years, I believe collectors have imported quite a few as well.










Well, ain't that a head-scratcher! An Asian Bluebird taxi, sporting Oslo plates from '86, even though this scene's set over yonder in Asia. Odd coincidence, ain't it? In Norway, that license plate combo once belonged to 9 Opel Asconas or Kadetts, and a GSI at that, according to Regnr.info. Seems they've all been reported nicked, and all them Opels been sent to the scrap heap over 20 years back.


Now ain't that a sight to behold! A Datsun Bluebird 910 decked out like an Asian taxi, yet sporting Oslo plates from '91. Talk about a curious mix-up!





















































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