Nissan ‘Newbird’ electromods the ordinary
Electromodding – where you remove a car’s original drivetrain and replace it with an electric one – is a contentious issue.
Some say it future-proofs classic cars. It makes them greener and more user-friendly. More everyday-able.
Others say it rips the very soul out of the vehicle. It’s sacrilegious. Two-fingers up to history and an affront to the original creators of the car.
But what if it’s an, er, Nissan Bluebird?
These hugely ordinary family cars were built in the UK’s Sunderland plant from 1986 until 1990.
In Australia, Nissan Australia was churning out its Pintara version in Clayton, Victoria.
Not many would shed a tear if an ol’ Pintara was given an electric heart transplant.
Electrifying Nissan’s heritage
Nissan UK has produced this one-off ‘Newbird’ using a ‘classic’ Bluebird and gifted it a 100% electric drivetrain from its Leaf electric car.
Judging by the license plate it’s a 1988/89 Bluebird, so doesn’t quite hit the mark for Nissan UK’s 35-year anniversary.
A cruel person would suggest 1986 versions had all rusted to the ground so this was the earliest Sunderland-built Bluey to be found.
We’re told the old ‘Bird was ‘extensively modified to integrate the Leaf’s electric drivetrain’ with its original petrol motor ditched and the EV’s motor, inverter and 40kWh battery pack installed. Range is around 210km.
Admirable thought has gone into the engineering with battery modules split between the engine bay and boot for optimised weight distribution, with the suspension beefed up to handle the additional mass.
The power steering, braking and heating systems have been updated and modified to have them run on electricity.
And – how could they resist – the Nissan bonnet badge has received an LED backlight which illuminates when the car is – forgive me – static.
The original fuel flap now hides a charging port while the fuel gauge in the memorably ordinary cabin has been changed to show the battery state of charge.
In line with Bluebird tradition, performance has remained coma-inducing: the ton comes up after 15 seconds.
Hypercolors live on
Nissan UK said the conversion was project managed by Kinghorn Electric Vehicles. The EV conversion specialist – local to Nissan’s Sunderland plant – takes Leaf drivetrains and uses them in the likes of classic Morris Minors and Range Rovers.
As for the ‘electric dreams’ exterior work – a festival of Hypercolors, basically – London-based Nissan Design Europe was inspired by ‘design cues of 1980s consumer technology’ for the effort.
Well, they had to jazz up an 80s Bluebird somehow.
The conversion is a nice nod to Nissan’s past and EV future as it accelerates towards its Ambition 2030 plan for electrification.
And, unlike giving an electric heart to something like a Jaguar E-Type or Aston Martin DB6 (they’re out there), nobody is mourning the loss of that Bluebird’s original wheezing inline four-pot. Are they?
