To celebrate 35 years of production at its Sunderland plant in the United Kingdom, Nissan has created an electric restored-modified (resto-mod) Bluebird car which was the first model off the factory line in 1986.
Today the Nissan Leaf EV, Juke, and Qashqai are produced in the Sunderland plant for export markets including Australia and New Zealand.
The one-off ‘Newbird’ is powered by the electric drivetrain from the Nissan Leaf EV.
“There’s a huge pride in our dealer network that so many of the cars we sell have started life right here in the UK. Nissan’s Sunderland plant has produced ‘home-grown heroes’ for millions of UK customers with the Juke, Qashqai and Leaf amongst the country’s best-sellers,” Nissan Motor GB Limited managing director Andrew Humberstone says.
“This ‘Newbird’ project is a wonderful tribute to the enduring presence of high-quality manufacturing that Nissan has enjoyed in the UK for more than three decades,” he says.
Nissan ‘Newbird’
The Nissan Bluebird was extensively modified to integrate the electric drivetrain. The original petrol combustion engine and gearbox were removed and a Leaf motor, inverter and 40kWh battery pack installed, with the battery modules split between the engine bay and boot for optimised weight distribution.
Updates and modifications were made to the power steering, braking and heating systems to enable them to be electrically powered. A custom suspension was also installed to support the additional weight from the battery packs.
As a nod to the car’s electric updates, the original Nissan bonnet badge received a LED backlight (for when the vehicle is static).
The car is recharged through the original fuel flap, which provides access to the charging port. The battery can be recharged at up to 6.6kW and the original driver instrument panel has been connected to the EV system to enable the fuel gauge to show the battery state of charge.
Although not homologated, the vehicle’s range from a single charge is estimated at around 130 miles (subject to environmental factors and driving style) with a 0-62mph (0-100kph) time of just under 15 seconds.
For the exterior of the vehicle, Nissan Design Europe, based in London, created a new graphic motif inspired by design cues of 1980s consumer technology, combined with a 21st century aesthetic.
The conversion was project-managed by Kinghorn Electric Vehicles, a family-run company based in Durham, North East England (15 miles from the Sunderland plant). Kinghorn EV specialises in the conversion of classic cars to full electric using second-life Nissan Leaf motors, inverters and batteries.
Nissan Sunderland
The Sunderland Plant was officially opened in September 1986 and has been in operation ever since. Total output from 1986 to the present day stands in excess of 10.5 million cars.
The number of staff employed at the Sunderland plant has grown from 430 in 1986 to 6000. There are 19 staff who started in 1986 still working today on Nissan LEAF.
The first car off the Sunderland production line in 1986, Bluebird Job 1, is the centrepiece of a local museum display commemorating the significance of that first vehicle.
Bluebird production totalled 187,178 units from 1986 to 1990. When production ramped up it took over 22 hours for each car to be built. Now, 35 years later, the improvement in manufacturing technology has reduced the production time to 10 hours for the Nissan Leaf and more than 200,000 units have been manufactured.
Under Ambition 2030, Nissan says it aims to become a truly sustainable company, driving towards a cleaner, safer, and more inclusive world. The vision supports Nissan’s goal to be carbon neutral across the lifecycle of its products by fiscal year 2050.
As part of the recent announcements, Nissan unveiled the CHILL-OUT, a ‘near future’ concept that previews the new-generation electric crossover slated for future production in Sunderland.
By the early 2030s every all-new Nissan vehicle offering in key markets will be electrified, as well as introducing innovations in electrification and manufacturing technology.
Nissan began integrating renewable energy sources in Sunderland in 2005 when the company installed its first wind turbines on site. These 10 turbines contribute 6.6MW power, with the existing 4.75MW solar farm installed in 2016.
A major expansion to renewable energy generation at Sunderland was confirmed in December 2021, with approval given to install an additional 20MW solar farm. Work will begin on the development immediately, and installation alongside the plant’s existing wind and solar farms is expected to be complete by May 2022.
The new 20MW installation will double the amount of renewable electricity generated at Nissan’s Sunderland plant to 20% of the plant’s needs – enough to build every 100% electric Nissan LEAF sold in Europe.
This is the first of a potential ten additional solar farms planned under Nissan EV36Zero, which was announced in July.
