JDM wagons, especially the larger types, usually come in two guises: the family-oriented ones, which have the same creature comforts as its saloon equivalent, were usually badged as wagons. But there was almost always a super basic “van” version too, which might have been called “Delivery wagon” in the US, or “Commerciale” in France. What we have here is a rare survivor Nissan Bluebird utility wagon, in quasi-obligatory white and in timewarp mint condition.
Completely utilitarian by design and usually worked to exhaustion, the JDM van is not one to usually stick around for too long. They tend to be numerous when young and become very rare with age, especially in this incredibly clean state. Blue collar, but minty fresh!
Some of you may recall this wagon as part of the Nissan Maxima range, but many places got these as the Bluebird, especially the cheaper versions. This is the literal opposite of a Maxima (hence the title), as what we have here is the most stripped down U11 long-roof available.
The crucial thing about the U11 Bluebird, launched in late 1983, is that it marked the nameplate’s switch to FWD, coinciding with the switch from Datsun to Nissan. This was a pretty big deal for Nissan, though this segment, i.e. the relatively large (for Japan) 2-litre-and-below family cars, were all moving that way in the early ‘80s. The Bluebird’s direct competition, such as the Toyota Corona or the Mazda Capella, were already front-drivers by the time the U11 Bluebird made its debut.
It seems these were named “AD Bluebird” in Japan at the time, for some reason. Which is kind of confusing, as the first true Nissan AD van, which has fathered a long line of successor generations, was actually one size smaller (based on the B11 Sunny) and launched in 1982. So I’m really not sure why they called this one AD as well, because the AD family tree is quite a different one with the U11, at least until Nissan was forced to rationalize their range in the Ghosn era.
Being a utility wagon, the U11 van was de-contented to the maximum (minimum?): cheapo round headlights, minimal side trim, fender mirrors (not sure why exactly, but those were always preferred on working vehicles long after they were deemed superfluous on private cars), basic steel wheels sans hubcaps, and those horizontal metal bars in the rear windows all these older JDM commercial wagons seemed to have, for some reason that someone in the CComments might be good enough to share with us.
It’s no small miracle that this van made it to its fourth decade on the planet in such good nick, at least externally. Inside, things are a little different. Not much of the staid original cabin remained untouched – quite a contrast with the plain stock exterior. The rest of the van was very crowded with piles of stuff in both the rear hatch and the back seat, so at least this is still being used for hauling cargo.
The engines available in the U11 Bluebird van were either the carburated 1.6 (before 1987) or 1.8 litre CA 4-cyl. (80 and 90hp, respectively) or the 58hp 2-litre L-Series Diesel. The petrol-engined vans only had a 4-speed manual as standard – right up until the end of production; the Diesel cars received a 5-speed in 1986. To tell you the truth, I’ve no idea which one we have here. All engines are reasonably reliable, if somewhat leisurely.
The four-door U12 Bluebird took over saloon duties in September 1987, but the U11 van production kept on going until March 1990 and sales continued for a few months after that. In May 1990, Nissan presented the Avenir, a wagon not related to any of their saloons, that was to take over from the U11 van and wagon.
The Avenir went through two generations until it was replaced in 2005 by the AD Wingroad. Yes, the AD took over, as the idea of having two different “solo” van/wagon lines on top of all of the other saloon-related vans and wagons that existed in the plethoric Nissan range finally had its day.
Present-day Nissan ADs are about as exciting as Toyota Proboxes, though not nearly as common. And that’s fair enough – it’s not their job to be anything but a (usually white) utility wagon, confusingly dubbed van in the local vernacular, and to be as businesslike as possible about it. And I guess this Bluebird van is the very same thing, made interesting solely by virtue of the passage of time. The quad headlamps and the Bluebird grille emblem do give this vehicle a lot more character than the Avenir or the Sunny-based ADs that followed. Minima wagon, but Maxima kudos for still being around.
Related post:
Cohort Classic: 1987 Nissan Maxima Wagon – The Smart Side Of Luxury Wagons, by Tom Klockau
I also have always wondered what purpose those chrome bars serve on the rear side windows.
I noticed this on some Japanese wagons sold in Australia from the late 1960s to the mid 1970s which were usually marketed as mid spec with decontented wagons not really ever been a thing here.
Perhaps as some of these wagons were fully imported instead of locally assembled like the sedan’s meant the JDM spec bars were simply left intact.
Thr Mazda 1500/Luce, Mazda 1300, some early Corolla 3 door wagons, and the Datsun 120y ate examples that come to mind.
I imagine few Toyota Crowns and Datsun 240/260Cs would have these bars as they had the opening rear side window thing happening.
I love all these idiosyncrasies on old Japanese wagons.
Maybe the bars are there to serve as a base to restrain light cargo..
“fender mirrors (not sure why exactly, but those were always preferred on working vehicles long after they were deemed superfluous on private cars)”
Fender mirrors can be partly inset, thereby reduce overall width. Important in narrow back alleys and parking spaces. Function over style as always for working vehicles.
The chrome window bars are known as ‘Jail bars’ on rear engined VW buses. The were intended to stop the windows breaking if the load shifted.
It’s easy to smash, or in the days before bonded in glass, pop out a van window if you try to cram too much in.
I assume the window bars on this Nissan serve the same purpose.
It has a lot of Honda in at least the front 3/4 views that I never see in the standard Maxima, perhaps it’s the steelies, idk. But I quite like it, it looks pretty good and even the front end is very distinctive, if anything it looks like the grille and lights of the ’81 VW Dasher (Passat), that almost looks more expensive than the standard Maxima offering with the four quads but probably less than the ROW composites. Funny too how there is actually a ProBox parked next to it…
The delivery driver seems to have a fascination with gauges, it’s a wonder he can see out of the windshield with that array. The interior does give the age away a bit, with the saggy vinyl on the driver’s door panel. It’s sort of funny how the seat cover is so worn that it’s falling apart and now displaying the immaculate seat it was protecting all of these years. No doilies on this one, this is more the (vinyl) ass-less chaps version now…
I believe the AD name was at first just a basic commercial trim name, as I’m sure the JDM Datsun Truck also had an AD model, before it became just the compact van wagon line it is now. It was AD Expert that replaced the commercial version of the Avenir (also called Expert), as the Wingroad name was for the regular car wagon version of the AD.
I concur with other comments, I think the metal bar was about protecting the windows from a shifting load, although I don’t see how it would help if it was something solid and narrow that could go under or over the bar like a pipe or something.
This one is in remarkably good external condition though, as you say most get run into the ground.
Usually around this time it was the U.S. export model that got quad round or rectangular headlights when the home market got a faired-in design shaped like the grille and sheetmetal that surrounded it. To my American eyes the featured car’s front clip looks like it’s from a sporty JDM tuner car, not a cheapo commercial version. The lights look a bit smaller than the standard 5-3/4″ diameter.
Didn’t the four-cylinder Bluebirds have a shorter hood/bonnet (and wheelbase?) than the six-cylinder versions, or was that only in the previous RWD generations?
The U.S. didn’t get these until 1985, and all wagons were GL (read: Brougham) spec; sedans were also offered in a plainer, sportier SE model with a 5 speed manual transmission originally the only choice. There was no “base” model of this generation. The previous gen did offer a base model in its first year called Datsun 810, the 810 Maxima was the much more popular step-up model (and the only one I remember being advertised). Starting with their second year on the market, the 810 moniker was dropped and the base model became the Datsun Maxima with the high-end model called Maxima DL. Again, the base “Minima” models were rarely seen. The Maxima’s brand name was changed from Datsun to Nissan in 1984, one year before the revamped FWD generation arrived.
The term “van” seems to have different meanings throughout the world. In North America it is a purpose-designed tall box, usually for cargo but sometimes for passengers or conversions into campers, specialty vehicles like ambulances, or “van conversion” whose post-conversion purpose isn’t obvious to the non-vanner. In the UK a “van” can also be a tall-roofed estate (wagon), often with only two doors. In Japan vans can be just standard four door station wagons without the rear seat, although specialized van bodies are common too.
I love the idea of a basic workhorse wagon with a stick shift and not much else.
We rented a van-spec ex-JDM AE100 chassis Corolla wagon (a ’94) in Siberia in the early 2000s, back when rental cars were first becoming a thing over there, we rented from a small shoddy little outfit with these thoroughly trashed cars, the “rental office” was really a classic greasy small back alley repair shop. Like this AD, super basic spec: vinyl seats, 4 speed manual, rear beam axle on leaf springs. The already beat up car was put through even more “durability testing” on the steppe dirt roads near the border with Mongolia. The car was disabled for a few hours after the ignition shook itself to pieces. My car-guy cousin and brother, then about 16 years old, successfully hotwired it.
A basic workhorse wagon with a stick shift and not much else and painted brown.
Haha, they’d sell DOZENS I tell you!
Still a few of these wandering around in NZ, usually the diesel model struggling to get out of its own way. Were they all white? The ones here seem to have been. I don’t think buyers realised just how decontented they were versus the family wagons, or perhaps they just wanted something basic and reliable – which would explain the number still here. And re the metal bars inside the windows, Hummel’s comment above is correct, they stop the shifting cargo damaging the window. Although with just 58hp from the diesel, I’m not sure the cargo would shift at that great a velocity to smash a window!
Somehow, with all those gauges, I doubt this one is a diesel! 🙂
Seeing those quad round headlights makes me yearn for a return to the style in today’s cars. So tired of headlights stretched or pinched into all kinds of weird shapes, including the even stranger DRL shapes.
Oh, look, it’s another set of those pretend-Marchal pretend-headlamps I was bellyaching about not long ago.