Nissan Blueboird

When Datsun rebranded to Nissan it switched from rallying to touring cars with the turbocharged Bluebird, a car that may have been unreliable but was the fastest-ever Group C racer around Mount Panorama.

- Adrian Musolino

The Nissan Bluebird won just one race in the Australian Touring Car Championship, rarely made the finish of endurance events and was described by driver Fred Gibson as “a shithouse little car”. But the Bluebird is still considered iconic for the heroics displayed by George Fury.

Nissan entered Australian touring cars with the Bluebird in 1981, switching from rallying following the rebranding of the company from Datsun. The new-look factory-backed team was the brainchild of Howard Marsden, who entered two Bluebirds in the Bathurst 1000, with Fury following the manufacturer from rallying to partner Gibson and Japanese drivers Masahiro Hasemi and Kazuyoshi Hoshino in the other car.

Both entries retired with mechanical failures after failing to trouble the contenders in qualifying, though it was a learning experience for the team and drivers with the 1.8-litre Bluebird turbo.

“Those cars were not available in Australia, but they were sold to the Japanese public,” says Fury.

“It came with a relatively small turbocharger and you couldn’t change it as it was always the first thing the scrutineers checked. We never had a flexibility problem in that area; with a big turbo with a big turbine fan it takes time to spin up and that’s when you lose responsiveness of the engine.

“In 1981 I got into stride quite easily at Bathurst and didn’t have any problems recording a quick lap time – I enjoyed it.

“I think that all of the cars racing at that time did not have power steering fitted and that made it more physically demanding on the drivers than what it is today.