P310/P311 Bluebird

Except for a handful of Datsuns imported to Australia in 1934, the Bluebird was the first Japanese car on sale in our market.

Following a successful campaign by two privately entered 1000cc Datsun P210s in the 1958 Australia Rally, Holden pioneer Lawrence Hartnett was impressed enough to investigate the possibility of introducing the marque to Australia.

The subsequent 100 imported rear-wheel drive P310 Bluebird Deluxe four-door sedan and wagon variants were powered by a pre-war Austin-based 40kW 1.2-litre OHV four-cylinder engine allied to a three-speed manual gearbox bolted onto a separate chassis.

The P311 makeover of 1961 featured a new grille and other refinements, which also set the theme for further facelifts in ’62, ’63 and ’64. The latter also incorporated new dual headlights.

The P311 Bluebird was replaced by the P410 1300 series of August ’65.