Here is the car model that opened for Japanese cars on the Norwegian market.
The car brand we know today as Nissan
In Norway, Japanese cars and car brands were largely unknown until the 1960s. But in Japan there has been car production since the early 1900th century. The background for the car brand was a manufacturer by the name of Kaishinsha Motorcar Works who made some cars with the name DAT. Relatively few cars were produced in Japan before the war (1940). In 1932, the name of the cars was changed to Datsun, a brand that was used until around 1980. Then the factory began to use "Nissan" as a brand on all its products worldwide.
Datsun Bluebird 410
In 1963, the factory launched a model that became very popular in this country. It was an upgraded Bluebird with the type designation 410. This model initially only came with 4 doors, but other variants were put into production to meet the needs of different markets. Here in Norway, it was sold as a passenger car, van and station wagon. There were many details on this model that appealed to new car buyers. Good rust protection with galvanized plates in the undercarriage, ducts and support beams were arguments that car buyers appreciated. An elaborate interior with padded instrument panel and thick carpets gave the car a touch of luxury. A short gear lever located between the front seats was sporty at the time.
This model was in production until 1968.
Used to quality and level of equipment
The Datsun Bluebird was one of the Japanese car models that really found its place on the Norwegian car market. The first cars appeared here in Norway in the early 1960s, and Norway was one of the first export markets that the factory focused on. For car buyers in this country, Japanese cars were completely unknown. It was therefore a relatively slow start, but potential car buyers soon found out that cars from Japan had a very high quality. In the 60s, many Japanese car models had a higher level of equipment than their European competitors. This meant that the person who had to choose a car felt that Japanese cars were a very good buy.
Key data model 411:
Length: 4,0 m
Width: 1,49 m
Height: 1,43 m
Engine: 1299 ccm, 67 hp SAE
Top speed: 140 km/h
See
Anders de Lange
Anders de Lange writes about car history. He has written about cars and car history for over 30 years, published his own books and written for the Norwegian car press.
It's not every day you get to see one of the very first Datsun cars that came to Norway. It concerns a Datsun 410 from 1964 which took part in Tønsberg Automobilklub's car meeting in Gunnarsbøparken 2024. According to the owner, there are approximately 3 other cars of the same type in Norway. Model 410 was replaced by 411 after quite a short time, although it is difficult to see any difference between the two models. The green example has been in the same family since it was bought new by someone who worked within the importer and dealer organisation.