Here’s a restomod that could be less likely to outrage than simply bewilder

MANY diehard classic car enthusiasts think that classic cars should not be electrified. Other say that electrifying classic cars is good as it preserves them.

The common trigger of both arguments seems to be emotion; it’s all about desire to saving and rekindle original spirit. Keeping an icon on the road because it has that certain ‘special something’ is all well and good, but at what cost?

Everything always comes back to the qualities of the recipient vehicle. Talk about converting/ butchering a classic 1960s sports car, an original off-road icon or even a Ford Escort that began life with a BDA and … well… yeah, battle lines are going to be drawn.

But what if it’s nothing more than a fairly mundane, absolutely run-of-the-mill family car from the 1980s; will you even care either way?

The ‘Newbird’ provides that test.

To mark 35 years since the opening of Nissan’s factory in Sunderland, the United Kingdom, Nissan has hopped on the electric restomod bandwagon, with a one-off that is hoped to trigger intense 1980s’ nostalgia.

The name’s a giveaway for brand geeks. But in you weren’t aware, back then Nissan made a boxy, angular and utterly forgettable medium sedan called the Bluebird.

The type chosen for electric conversion was the first car to roll off the production line at Nissan’s Sunderland factory.

To conform to the trends of the time, it’s finished with a bright blue paint scheme that adds vibrant green and pink flourishes. The interior is wholly stock.

While the look is pure 1980s’ Nissan, the powertrain is anything but. The original petrol engine and gearbox have been removed and replaced with the motor, inverter and 40kWh battery pack from the latest Leaf, which the factory produces.

In the Newbird, the battery modules have been split between the engine bay and boot for optimised weight distribution.

Nissan has also updated 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.

The car also comes with a few extra flourishes, like an LED backlit Nissan bonnet badge.

Still, you’re probably glad Sunderland didn’t start out with some of Nissan’s cool sports cars of that era. Meantime, it’s probably only a matter of time before someone mentions that a bloke named Eric out the back of Taihape created much the same 10 years ago with a bunch of lead acid batteries and washing machine parts.