Thanks to the American engineer Donald Stone, and also Nissan's own engineers, this engine was now producing more power than anything Austin could achieve with their own design. In 1961 the Bluebird with it's single carburettor boasted 60hp, at the same time the most powerful Austin version was in the Austin Healey Sprite, this engine, fitted with twin SU carburettors, could only manage 48hp. Not only were they more powerful, they were also totally reliable, and Nissan (or more to the point Donald Stone) completely solved the oil leak problems which plagued the Austin engines. A base model version with the 988cc 45hp C-1 engine was also offered at the same time.
The grille on the 311 is the same as the previous 310, and is a narrow design with the indicators set either side of the grille. The later 312 model Bluebirds had a grille that partially enclosed the indicators.
The tail lights on these early cars are a small kidney shape, later models have a larger upright bullet shape. The dashboard in the 310 and 311 series slopes backwards at about 20deg., in the 312 series the dash is more upright. These early models feature a pronounced droop at the back of the car, in the fold that travels along the side of the car. The fold runs straight along the side of the car, and then inexplicably drops downward at about a 75o angle about 3 inches from the tail light. On the 312 this fold is straight right through to the back of the car.
