Nissan Newbird, 2021 (1988). To celebrate 35 years of car making at their Sunderland plant, a T12 generation Bluebird (the first car built by Nissan Sunderland) has been converted to electric power. The one-off project car is powered by the 100% electric drivetrain from a Nissan Leaf. Updates and modifications were made to 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 of the battery packs.