This 1988 Nissan Bluebird 1.6LX started its life as a Garda car, serving until it was decommissioned and disposed of in 1996. After changing hands, it spent ten years in a shed until recently being purchased by its third owner, Matt Dowdican.
GARDA CARS
Matt’s interest in restoring former Garda cars was sparked when he saw a beautifully restored Ford Granada at a car show, inspiring him to look out for a similar project on another type of squad car. He had assumed there wouldn’t be any left to restore, as ex-Garda vehicles of all marques were often heavily used and neglected.
Earlier this year, while browsing DoneDeal, he came across the Bluebird for sale at a reasonable price. Remarkably, it had only one owner since being disposed of by the state.
Although the car is in a poor but restorable condition, he put in a battery, bypassed the petrol tank and to his amazement it started and everything seemed to be working. Nissans are built to last!
Matt is eager to begin stripping down the car for a thorough deep clean and to address the rust issues. His plan is to respray and fully restore the vehicle to its original Garda car specification, with the intention of using it exclusively for display and special events.
Through extensive research by Matt and ourselves, we have found that the Nissan Bluebird was not commonly used as a Garda car. In fact, the only known image of this type of Garda vehicle is a grainy screenshot from a news bulletin sourced from the RTÉ Archives.
Garda squad cars of the 1980s typically featured the following additional specifications:
- Enhanced engine performance
- Upgraded battery and alternator to support extra equipment
- Secondary wiring loom and switch panel for sirens, beacons, and other police gear
- Headliner with zippers to accommodate aerials, beacons, and public address systems
- Calibrated speedometer
- Extra external and internal passenger mirrors
NISSAN IRELAND
The Nissan Bluebird, produced from 1955 to 2007, was a compact Japanese car celebrated for its reliability and adaptability and it became Nissan’s most iconic saloon and influenced many of the brand’s global models.
Nissan Ireland was officially launched on February 2, 1977, through a partnership between Kuwaiti businessman Barrack Al-Babtain (of Al Babtain Trading and Construction) and the Tom McLoughlin Group. Together, they began importing Nissan parts for vehicles marketed under the Datsun brand. The only Nissan model ever produced in Ireland was the Nissan Sunny, with production ceasing in 1984. Today, Nissan Ireland remains active, focusing on importing and selling Nissan vehicles.
While many recall the Nissan Bluebird being used as a marked Garda car, photographic or video evidence of this model serving in such a capacity in Ireland during the late 1980s is scarce.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Matt is reaching out to followers of Ireland Made – Stories of Irish Transport for help with the restoration of the Bluebird. He’s specifically seeking details on the roof-mounted beacons. Was it a single blue light on a box, or a double light configuration mounted on roof bars?
If you have information to share that would help the accurate restoration of the Bluebird Garda can, please email Kevin Reid [email protected]
Our thanks to Matt Dowdican and Nissan Ireland for their assistance with this story
Sources of Information and Photo Credits:
Alamy
Automobile Catalog
Louis London
Nissan Bluebird Owners Ireland Facebook page
Nissan Ireland – Customer Care Support
RTE Archives
If you have a story to share, please email Kevin Reid [email protected]
