The new Datsun 280ZX did not share much of the 810's chassis as thought, though the 810 was not available with that Z car's larger 2.8 L engine. The first use of the "Maxima" name happened on a domestic Japanese market luxury version of the Stanza, in August 1977. 910 series The Bluebird 910, the last of the rear-wheel drive Bluebirds, featured simple clean-cut lines, unlike the "Coke Bottle" styling of its predecessor. It did however retain the same engine range, the same MacPherson strut suspension and the same wheelbase as the 810. Starting with this generation, in Japan the Bluebird returned to offering only four-cylinder vehicles, and the six-cylinder Bluebird was replaced by the Nissan Skyline based Nissan Leopard at Nissan Bluebird Store Japanese dealerships. Bluebirds of this generation were renowned for reliability but rusted away in salted areas long before the engine gave trouble. Nissan realigned with the Japanese Stanza/Auster/Violet sedans which were assigned to individual Japanese Nissan dealerships. This car was also assembled in Australia, in South Africa, in Taiwan, and in New Zealand. This generation was also the basis of the North American Datsun/Nissan 810 Maxima from 1980 onwards. In Europe, the Bluebird was joined in 1981 by the similar-sized Stanza, which gave Nissan buyers the alternative option of front-wheel drive and a hatchback body style for the first time, as front-wheel drive hatchbacks were by now overtaking rear-wheel drive saloons in popularity. U11 series The Bluebird was modified to front-wheel drive in October 1983, but retained the boxy styling of its predecessor. At the time, Nissan's design chief believed this method of styling would remain popular. Even though every panel was changed and most details were considerably smoother, the drag coefficient remained a fairly high 0.39. The range was offered in four-door sedan, four-door hardtop, and five-door station wagon forms. The coupé was deleted, and the hardtop sedan is rarely seen outside Japan. This model was offered in Europe for only two years before Nissan began building the Auster as the Bluebird at its newly opened plant in the UK in 1986. Certain Bluebird models (diesels and station wagons) continued to be offered alongside the T12 "Bluebird" in some markets. As usual, the Bluebird received ample standard equipment in European markets. In some markets, the petrol 2.0 was only available coupled to an automatic gearbox. Although the U11 sedans were replaced for the 1988 model