Nissan, having achieved a class victory at the 1966 Safari Rally with the 410 Bluebird, raised its expectations for the following year, going for the overall title. Thus, the Bluebird underwent a thorough redesign in 1967. The new 510 Bluebird featured a 4-wheel independent suspension system with MacPherson struts up front and semi-trailing arms in back that dramatically improved the car's cornering ability. This translated to a better rally car, and making full use of the new chassis was Nissan's L16 engine, a 1.6-liter SOHC inline-4. It came with twin SU carburetors, but Nissan engineers practiced restraint in tuning the powerplant, bumping power up by only 10 percent over the stock model.