By Jay Hirsch
If you want to stand out at the next car show or cruise night event, without investing a small fortune, forget that 1960s muscle car or a finned car from the 1950s, the 1991 Nissan Figaro may be the car for you.
Debuting at the 28th Tokyo Motor Show in 1989, under the theme “Back to the Future,” the Figaro joined the Austin Mini-like Nissan Pao, and the pun-intended S-Cargo van in Nissan’s model line. Nissan was experiencing a slight downturn in sales of their cars in Japan and wanted to create new interest for their cars in the Japanese market and they thought the Figaro was the car to do that.
Response to the Figaro was enthusiastic, and Nissan launched Figaro sales in Japan on Feb. 14, 1991. Nissan limited production to 20,000 cars. Nissan officials were hoping demand would outstrip supply…and they were right. Figaro’s were delivered, using a lottery system, in three allotments: an initial 8,000 units, followed by two batches of 6,000 cars later in 1991.
What buyers received was a two-plus-two-seat convertible coupe built on the Nissan Micra K10 platform, a banal economy car never sold in the U.S., but offered in Canada.
The Figaro’s design, according to Nissan, “was a delicate feeling of stylish elegance in everyday life while satisfying a zestful desire for a good time. The Figaro’s cute charms puts you, your passenger, and every onlooker in a good mood.” The Figaro is a happy little car, one that timelessly pays tribute to vintage Italian, French, and Japanese microcars. It’s remarkably ageless, keeping its charisma despite being built in 1991.
The top folds into the trunk so that it doesn’t detract from the Figaro’s lines — although the side rails and rear roof pillars remain in place similar to the 1951 Nash Rambler convertible. This engineering “trick” eliminates the necessity of beefing up the chassis as in most convertibles and keeps the weight down for better gas mileage.
The Figaro’s front fenders are made of a thermoplastic resin to save weight and resist corrosion. It comes in four colors, one for each of the four seasons: Lapis Grey for winter, Emerald green, for spring, Pale Aqua for summer, and Topaz Mist for fall.
Standard equipment included ivory leather seats with contrasting piping, air conditioning, CD player, chrome and Bakelite-style knobs, chrome-trimmed speedometer with smaller inset gauges for fuel and engine temperature; and chrome-trimmed tachometer with inset clock.
Once on the road, you’ll quickly discover the Figaro’s economy car roots. Power is a relative thing. Off the line and riding around town, you’ll find the Figaro has perfectly adequate power but little more than that. Flooring the gas pedal requires patience to reach highway speed, but given the engine and road noise with the top down, a long distance road trip is not what the Figaro was intended for. The Figaro’s quick, agile manners are more a function of its size and weight than true sporting dynamics. There is body lean through corners, but it is far from excessive. None of this will be that noticeable as you’ll be smiling and giggling at the car’s charm. The Figaro has that effect.
The “Fig” has front MacPherson struts, and in the rear a four-link coil spring suspension. There is rack and pinion steering, front ventilated disc brakes and rear drum brakes. The Figaro is a front-engine, front-wheel drive, right-hand drive, two-door, fixed-profile convertible. The soft top has a rear glass window which is electrically heated
The Figaro is 147.2 inches long with a wheelbase of 90.6 inches is 64 inches wide, 53.7 inches tall, weighs in at 1,786 pounds and rides on 165/70 x R12 tires. Power is suppled by 1-liter (987 cc) OHC turbo charged four-cylinder engine producing 76 horsepower, which Nissan claimed to give the car a top speed of 106 mph.
Mitch Tanner, the owner of this Figaro, says 65 to 70 mph is “enough for me — you do not buy this car with the intent of cruising at 75 mph or more.”
Speed is the not the reason to own a Figaro. The Figaro does get 40 plus miles per gallon, which adds to that smiles-per-gallon look on the owner’s face.
As for the interior, those ivory leather covered seats have the most supple leather of any car. There are very few cars made today that have the comfort of those front seats…no matter the cost of the car. If you closed your eyes you would think you were in a limited production “luxury car.”
There were a few Figaro’s that were legally imported to England when new since it was right-hand drive. The Figaro did not meet the U.S. “safety standards” of five-mph bumpers in 1991 and was only made as right-hand-drive. Since Nissan only produced 20,000 the U.S. was never considered a market.
The Figaro and its cousins the Pao and S Cargo now have a very loyal if “small” group of devotees in the U.S. where it is now legal to own the car since it is more than 25 years old.
The name Figaro comes from Mozart’s comic opera “The Marriage of Figaro.” The car does not have the Nissan name on it. The original price in Japan $13,651. •
