Nissan Figaro
| Nissan Figaro (E-FK10) | |
|---|---|
_convertible_(26452674766).jpg) |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Nissan |
| Production | 1991 |
| Assembly | Oppama Plant, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan |
| Designer | Naoki Sakai and Shoji Takahashi |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | City car |
| Body style | 2-door convertible |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Platform | Nissan B platform |
| Related | |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 987 cc MA10ET I4 turbo |
| Transmission | 3-speed automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,300 mm (91 in) |
| Length | 3,740 mm (147 in) |
| Width | 1,630 mm (64 in) |
| Height | 1,365 mm (53.7 in) |
| Curb weight | 810 kg (1,790 lb) |
The Nissan Figaro is a two-door 2+2 retro-styled fixed-profile convertible manufactured by Nissan for model year 1991, and originally marketed solely in Japan at their Nissan Cherry Stores.
With its design variously attributed to Naoki Sakai and/or Shoji Takahashi, twenty thousand examples were marketed by Nissan in the convertible's single year of production — all with right hand drive.
Because of its origins at Pike Factory, Nissan's special project group, the Figaro — along with the Nissan Pao, Be-1 and S-Cargo — are known as Nissan's "Pike cars."
In 2011, noted design critic Phil Patton, writing for the New York Times, called the Pike cars "the height of postmodernism" and "unabashedly retro, promiscuously combining elements of the Citroën 2CV, Renault 4, Mini [and] Fiat 500."
The Figaro was introduced at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show under the slogan "Back to the Future". The name references the title character in the play The Marriage of Figaro by Pierre Beaumarchais.
Based on the Nissan Micra, the Figaro was built at Aichi Machine Industry, a special projects group which Nissan would later call "Pike Factory," which also produced three other niche automobiles: the Be-1, Pao and S-Cargo.
As a fixed-profile convertible, the upper side elements of the Figaro's bodywork remain fixed, while its fabric soft top retracts to provide a less fully open experience than a typical convertible. The fixed-profile concept is seen on other convertibles, including the Citroën 2CV (1948–1990), the Nash Rambler Convertible "Landau" Coupe (1950), and the 1957 Fiat 500 — as well its 2007 Fiat 500 successor.
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Wikipedia