Nissan Figaro – Making Retro Cool

The ‘New’ Volkswagen Beetle, the current Fiat 400, the current Dodge Challenger – all of these cars have something in common. What? They all have a strong, almost overpowering retro aesthetic. And we like them, don’t get us wrong. However, there was a car that did it first, and that was the Nissan Figaro. A Micra under the skin, the Figaro was unveiled in 1989 and when the sheet was pulled back, crowds were stunned by the utterly adorable, fun, and distinctly retro look of the car. Unlike the aforementioned machines though, the Figaro was a celebration of retro themes in general. It wasn’t trying to emulate any one car of the past. And as a result, it was utterly charming. In fact, it still is.

It’s perhaps somewhat ironic that today, the Nissan Figaro, with it’s deliberate retro visuals is in fact a classic proper. The first road cars were available from 1991, and that – despite what you may want to believe, was a long time ago. No, we don’t like it either. 1991 was last month, surely? But we digress.

The Figaro was a JDM car only, by which we mean Japanese Domestic Market. It was also a Nissan through and through. This is important to state, as the Figaro is often mistaken for a Mitsuoka – another company that liked to make small Mk2 Jaguar-styled cars based on, yes, a Micra. They’re as hilarious as the sound. The Figaro was all in-house though, and slotted in neatly with the BE-1, the Pao and the March (the home title for the Micra). Crucially, the Figaro was also a bit of fun. One that turned out to be hugely popular not only in Japan, but also here in the UK.

Before we get into that popularity, let’s have a look at what the Nissan Figaro is. To say it’s just a Micra in a retro outfit would be doing the car a disservice. Yes, it’s largely K11 Micra under there, however, all Figaros were automatic, which was a welcome choice in the busy streets of Japan. The little four-cylinder 987cc engine, however, was turbocharged. That didn’t make it a hot rod or anything, but it did give it a unique feel compared to the ‘gran car’ it was based upon.

The body was styled to be a fixed-side convertible with a roll-back roof, it was simple and clean, with soft but purposeful lines while the interior was a step back in time with ivory leather seats, Bakelite-style switchgear and steering wheel, but also modern fittings like air-conditioning, CD player and a tachometer. Going back to the exterior, the Figaro was available in four main colours representing the four seasons: Topaz Mist (autumn), Emerald Green (spring), Pale Aqua (summer) and Lapis Grey (winter) – though there were some limited edition cars in black and neon pink. You can tell at a glance that the car’s designers, Naoki Sakai and Shoji Takahashi, laboured over every detail. Even the option of pink. Which weirdly suits the Figaro.

So then, back to the popularity of the Figaro. Nissan committed to build 8,000. In the end though, it built another 12,000 to meet market need. So popular was the Figaro, potential buyers couldn’t simply hand over the readies and drive away. No, they had to enter a lottery! The Japanese public wanted the Figaro more than they wanted their next breath – Nissan had nailed it. But that popularity wasn’t limited to the land of the rising sun. A few years later, when Figaros started to land within the used car market, importers pounced on the chance to bring them here to the UK, and we’ve been snapping them up ever since. Even now, over 30 years later, there are Figaro specialists running thriving businesses based upon this remarkable little car.

We’re not daft, we know that cars like this are an acquired taste, but we also know that tastes have to be sampled, as should the Figaro. That network of specialists we mentioned will make owning one a simple affair and the shared Micra oily bits mean it’s no more expensive to run than, um, a Micra. It’s a little charmer, a cheeky little face in a sea of dull automotive ubiquity. You could use your Figaro every day. You could keep it as a summer toy. You could just buy one and chuckle warmly each time you look at its happy face. Whatever your reason for a Nissan Figaro, it’s justified. Cars should be fun, and the Figaro most definitely embodies that.