Manufacturer Nissan Class City car | Production 1991 Body style 2-door convertible | |
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Assembly Oppama Plant, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan Designer Naoki Sakai and Shoji Takahashi | ||
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.
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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."
Overview
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.
The Figaro was marketed in four colours representing the four seasons: Topaz Mist (Autumn), Emerald Green (Spring), Pale Aqua (Summer) and Lapis Grey (Winter). Few, reportedly 2,000, were marketed in Topaz Mist.
The Figaro was equipped with leather seats, air conditioning, CD player and a fixed-profile slide-back open roof.
8000 were originally available with an additional 12,000 added to production numbers to meet demand. Prospective purchasers entered a lottery to purchase a Figaro. Limited edition cars came with passenger side baskets and cup holders.