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The Figaro was introduced at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show. Production was only in 1991. It was built by a Nissan special projects group called the Pike Factory who also produced another niche automobiles like the Be-1, Pao, and S-Cargo. Only four colors were available signifying each of the seasons: Topaz Mist, Emerald Green, Pale Aqua, and Lapis Grey. The figaro was exclusively produced for the Japanese Market and only 8,000 Figaros were originally made. It was so popular that Nissan immediately received 95,000 orders and decided to build an additional 12,000 because of demand. A lottery had to be held and only if you won the lottery, you were able to purchase the vehicle. A total of 20,073 were built, all 1991 model year. It was designed by Shoji Takahashi who won a design competition with it. One of his inspirations was Swatch who design

identical watches changing only the colors. Takahashi also took ideas from many classical, European, and particularly Italian car designs.

The Figaro engine is Nissan’s MA10ET, a turbocharged 1.0 L (987 cc). It has a three-speed automatic gearbox; it was not available in any other way. It does around 68 mpg and has a 75bhp output.

BRIEF STORY OF THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE: