Featured Car for August 22, 2024
Owned by Brad Twiddy, Ilderton, Ontario
Brad has owned this Figaro since 2010 when he bought it from a gentleman he met in a deli on Dundas St. in London. At the time he was close to retirement, and, without consulting his wife, made an executive decision on the spot to buy the car.
The car is an original survivor in pristine condition. Brad has made no modifications to the car as he describes himself as a good shiner but not a mechanic. Brad says there are a few oil drips here and there but that is to be expected of a 30-year-old car.
The car has a turbocharged, fuel-injected 997 cc inline 4-cylinder engine that produces 75 hp and 78 ft-lbs of torque. While these numbers won’t set any speed records, they are more than enough to propel this small car, which weighs only 1,790 lbs, to over 100 mph! It is front-wheel drive with a 3-speed automatic transmission, independent rear suspension, rack and pinion steering, and front ventilated disc and rear drum brakes.
The car sports a retro-looking interior and comes loaded with leather, A/C, radio and power everything. The soft top roof retracts into the trunk.
Nissan introduced the Figaro at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show and because demand for them was so high, the original run of 8,000 vehicles was increased to a total of 20,000; potential buyers had to enter a lottery to acquire a Figaro. The lucky owners had a choice of four colours, representing the four seasons in Japan: Emerald Green (spring), Pale Aqua (summer), Lapis Grey (winter) and the rarest, which adorns this car and only about 2,000 others, Topaz Mist (autumn). Despite the demand, the car was produced for only one model year, 1991.
While the Figaro was initially available only in Japan, it has become popular in other countries now, especially the UK and, more recently, the US.