It's a 1950s-style, bosom-shaped Noddy car... Everywhere you go turns into a party. People want to talk about the car… It's not flashy, it doesn't guzzle petrol, it doesn't get up anybody's nose... It's a car that makes you smile. It's a witty car, and I don't think they make witty cars anymore. Everyone should have one. If I had to consider something else, I think it would be the number 22 bus, because there isn't another car as perfect as this.

Fair enough, that sort of exhortation from television presenter Vanessa Feltz might not exactly make you run out for Autotrader, but she's right.

What Is It?

The Nissan Figaro has been referred to as a 'retro fashion car', and was born out of the Japanese 'boutique' movement in car design - sub-compact vehicles (such as Honda's Beat, Mitsubishi's Minica Dangan and Suzuki's Cappuccino) were based on the mechanical components of mainstream cars, but were externally very different. Japanese designer Shoji Takahashi was inspired by Swatch watches - the notion that it was possible to give identical products different casings.

The magpies of the Figaro design team took all the best and shiniest bits from a variety of European cars and fused them into an almost-cartoon whole. There's something there to remind you of just about every classic car you have ever seen. An Austin Healey specialist provided the grille, a Vauxhall one the chrome and some panels are Ford Popular, others vintage Rootes. Owners will become used to pensioners approaching to say 'I had one of those in the sixties!' - no mean feat considering the car was introduced to the public at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show under the slogan 'Back to the Future'.

The Figaro was developed around the concept of creating a distinctive, personalised coupé that would allow owners to enjoy a delicate feeling of stylish elegance in everyday life. In commercialising the concept vehicle Nissan has given the Figaro a unique design that conveys a sense of spiritual satisfaction and a full complement of equipment and appointments intended to satisfy a zestful desire for a good time.
- Nissan Press Release, 14 February, 1991

Nissan announced that they were to produce 20,000 Figaros (to be released in three batches, between February and September 1991), but demand was so great that potential users had to enter a lottery in order to win the chance to buy the new car, which was priced at 1,870,000 yen (£10,000).

What It Looks Like

There are those who believe cars like the Nissan Figaro are cute and trendy. They're not. The Figaro is a suburban Noddymobile
- Quentin Willson, 2003

Many Figaro owners might take this judgement, from the man who left Top Gear to front Channel 5's Britain's Worst Driver, as the ultimate compliment. In truth, the Figaro is not a million miles away from the glorious motor favoured by the best mate of Big Ears - but put in for a pastel respray. The only visible Nissan badge is in the shape of a fleur de lys on the bonnet and the car itself appears to date from the late 1950s or early 1960s - it's all curves and chrome (the lighting units, the grille, the bumpers, hinges, handles) and is finished off with elliptical white wing mirrors (rather like the ones later used in the design of the 'new' Mini Cooper). The Figaro is a convertible, with a sliding soft-top that folds neatly into the trunk so as not to spoil the natural lines of the vehicle. Even the hubcaps are distinctive - white and chrome and reminiscent of Polo mints. The interior is finished in cream with off-white leather seats, and the electric windows are controlled by seashell shaped chrome switches. The custom-made CD player/radio is fashioned from Bakelite-effect plastic (these units are notoriously temperamental; the CD player tends to 'bounce' and the radio has difficulty in detecting, less still holding, any station at all. Still - there are companies that restore them to full working order and the casing is so beautiful in itself that it would probably be a mistake to replace it). The dashboard is awash with chunky chrome switches to control the air conditioning and the white steering wheel surrounds a substantial mother-of-pearl horn. There is even a rear seat of sorts.

The Figaro was produced in four colours: lapis grey (it's lilac when the sun shines, honest), pale aqua (light blue), emerald (pale green) and the rarer topaz mist (a sort of caramel colour). However, as the 1991 press release explains, 'to bring out an atmosphere of light hearted elegance, the entire car is painted in a solid two-tone colour scheme that accentuates the beauty of the body surfaces' - and so, the convertible roof is off-white. Still, people will always customise cars - re-sprays are not unheard of and vehicles whose owners have decided to depart from the traditional colour schemes can be found (as can just about everything else you need to know about the car) at Jack Walshe's superb Nissan Figaro Site.

Vaguely Sociological Clap-trap

Issigonis said 'a camel is a horse designed by committee'. His comment about the two-humped ruminant may have completely overlooked evolutionary theory, but was trying to make a point about simplicity of design of his masterpiece, the Mini Cooper. There's always been a moral element to European car design. The design of the Mini resulted from the practical desire to create a reliable car with simple lines to force all the bubble cars off the road.

Japanese manufacturers had different concerns. When Japan first started exporting cars, its biggest problem was the need to be taken seriously and subsequently its car manufacturers reassured potential purchasers by adding a lot of chrome, in order to create a sense of luxurious reliability. By the late 1980s, Japanese cars were competing with the likes of Jaguar, BMW and Mercedes and their car industry became confident enough to have a laugh with car design. Taking an ironic view of history, Nissan started making cars that looked as if they were forgotten classics.

Smidgen of Technical Info

The Japanese, like the British, drive on the left, so Figaros are right-hand drive. The car's innards are very similar to those of the Micra. The car has a four-speed automatic gearbox, air-conditioning, electric windows, power-steering and a 1.0 litre turbo-charged engine (which enabled it to qualify for a low tax bracket under Japanese law) and should give around 50 miles to the unleaded gallon. Parts are, surprisingly, quite easy to come by and can be ordered from Nissan dealers.

Fans of the Figaro

People who own, or have owned, a Figaro include:

• Eric Clapton
• Nancy Sorrell - (model and wife of Vic Reeves)
• Fran Healy (singer with Travis)
• Vanessa Feltz
• Betty Boo
• Jane Goldman (writer and wife of Jonathan Ross)
• Frank Skinner
• Chris Rea
• Athina Roussel (Onassis heiress)
• In a Guardian interview in July 2004, Rachel Stevens explained that she was thinking of replacing her Mercedes SLK with a Figaro and a pink Vespa (this Researcher has a Figaro and a lilac Vespa, and is already re-assessing the musical merits of 'S Club Party').

Buying a Figaro

Around 600 of the original batch of 20,000 cars are now estimated to have been imported into the UK. There are a few specialist Figaro dealers in the UK, but examples crop up on eBay regularly. Expect to pay anything from £4,500 for a car with 55,000 miles to £10,000 for a car with just a few thousand on the clock. Examples in the more rare topaz mist colour tend to fetch slightly more.

Specimens with what may seem like trivial extras (such as cup-holders) may be worth searching for, as such items tend to stimulate mad bidding wars on auction sites - cup-holders, boot trays and parcel trays regularly fetch over £100 a piece.