1991 Nissan Figaro

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In 2008, Dorothee and I spent several weeks in the U.K., primarily to attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed 

While driving through Great Britain and Scotland, we spied an unusual little car on several occasions, one that I couldn’t identify.  After some further research, we learned this car was a Nissan Figaro.. built only in 1991, and never imported to the US.  In fact, the Figaro was built in very limited numbers (20,000 total) and intended primarily for the Japanese market.  But over the years, well over 4,000 of these right hand cars found their way to England, thanks to a less restrictive import bureaucracy than we have in the US.

During our stay, we managed to find a Figaro for sale at a used car lot in the same village we were staying, and so had an opportunity to inspect the vehicle up close, and to take a drive as well.  We immediately fell in love, and wanted one for ourselves.  Sadly, our US government, determined to protect us all from ourselves, dictates that no car not officially sanction for US sale may be imported into the country unless it is as least 25 years old.

So… we have been waiting patiently for some 8 years for the Figaro to become import-legal.  That year was 2016, and so it was that in June 2016 we traveled to England to take ownership of our very own Figaro, one we had contracted with a well-known Figaro shop to complete a full restoration.  For our “Figgy” we chose the stock color of Topaz Mist, one of just 4 colors offered for the model, and, at just 2,000 vehicles built in that color, the most rare. A short video of our trip is below:

There is no certain way to know just how many Nissan Figaros are legally in the U.S. at this time, but it is safe to say that the number is likely in the single digits, at best.

Nevertheless, in an effort to identify other U.S. owners, I have created a Figaro Owners Club website:  www.FigaroClub.org

FIGARO TECHNICAL REFERENCES