Is the 1991 Nissan Figaro the car you NEVER knew you WANTED?

Hi guys, what's up? It's Joe Rady from Rady's Rides. I'm back here at Montu Motors in sunny Oldsmar, Florida. Normally we're featuring GTRs and WRXs, but guess what? We got something so different that I've never even seen this. This is a 1991 Nissan Figaro. Now right off the bat, you look at this car and you say, really? 1991? It looks like it's from the late 50s or early 60s. That's the whole point. In the late 80s and going into the 1990s, there was a retro craze going on. You had the reintroduction of the Fiat 500, the Citroen 2V. Well, with this one, they decided, hey, Nissan wanted to say, we wanted in on this. So with the Figaro, you're getting a tight, small, little, tiny package about the size of a Fiat 500, but something with so much personality and style that it's just going to blow your mind. So let's go ahead and dive into this freshly imported, this was never available in the United States, right-hand drive JDM Nissan Figaro. So right off the bat, you could see the styling, like I said, 1950s, traditional round headlights. I like the chrome trim, actual real chrome bumper, and a nice aluminum grill across the front. Screams style. This thing is for somebody who likes unique, likes different, because I'm telling you right now, you pull into your normal cars and coffee, you're never going to see one of these. I love the Nissan Figaro badge. This is a badge specific to this car. There's the Nissan branding and the Figaro name. Very nice touch. And I think the color is so perfect. This screams 1950s to me, especially like 1950s bathrooms and homes and stuff. But as you come around the corner here, you can see you got some nice chrome wheel covers with the outside white trim ring. Such a really cool setup, 12-inch wheel. So 12-inch in diameter, it's a 165-70. So 165 is the width, and I really can't move my hands that wide because 165 is not that wide. And then a 70 Series sidewall, but really just fits the car perfect, the style. As we go into the fenders, I like the nice touches with the teardrop marker lights. They could have just made that round, they could have just made it oval, but I like the teardrop design. As we go into the roof now, you'll notice that this has actually a convertible claw top. Love the chrome windshield surround. Nice white mirrors that really echo what's happening with the wheels. And as we go down the side, you have a nice, almost like a little gutter for rain. It's basically your side window rain guard so that you could have the window a little open, but not get a ton of water inside. As we go around the door, just a two-door car, chrome trim. I like the trim all the way around. This car is original, so it's great to see it in this shape. And then wrapping out back, I love the style. This screams Japanese style, especially in the 50s. Round taillight, the turn signals, nice chrome accents with the Figaro name, real chrome bumper. And then if you're wondering, well, where's the trunk? This is the actual trunk, believe it or not. You open it up and you slide the things in that way. But if you're ready, I'm ready to see what's powering this Nissan Figaro. Let's go check it out. All right, guys, we got the hood popped on the Figaro. I love that backwards style opening hood. Just so much personality. There it is in all its glory. That's a inline-four, one-liter engine, turbocharged. At the end of the day, you're looking at 75 horsepower. The only transmission for this car is a three-speed automatic. But you know, it's front-wheel drive, and the car only weighs about 1,700 pounds, believe it or not. But this is just what's so great about cars is that there's just so many of them that here in the United States, we have never even seen or heard of like this Figaro. And I'm glad here on Rady's Rides, I can bring it to you. But if you're ready, let's go ahead and fire up the Figaro and see what it sounds like. All right, guys, time to check out the inside of the Figaro. It's really cool. Just even the door handles have that 1950s click when you open it. Once you open the door, very large opening door, and there's actually quite a bit of room in there, quite spacious. I like the leather interior. I like the way it's white, you know. Would I want to live with that every day? No, but in this type of car that you're going to enjoy maybe on a weekend or something like that, perfect to the style of the car. The gauges, the instrumentation really has an old-school 1950s feel to it. I'm going to go ahead. Remember, I'm six feet tall. I'm going to go ahead and get into the Figaro. Real simple. And once you're in, it is quite comfortable in here. I got plenty of headroom. If I wanted to, we could put down the cloth convertible top. But I love the trim, the silver switches, all the lighting just has a nice extra touch to it. Even the toggle switch for the hazards, very nicely done. AC, that does work. And the radio controls have that 1950s feel to it. Really think that they hit the nail on the head for what this car is about. And if you're ready, I'm ready. Let's go ahead and take this one for a spin. All right, guys, we left Montu Motors. We're in the 1991 Nissan Figaro. We got the windows up. The AC is blowing nice and cold. And this car actually drives really, really smooth. Even with both Big Guns Mickey and myself in here, we have lots of room, which surprisingly isn't always so true in a lot of the cars that we drive. But suspension is very compliant. Steering wheel has a great feel to it. And I'm just loving the overall experience in this Figaro with 75 whole horsepower. But you know what? It's not always about how much horsepower you have. It's about just the experience. And it's one hell of an experience in this car. Brakes feel great. Everything works. It's got a CD player. I mean, very nicely done if you're into this type of unique car. Because if you want something that's going to get attention, this is definitely it, for sure. Plus, we're getting that wonderful right-hand drive experience. Now, I wish this thing did have a manual, but it has a three-speed automatic. That is the only way to do it in this car. But it's got, surprisingly, just enough power for its size. Remember, around 1,700 pounds. Such an interesting car. There's only so many ways to describe how interesting of a car this is. Guys, rolling out on the throttle. Transmission shifts great. The engine has some power, I can feel. I have that one liter inline four. 75 horsepower, to be exact. Not going to win any races, but you know what? You're going to win the hearts of many people. Because when they see this, they're just automatically falling in love with it. Or they're like, what in the hell is that? But either way, it's really fun to drive. I'm just glad to be able to bring you the variety. That's what I love about Rady's Rides, and I love about all of you. You just love the variety, and sometimes we just find ourselves in some really unique cars. That's for sure. Visibility is great out the windshield, out the rear view, and the side windows. It's really fascinating. You would think from a small car standpoint that visibility would be a pain, but this car drives really, really nicely. Interior noise. I mean, you're getting some wind noise, but that's going to be the norm in a car that has a clawed top. But when it comes to shakes and rattles, not much to speak of. Driving in traffic, the temps are great. Engine's running smooth. Like I said, even with the AC, and the people staring at us are second to none. I wish I had a GoPro out on the roof or something just to look at all the rubberneckers as they're looking at us. But we're going to pull in and get something to drink. We've been working hard out in this Florida sun, and we'll be back in one second. All right, guys. We're rolling back on the road in the Nissan Figaro. I'm telling you, we sat in front of a convenience store for a few minutes and had about 10 people talking to us, asking us so many questions about this car. So I'm telling you, if you want a car that's going to get questions asked, this is definitely the one for you. Like I said, it drives so amazing, so smooth, and just really, really comfortable. The seats are great. The position of the steering wheel is very nice. Like I said, it has all those newer amenities that you want. Nice stereo with a CD disc player. AC controls are great. With a three-speed automatic, it makes it a breeze to drive. All right, guys. We're going to do a little acceleration test here. Zero to 60 in the Nissan Figaro. Here we go. On the throttle. Believe it or not, once the revs climb and the turbo starts to build its boost, we are off running. All right, guys. Pulling back out here. Very, very smooth, the transmission. I know I said a million times already, but everything works so well on this car, and the attention. People think it's literally a Japanese car from the 1950s. That's what it looks like. The interior looks like it, but boy, it does not drive like it whatsoever. Definitely give Montu Motors a call if you want something unique and never seen before. All right, guys. Once again, on throttle. You can hear that turbo spool up. That's what's cool about it, is that once you get going, it really does pick up some steam out of that little one liter engine. 75 horsepower. As you can see, the car tracks straight and true. Really wonderful experience. As crazy as it seems to be in this little tiny car, it is a ton of fun. That's what it's all about for me, is sharing the experience, the passion with all of you guys. We're going to go ahead and wrap this one up and get back to Montu Motors, and we'll catch you in a split second. All right, guys. Been another magical day here at Montu Motors. Definitely got to give a huge thank you to Sam and Jack for opening up the doors to their great location here in Oldsmar with these amazing JDMs that they're bringing over each and every day. If these are the types of things that you like to see on Rady's Rides, leave a comment in that comment section. If you're new to the channel and you're on your way out, hit that subscribe button. I promise you it's worthwhile coming back for more. If you are a subscriber, thank you for being part of the Rady's Rides family. Check out all my different forms of social media. If you want to get yourself some merch, some Rady's Rides merch, and help support the channel, click the link in the description. Takes you right to Spreadshirt. Go ahead and check out Tom Big Gun McGee's Motioners page, at motionphotos on Instagram, doing all sorts of wonderful photography. Thank you, Tom, for your hard work. We'll go get you some protein, I promise. And just like always, guys, I'll see you on the next ride.