Which of the two is older?
03/05/2020
Sometimes first impressions are deceptive, because the Austin Metro (left) and the Nissan Figaro actually come from two different eras. Compared to the Metro, the Figaro is a somewhat modern car, even if it doesn't look like one.
The Austin Metro was introduced in 1980 and built for 18 years (under various names), originally intended to inherit the Mini. However, the original Mini was still being produced in 2000, when the Metro was already history.
The Nissan Figaro, on the other hand, was only produced in one year, namely 1991. Although it looked like a car from the 1950s with its round headlights and low-slung bumpers, it was based on the modern technology of the first Nissan Micra, built from 1983 to 1992. There was even an automatic transmission on board and the engine had a turbocharger. The production run was modest, around 20,000 units, whereas the Metro was much more present on the roads with over two million units.
So that solves the mystery, the Nissan Figaro is younger than the Austin Metro "Moritz" pictured, a special model built in the 1980s with eye-catching lettering and a skier as decoration.
We were able to portray both cars in detail yesterday and will be publishing articles about them soon. If our readers still have original brochures of the two cars, this could of course significantly enrich the reports. Just write to us!
