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Time has passed quickly since my last blog entry. It is certainly not because I have not wanted to continue the blog but rather life’s challenges and the time left in the day after dealing with them. Since my last entry I have moved. Yes, after living in Cornwall, Ontario for 14-Years, we have moved to a lovely country village outside of Ottawa named Russell.  It is an extremely friendly place where nobody locks their doors or cars. It has two small restaurants, one Home Hardware and a small Foodland. It also has a pharmacy, Post Office and a few other interesting little shops including a groomer for Porthos and Bailey.

Not only have we moved, but my hand has greatly improved and I have being riding quite a bit through the windy back roads in the country. My back yard is a rider’s dream come true. Beautiful scenery, never ending country roads with amazing “”s-curves, 90 degree curves and more. I just finished setting up my workplace in the garage

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As you can see below, all three Italian Toys fit in snuggly.

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This Saturday I had to drive up to Cobourg (in my Abarth) to visit my Dad who is very sick. He is 92 and is not expected to live beyond a month.

The following short video is a small example of the back roads surrounding my village. Chantal took it with her phone. But on the way home I purchased a Hero 3 Black GoPro and will have it operational by tomorrow and hopefully will have some better ride videos and pictures of my riding back yard.

Figaro

While I was in Cobourg, I ran into this amazing little car for sale that I had never seen before. It was a Fiagro.

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I actually had never heard of this car and had to look it up online. This is what I had found:

The Figaro was introduced at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show under the slogan “Back to the Future”. It was built by a Nissan special projects group called Pike Factory, which also produced other niche automobiles such as the Be-1, Pao and S-Cargo. It was based on the K10 Nissan Micra aka March. Only four colours were available: Topaz Mist, Emerald Green, Pale Aqua and Lapis Grey. Each colour symbolised a season of the year. When the car was launched, Topaz Mist was the least popular colour. There were only 2,000 produced in Topaz Mist hence they have become increasingly rare. The Figaro was sold without the Nissan name.

The Figaro was equipped with leather seats, air conditioning, CD player and an open roof. It was designed by Shoji Takahashi, who won a design competition with the car.

Only 8000 were originally available with an additional 12,000 added to production numbers to meet demand. Prospective purchasers had to enter a lottery to be able to buy one of these cars. Limited edition cars came with passenger side baskets and cup holders. These now fetch millions on internet auction sites.

Size

  • Interior Width: 1310 mm (51.57 in)
  • Interior Height: 1130 mm (44.49 in)
  • Treadwidth: Front: 1335 mm (52.56 in), Rear: 1350 mm (53.15 in)
  • Riding Capacity: 4 seat belts, 4 people

Weight

  • Max laden weight: 1235 kg (2723 lb)
  • Max rolling weight: 1835 kg (4045 lb)
  • Max load (front axle): 620 kg (1367 lb)
  • Max load (rear axle): 625 kg (1378 lb)
  • Max trailer weight (without brakes): 310 kg (683 lb)
  • Max trailer weight (with brakes): 600 kg (1323 lb)

Performance

  • Turning Circle (pavement to pavement): 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in)
  • Fuel Economy: 7.3 L/100 km (39 mpg-imp; 32 mpg-US)
  • Fuel consumption rate: 60 km/h (37 mph) running, on level ground: 4.1 L/100 km (69 mpg-imp; 57 mpg-US)
  • Top Speed: 106 mph (170.59 km/h)

Engine

  • Bore and Stroke: 68.0 mm × 68.0 mm (2.68 in × 2.68 in)
  • Compression Ratio: 8.0:1
  • Max Power: 76 PS (56 kW; 75 hp) at 6000 rpm
  • Max Torque: 10.8 kg·m (106 N·m; 78 lb·ft) at 4400 rpm
  • Fuel Delivery: ECCS
  • Fuel Type/Capacity: Super Unleaded/40L (8.8 imp gal or 10.6 US gal)

Various devices

  • Steering: Rack and pinion
  • Suspension: Four-wheel independent
    • Front: Strut-type
    • Rear: 4-link,solid axle, with stabilizer bar (anti-sway bar)
    • Front Wheel Drive
  • Brakes: Power-assisted Ventilated front discs, rear drums
  • Tire size: 165/70R12 77H
    • Cold climate spec: 155SR12 (155/80R12)

Features

  • Safety equipment and front seat restraints
    • No Airbags
    • Three-point seat belts
    • Rear seat: Three-point seat belts
    • Driver’s seat belt not fastened warning (buzzer)
  • High-mount stop lamp
  • Genuine leather seats standard equipment
  • Low-mount head rest for classic appearance
  • Synthetic leather piping is used for the prevention of leather fatigue
  • High quality paint on interior and exterior

Mechanism

  • Retractable top which became one of Figaro’s unique trademarks
    • External design completely hidden in trunk
    • Equipped with a double lock and warning buzzer as a safety feature
    • Secondary hood latch designed so the hood should not open while driving or by accidental activation
  • Rear window defroster on glass

Body

  • Flush mount apron and flush mount fender
  • Glassfibre resin material is used with an outer gel coat for front fenders and front grill surround
  • Resulting in durable, low-maintenance body components
  • Fluoroplastic paint is used