Nissan Pao
Encyclopedia
The Nissan Pao, first announced at the Tokyo Motor Show
in October 1987, is a retro
-styled automobile
from Nissan Motors
. It was available as a three-door hatchback
with or without a textile sun roof
("canvas-top"), the canvas top being the most collectible. The Pao was one of three fashionable spinoffs of the K10 Micra — the Figaro
and Be-1
being the other two. Like the Figaro, the Pao was sold without the Nissan name and only by reservation from January 15 through April 14, 1989; orders were served according to their date of placing. The Pao sold out in 3 months and remains a sought after and collectible car, with only about 10,000 made.
According to the article on Japanese Wikipedia, the name is a Chinese word describing a type of house used by nomads in Mongolia
for assembly or meetings.
.The Be-1, Pao, Figaro
, and S-Cargo
were attempts to create cars with designs as desirable as those of Panasonic
, Sony
, and other personal electronics products.
The engine was the March/Micra's 1.0 L (987 cc) MA10S
, coupled with a three-speed automatic transmission
or a five-speed manual transmission
, the manual being the more sought after. The engine produced 52 PS at 6,000 rpm and 7.6 kgm at 3,600 rpm.
The chassis included rack and pinion
steering, independent suspension
with strut
s in front and 4-link
s and coil spring
s in back. Brakes were discs up front and drums in the rear. It has a clamshell hatch in back, meaning the glass section swings up and the bottom portion opens down to create a tailgate
. The compact Pao requires just 4.4 m (14.4 ft) to turn and delivers up to 51 mpg (5.5 L/100 km) in the city and 79 mpg (3.4 L/100 km) at a steady 60 km/h (37 mph). The tires were of 155/SR12 format.
The designs of the Pike cars (excepting the Figaro) are usually credited to Naoki Sakai, who also worked for Olympus, where he brought back "the brushed aluminium look". Sakai also helped design Toyota's later WiLL
cars, which echo the Pike series.
Models:
Tokyo Motor Show
The is a biennial auto show held in October-November at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association , it is a recognized international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs...
in October 1987, is a retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
-styled automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
from Nissan Motors
Nissan Motors
, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....
. It was available as a three-door hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
with or without a textile sun roof
Cabrio coach
A cabrio coach or semi-convertible is a type of car that has a retractable textile roof, and derives from Cabriolet. It is an inexpensive alternative to a full convertible, especially on cars with unibody designs since little or no redesign of the body is necessary.This type of roof was perhaps...
("canvas-top"), the canvas top being the most collectible. The Pao was one of three fashionable spinoffs of the K10 Micra — the Figaro
Nissan Figaro
The Nissan Figaro is a small retro car manufactured by Nissan. The car was originally sold only in Japan. Despite this, the Nissan Figaro has become popular with owners in the UK and Ireland, given the popularity of second-hand Japanese import cars...
and Be-1
Nissan Be-1
The Nissan Be-1 is a retro-styled automobile from Nissan Motors. The Be-1 was the first of four such retro spinoffs of the K10 Micra — the S-Cargo, Figaro and Pao being the other three. Like the Figaro, the Be-1 was sold without the Nissan name...
being the other two. Like the Figaro, the Pao was sold without the Nissan name and only by reservation from January 15 through April 14, 1989; orders were served according to their date of placing. The Pao sold out in 3 months and remains a sought after and collectible car, with only about 10,000 made.
According to the article on Japanese Wikipedia, the name is a Chinese word describing a type of house used by nomads in Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
for assembly or meetings.
History
Part of Nissan's "Pike" series, it was designed as a fashionable city car in the mold of the Be-1Nissan Be-1
The Nissan Be-1 is a retro-styled automobile from Nissan Motors. The Be-1 was the first of four such retro spinoffs of the K10 Micra — the S-Cargo, Figaro and Pao being the other three. Like the Figaro, the Be-1 was sold without the Nissan name...
.The Be-1, Pao, Figaro
Nissan Figaro
The Nissan Figaro is a small retro car manufactured by Nissan. The car was originally sold only in Japan. Despite this, the Nissan Figaro has become popular with owners in the UK and Ireland, given the popularity of second-hand Japanese import cars...
, and S-Cargo
Nissan S-Cargo
The Nissan S-Cargo is a small retro commercial van manufactured by Nissan. Its name was a double entendre meaning both "Small Cargo" as well as "Escargot", the French word for snail. This was because the styling of the S-Cargo looked a lot like a snail...
were attempts to create cars with designs as desirable as those of Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, and other personal electronics products.
The engine was the March/Micra's 1.0 L (987 cc) MA10S
Nissan MA engine
The MA is an all aluminium straight-4 SOHC 0.9 L, 1.0 L, or 1.2 L engine made by Nissan. It had an 8-valve hemispherical cylinder head. Unusually, the specified ignition timing for the MA10 running on the specified 90 RON gasoline was 2 degrees after top dead centre, reflecting a very high flame...
, coupled with a three-speed automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
or a five-speed manual transmission
Manual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
, the manual being the more sought after. The engine produced 52 PS at 6,000 rpm and 7.6 kgm at 3,600 rpm.
The chassis included rack and pinion
Rack and pinion
A rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a pair of gears which convert rotational motion into linear motion. A circular gear called "the pinion" engages teeth on a linear "gear" bar called "the rack"; rotational motion applied to the pinion causes the rack to move, thereby...
steering, independent suspension
Independent suspension
Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked – movement on one side affects...
with strut
Strut
A strut is a structural component designed to resist longitudinal compression. Struts provide outwards-facing support in their lengthwise direction, which can be used to keep two other components separate, performing the opposite function of a tie...
s in front and 4-link
Multi-link suspension
A multi-link suspension is a type of vehicle suspension design typically used in independent suspensions, using three or more lateral arms, and one or more longitudinal arms....
s and coil spring
Coil spring
A Coil spring, also known as a helical spring, is a mechanical device, which is typically used to store energy and subsequently release it, to absorb shock, or to maintain a force between contacting surfaces...
s in back. Brakes were discs up front and drums in the rear. It has a clamshell hatch in back, meaning the glass section swings up and the bottom portion opens down to create a tailgate
Tailgate
Tailgate is an American English word denoting the door or 'gate' at the back of a wagon, pickup truck, SUV or other similar type of vehicle that is hinged at the bottom and can be opened for the convenience in loading cargo into the rear of the vehicle...
. The compact Pao requires just 4.4 m (14.4 ft) to turn and delivers up to 51 mpg (5.5 L/100 km) in the city and 79 mpg (3.4 L/100 km) at a steady 60 km/h (37 mph). The tires were of 155/SR12 format.
The designs of the Pike cars (excepting the Figaro) are usually credited to Naoki Sakai, who also worked for Olympus, where he brought back "the brushed aluminium look". Sakai also helped design Toyota's later WiLL
Toyota WiLL
The Toyota WiLL series consists of three individually-designed cars, based on the mechanicals of other Toyota models. The series was intended to appeal to markets that were not covered by Toyota's mainstream range, and to discover how commercially feasible such unusual designs were. The WiLL range...
cars, which echo the Pike series.
Specifications
Vehicle type number: Nissan E-PK10Models:
- Pao w/5-speed manual transmission (PK10GF) or with 3-speed automaticAutomatic transmissionAn automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
(PK10GA) - Pao canvas top w/ 5-speed manual transmission (PK10GFW) or with 3-speed automatic (PK10GAW)
Dimensions and weight
- Length: 3740 mm (147.2 in)
- Width: 1570 mm (61.8 in)
- Height: 1475 mm (58.1 in) - 1480 mm (58.3 in)
- Wheelbase: 2300 mm (90.6 in)
- Front/rear tread: 1365 mm (53.7 in)1355 mm (53.3 in)
- Ground clearance: 165 mm (6.5 in)
- Min. turning circle: 4.40 m (14.5 ft)
- Seating capacitySeating capacitySeating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
: 5 people - Vehicle weight: 720 kg (1,587.3 lb) - 760 kg (1,675.5 lb)
- Gross vehicle weight (kg): 995 kg (2,193.6 lb) - 1035 kg (2,281.8 lb)
Fuel consumption
- City: 5-speed 5.4 L/100 km; automatic 6.9 L/100 km
- At steady 60 km/h (38 mph): 5-speed 3.4 L/100 km; automatic 4.3 L/100 km
Engine
- Type: MA10SMA10SThe MA10S is the engine used in the K10 type Nissan Micra.-Specification:# Water-cooled inline-4 cylinder# Cylinder bore and stroke: 68.0 x 68.0 mm# Total cubic displacement: 987 cc# Compression ratio: 9.5:1...
- Water-cooled inline-4 cylinder
- Cylinder bore and stroke: 68.0 x 68.0 mm
- Total cubic displacement: 987 cc
- Compression ratio: 9.5:1
- Output (net): 52 PS at 6000 rpm
- Largest torque (net): 75 newton metre at 3600 rpm
- 1-bbl carburettor
- Fuel and tank capacity: unleaded regular, 40 l (2,439 cu in)
Standard equipment
- Power steeringPower steeringPower steering helps drivers steer vehicles by augmenting steering effort of the steering wheel.Hydraulic or electric actuators add controlled energy to the steering mechanism, so the driver needs to provide only modest effort regardless of conditions. Power steering helps considerably when a...
and height adjustable driver's seat - Electromagnetic glass hatch release
- Height-adjustable driver's seat
- Intermittent wiper
- Tensionless ELR seat belts (front seats),
- Radio (AM/FM, tape deck, electronic tuner)
- 2 rear loudspeakers