Autozam AZ-1
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Japan has produced some very cool things over the years. The AZ-1 is one of the most underappreciated and unknown of the cool cars that are coming out of Japan. Technically it was made by Suzuki, but Mazda’s Autozam label sold the car.
The AZ-1 is considered a Kei car. The Kei car category in Japan avoids taxes by being small and low emissions cars. The AZ-1 is tiny and has 2 seats. However, it has gullwing doors! Any car with gull-wing doors is incredibly cool.
The AZ-1 had a tiny 64 horsepower engine but was a ton of fun because it was so small. It was actually smaller than the ever so tiny Lotus Elise. This meant that when you pushed it hard, you could really feel the car come alive in your hands. A windy country road and the AZ-1 were a perfect combination.
Nissan Figaro
Source: Wikimedia Commons
When you first look at the Figaro, you have to immediately assume that it’s a car from the 1960’s. But no! Nissan just decided to go for an incredibly retro look. It was actually released in 1991!
The Figaro was a tiny little 2+2 convertible. The roof wasn’t your typical full pull down convertible roof. The center section and the rear window would fold down. It worked almost like an immense moonroof to let people experience the joy of the sun.
The Figaro had some interesting marketing. The colors it was available in were linked to the four seasons. Nissan wanted to release 8000 cars. However, the car was so popular that another 12000 ended up being made to fill the demand for this clever little car.
