Relive the long-gone days of compact coupes with this extremely rare curiosity
By Cam Tait / Wednesday, 15 February 2023 / Loading comments
Whatever happened to the dinky sports coupe? For decades, car enthusiasts with a hankering for something small and fun had a host of compact two-door coupes, convertibles and targas to choose from. While cars like the Honda CRX, Toyota Paseo and Vauxhall Tigra weren’t especially engaging on a spirited Sunday morning drive, they were the perfect substitute for those wanting a sports car without the financial burden.
The formula was simple and, unfortunately, one we rarely see put to use these days thanks to the unrelenting SUV boom. To keep costs down, manufacturers took the underpinnings of something wholly mundane and, in most cases, drastically restyled it to distance the end result from its humdrum beginnings. Case in point, the Nissan 100NX. Origins? The solidly mediocre Sunny.
Aside from the bonkers GTI-R homologation special, the family of hatchbacks and coupes that comprised the Sunny family all lacked the sort of sporting prowess that typically results in a decent sports car. But the Nissan was intended to be the sporty offering in the Sunny line-up when it launched in 1990 to inject some much-needed style. In complete contrast to the hatchback and outgoing Sunny Coupe, the 100NX featured sleeker lines with rounded edges, suggesting that design wasn’t as far down on Nissan’s priority list as many had come to believe. The two-door configuration with sloping rear roofline could almost be considered elegant, if not quite as edgy as, say, a Mazda MX3. It even came exclusively with a Targa top following a mid-life refresh, which as we all know is worth a few style points.
Unfortunately, the 100NX didn’t back up its sporty looks with a punchy powertrain. UK cars were only equipped with the entry-level 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, developing a meagre 95hp in launch trim. A welcome upgrade to 102hp came about in 1993, which this ’94 car comes with, but it’s still disappointing that we weren’t offered the 2.0-litre motor with a whopping 143hp that the European market received, nor did Nissan attempt to shoehorn the 240hp engine from the Sunny GTI-R into the 100NX. Shame.
Despite the appetite for pseudo sports cars during the late 80s and throughout the 1990s, the 100NX never really got off the ground over here. When the car released at the turn of the decade, Nissan UK was allegedly at war with the wider Nissan Motor Company over profit margins (if Wikipedia is anything to go by). This prompted Nissan UK to cut all promotional activity around the Sunny range until a new importer, tightly controlled by the parent company, was installed in 1992. Sales weren’t dreadful, with several thousand examples shifted from forecourts over the car’s six-year lifespan, but it was still comfortably beaten by the Vauxhall Tigra – a rare win for the jazzed-up Corsa.
Nissan may have shifted a few 100NXs during the 1990s, but only a hundred or so remain today. Not only does that make this example a rare sight on the classifieds, but this particular car might just be the best 100SX out there. It’s covered fewer than 6,000 miles over the past three decades, having spent a fair chunk of time in the first owner’s garage. Since then, it’s been treated to new tyres, fuel pump, brakes and full service, plus what appears to be a thorough detailing. At £11,950, it’s actually appreciated in value. A true sports car, the 100NX isn’t, but it’s a wonderful reminder of a bygone era.
SPECIFICATION | NISSAN 100NX
Engine: 1,597cc four-cylinder
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 102@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 100@4,000rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 1994
Recorded mileage: 6,000
Price new: £11,817
Yours for: £11,950
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