Do you remember a time when you could purchase an all-wheel-drive Toyota Corolla, or a turbocharged Dodge Colt, or a Mazda 626 coupe? If so, you remember the 1980s, a time of experimentation, ambition, and tremendous North American growth for Japanese automakers. Although it seemed the Japanese could sell anything to a market hungry for imports, there were some models that were less successful and which have become obscure, like the Pulsar NX.
The second-generation Nissan Pulsar NX – known as EXA (‘ex-a’) in Australia – vies for the title of ‘Most 1980s Car Ever’, although it faces strong competition from the Subaru XT. That wild Subaru may have had the most extreme wedge styling this side of a Lamborghini Countach but it didn’t come with the Pulsar NX’s most unique feature: an optional fiberglass canopy roof known as the Sportbak that turned the wedgy coupe into a boxy little shooting brake/wagon. This option was discontinued from the US market in 1989, although the Pulsar NX still came with t-tops.
While reading up on this little coupe, I found this Australian commercial. I hadn’t realized Nissan marketing pronounced it ‘ex-a’ (they also pronounced coupe the American way). Why the capitalization of EXA, then? Was it not an acronym? If it was, what did it stand for? In Australia, these were hardly strong sellers and are scarcely seen or mentioned nowadays. Their predecessor, also called EXA here, is more fondly recalled thanks to its optional 103 hp 1.5 turbocharged four and its more conventional styling.
Talk about spoilt for choice: the Pulsar NX was slotted in between the Sentra Sport Coupe and the 200SX/240SX in North America, all available for under $15,000. This abundance of coupes in Nissan dealerships meant the company had to make some changes to stop cannibalization. Although the Pulsar NX had lost its most unique feature, the Sportbak option, Nissan also axed the up-level SE’s 125 hp DOHC 1.8 four in 1990 to give the larger SX some breathing room. That left a humble 1.6 four-cylinder with 69 (later 90) horsepower, the same engine that powered the cheaper Sentra Sport Coupe. The 1.6 Pulsar NX, or EXA, was left looking a lot like Ford’s EXP—more cost, more weight, no more power. At least the Nissan sat four people.
Ultimately, the choice between a Sentra coupe and a Pulsar NX came down to which one you thought looked better and whether you wanted to pay an extra $1k or so for the privilege of having removable roof panels. Neither car was a class-leader but both were sufficiently sporty and handled relatively well. Nissan persisted with this compact coupe overlap into the 1990s by replacing the Pulsar NX with the NX and launching a new generation Sentra coupe. Rinse and repeat.
Photographed in Acacia Ridge, Brisbane, Queensland.
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Loved the “Cheese Grater” tail lights. No other car in the 80’s had a bolder tail light design (Exclude the Mustang GT 5.0). I remember as teenager thinking I want one of these little cars with the special funky like tail lights. Considered pretty futuristic and forward thinking by 80’s standards.
A very fun/youthful design, that arrested your eyes, and forced you to notice it (although it was Just covers over the light lenses though). It was still a very risky thing to do that could have easily flopped. I recall seeing enough Pulsars on the streets that it must have been at least a modest success.
I do know that the memory of getting behind one of these is etched in many folks memories who grew up in the 80’s. Of course the Ford Mustang GT 5.0 had the horizontal version of the “Cheese Grater” tail lights, that were much more famous than the Pulsar’s to be fair. This model Pulsar had “Buy Me” if you are ages 18-25 written all over it. It spoke to that demographic perfectly-bulls eye. This was a fun car and very versatile in usage (removable top). So the performance stats were allowed to be shabby or even null. This car just had to be fun spirited and reliable at that’s it.
Folks bought these because it said something about their character and personality. Usually Fun, adventurous, and Cheerful comes to mind. Same ones who would by a Mini Cooper/SMART car today….
I agree about the Mini but not the Smart car. I envision the average Smart owner as being bitter
I would also think the Fiat 500 (especially the Abarth) would be an modern day equivalent
No! Not bitter at all, as a former Smartie owner.Had a ’09 cabrio, and what a hoot to drive, (as long as you shifted it manually!) and it never failed to make me smile and have a great day! More cars should have that effect, IMHO.
Actually I lusted after a MR 2. Nissan in the 80’s wasn’t on my radar then. But I drove a MR 2. Fun car, but just out of reach. Being Texan, my first new vehicle was a truck. But I like the Pulsars now. Shame there aren’t any left.
+1 on the taillights. I’ve seen these on regular Pulsars as well.
I was in junior high when these came out and thought they were pretty cool.
Today I wonder just how weather tight and solid those tops were. I still like them though.
These cars were very “sunshine state” derived. Very state specific.
California, Florida, San Francisco, Hawaii etc.
Places that have year round good weather would have been where these sold well. The 80’s “Baja” California surfer scene, or “Miami Vice” on a budget vibe. Places like New York, Georgia, Wisconsin not so much.
I feel like the only Nissans you’d see in any great number in ’80s Wisconsin (and much of the rest of the rural Upper Midwest) would be Hardbody pickups.
Drzhivago138
Midwest states, Middle America, places like Colorado, Minnesota, Ohio
Wyoming etc. these are all states where even today, the folks that live there are still very pro-American cars (especially U.S. American made trucks, SUV’s, Ford country etc).
So back in the 80’s the import “craz” did not catch on to these places in America, until much later. Even then there is still a very very strong pro-American car attitude there. Which is good. They tend to stick with American cars through good and bad times IMO.
As someone who is from MN and was a young adult then, imports here were not uncommon by any means. My own ultra-conservative Father began driving a string of Japanese vehicles in 1973 with a 240Z. By 1980, they were very much here, and here to stay.
Depends on where you were in the Midwest. Where I grew up in central Minnesota the only foreign make available within 60 miles was Mazda but all the domestics were available in town. It’s still that way today I believe…won’t even find Fiat at the Chrysler dealer. Japanese cars weren’t exactly uncommon but they were definitely not popular. it wasn’t just a buy American thing either. They had a reputation for rust, weak heaters/defrost, and being too light to make it through snow. They didn’t really start to overcome that until the late 80’s.
But “buy American” was still pretty strong as well. My dad bought a Mazda B2000 for a delivery truck and took a lot of crap from his customers for it. His next truck was a Ranger…which was actually a better truck anyway.
You’d be surprised just how common these were in suburban Chicago during my childhood. I saw them very often
They were no different then a T-top on a F-Body car would be. As long as the seals were kept good then it should be good to go.
I was thinking more of the back, but F-body T-Tops were notorious for leaking.
They leaked. The seals were ok, but the body loosened up pretty quickly (on rough OZ roads at least) and you would get a persistent drip from where the front of the window met the windscreen header.
Phil
Your comment was spot on, especially regarding the rust, weak heaters, weak in snow that the foreign cars displayed at the time. I’m from Wisconsin & Michigan. It’s has been only say the last decade or so where I’m seeing the imports really invade these states.
I now live in another state (moved away about 15 years ago). However, before I moved to the current state I live in. I noticed that the majority of folks from MI & WI were still buying Grand Prix, Bonneville’s, Cadillac’s, Buick’s, Cavaliers, Chevy Malibu’s Trucks/SUV’s etc. Of course people also bought Honda’s, Toyota’s etc.
But back then there was an undeniable hard core pro-American car streak that was evident!
I think the mid 1980’s to mid 1990’s were the heyday of small fun to drive sporty Japanese coupes. Cars like the Toyota Celica and MR2, Isuzu Impulse/Geo Storm, Mazda 626 coupe/ MX-6, Mazda MX-3, Ford Probe, Nissan Pulsar NX and the successor the NX and the Dimond-star cars( DSM) were offered for sale and sold pretty well. Then the SUV market took off and all these cars died out. Though some of them were the victim of being made by another company making a car that was almost the same looking and used the same tooling so that when that company killed off their version the other company had to discontinue theirs. For example the Geo Storm. This was a big seller for GM but had to be discontinued because Isuzu (the maker of the car) killed off their Impulse due to lack of sales(mostly due to all the Storms being sold instead) so it was not cost effective to make the Storm anymore.
Out of all the small sporty coupe offered at the time the 1990-1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse/Eagle Talon/ Plymouth Laser (aka the DSM cars) were the cars I liked the best (followed by the Geo Storm and Ford Probe)
A lot of folks laugh at Mitsubishi and wonder why they are still around but back in the 1990’s Mistsu was at the forefront of car technology. The Eclipse and the 3000GT were some of the most advanced cars of that era.
As for the Nissan in this article. ThePulsar NX was an attractive car. I like this and the previous generation(called Pulsar in the USA) but the Pulsar replacement (the B14 NX) looks like they phoned it in,
Leon
Your write up is spot on.
Nice find. I’ve been on the lookout for one with the Sportbak on it, but gave up long ago. The NX was a popular car in LA back in the day, but even then, Sportbaks were very rare.
I think you’re right that this must be the most ’80s car ever.
Last summer, I saw a derelict Pulsar NX with the Sportbak attachment sitting in a yard in rural Ohio. A yard, not a driveway… as in slowly getting covered by vegetation. It occurred to me then that I’m not sure I ever saw an example with the Sportbak attached other than in brochures.
I saw one not all that long ago, street parked with Sportbak. I think I got a photo even, will have to look for that when I get home…
Found it (er, them)!
Wow, that’s remarkable! In real life, the Sportbak looks pretty awkward — more so than in the ads, but I guess that’s to be expected.
It is awkward, but it was optional right? So I assume they would still have the original coupe back?
Which also makes me realize it appears they don’t have a hatch for rear access. That’s a pretty big compromise.
A Sportbak-equipped Pulsar NX is parked regularly on the street in Washington, DC. It is clearly used regularly, as I see it frequently and it has moved every time, and it is in surprisingly good condition for a daily driver parked outside. I have not photographed it because I suspect from its regular location that its owner is military, and I will not do anything that looks like surveillance of military personnel, but if you are on 8th Street SE near the entrance to the Marine Barracks at 8th and I, you are likely to see it.
I remember mixing these up with cheese grater light Mustangs when I was a kid, it disappointed me at the time realizing it was just a pulsar I was looking at longingly. Funny enough, now it would be the opposite. I really miss the days when regular people bought and drove cars like this.
Ahhh… the Pulsar – an adult Transformer!
I was quite intrigued with these in the 80s, and was attracted to them, especially after I saw a very pretty red one coming home from work one afternoon.
I could see myself driving one back and forth to work, as it would be fun to drive. I liked everything about those cars.
These were SO COOL to me when I was a kid. Like others said, I think it’s a combo of the Transformers top and those taillights.
In 1985 I was in the market for a new car–which I could not afford–and went to the Nissan dealership and Toyota dealership in Culver City, CA, where I lived. The Nissan dealer was trying to hard sell me a Pulsar; the Toyota dealer an MR-2. I thought the Pulsar was cool (I had a thing for hidden headlights stylistically), but I bought a Corolla GT-S Twin Cam 16 Valve 5 speed from the Toyota dealer, which I drove for many years, and was sorry to see go when it was finally very long in the tooth. There was something not quite right about the Pulsar…it spooked me a little. I wonder how my destiny would have been altered if I’d succumbed to the pushy salesman and bought the Pulsar.
One of the teachers at the school my mom worked at drove one of these. My mom came to me one day and tried to describe the car to me, because she wanted to know what it was because she had never seen one before. Small, sporty, two door, pop up headlights and, in her own words, “finger taillights”. I went round and round with her trying to understand what she meant by “finger taillights”. As we drove around town I pointed out every sporty car with pop-up headlights…. which always came with a nope. Finally I ventured over to the school one day to figure out what the hell it was. It was this Pulsar. Now, in the rare chance that I see one… I always think “finger taillights”
A friend of ours drove one for a while. I think he had the Sportbak but it was a long time ago and my memories could be wrong. I assumed that he wasn’t much of a car guy based on that Pulsar, but he replaced it with an inherited Porsche 928 and subsequently picked up at least one more 928 and became a serious 928 aficionado.
I remember this car as a kid growing up in the 80s. I always thought the taillight treatment was very futuristic. Ironically this car was introduced to me while on a grade 4 field trip by a non-car peer. Had I known it was a stylized Sentra (or Nissan Sunny), I wouldn’t have given it the kind of exotic status that I had — like a Corvette or something. It’s amazing how a few styling gimmicks and some tweaks to sheet-metal (or naivete of youth) can transform a car.
As it turned out, I ended up owning an ex-fleet Sentra. I know Sentras are just as robust as most other Japanese cars are, but I think mine was abused by an angry City of Burnaby meter maid because my used Sentra literally lasted to only 120k kilometers (or 70k miles). It died way too early. Or, maybe Sentras are weak. I don’t know. At any rate, I certainly don’t see much of either 80s Sentra or Pulsar models these days. But, then again it’s 30 years later. Hard to say. I’d like to point out that I often see later 80s Honda Civics, but that wouldn’t be a fair observation either since they were much better sellers at the time and raw numbers would be at play here.
Sentras weak? nope tough little heaps I recently had a rusty 93 with 340,000kms racked up it ran beautifully drove well usual Japanese electrical problems, but a good car that serious rust put off the road.
Forgot all about these! The last one I saw was actually a Sportbak in Rhode Island in 2008 or so.
Very 80’s indeed. I liked them too, but I preferred the styling of the 1st-gen model even if it didn’t have the switcheroo top.
Speaking of that top–that brochure photo shows the red one being driven as almost a full convertible, without either the hatchback or sportbak fitted. I don’t recall ever having seen one being driven like that on the street though. I guess there’s no reason why you couldn’t, but it hadn’t even occurred to me before now.
It did not help Nissan USA did a poor job of marketing the car for what it was. I’m not even sure we could get the soft canvas cover for the rear as seen below:
I don’t think we even got the Sportbak in Australia. I never saw an ad for it, nor one on the street.
I remember it being marketed here, and I vaguely remember seeing one back in the day.
The idea of the open-top was not new; Japan received a limited run of soft top Pulsar EXA’s from the previous generation:
That looks miles better without the roof.
I had the 1.8 litre version, it was a brisk performer and a tidy handler. It was kind of like a modern MGB, a sporty car, not a sports car.
The removable hatch was a pain to take off, requiring two people, and I only did it once.
A good little car that is becoming a charming period piece now!
Car and Driver had a road test with the most mid 80’s pic of a Pulsar. It had a female model standing by it with pink mini skirt, big blond hair and sunglasses. [If someone could find it and scan? Mine is buried in a box.
The article said “Nissan is trying to call this car ‘hip’, but hipness is so elusive”. I call this the “most LA Nissan” ever.