When different generations become the majority group in any society, it’s tempting for them to assume they are the smartest, the best, the strongest, what have you. We all think we’re better than the ones that came before us because our technology has improved or we can heat up a burrito faster than our parents could. But at the end of the day, none of today’s wisenheimers came up with something as cool as the Nissan Pulsar Sportback, which converts your coupe into a cargo-carrying – um, BIGGER coupe with the addition of a clever hinged attachment. Check out this rare Nissan here on Facebook Marketplace, and yes, please get off my lawn.
Just the fact that the Pulsar Sportback even existed in 1987 makes the late 80s even more wonderful than they already were. When you consider our current state of affairs includes a Ford Lightning pickup now being a (failing) EV and that every vehicle from the puniest econobox to the most overstuffed SUV comes standard with A-pillars the same thickness of your Aunt Edna’s thighs, we’ve fallen from grace in a big way. The Pulsar was a coupe, a T-top coupe, a hatchback, and a wagon all rolled into one. If you’re measuring carbon reduction the correct way and thinking about how to actually reduce the number of vehicles on the road, here’s your answer.
Sometimes, I truly wonder if products or ideas that get canned early in their lifecycle were actually massive success stories that had to be depicted as failures to preserve the status quo. Think about it: the Fiero GT was getting so good in its final iteration, the Corvette crew decided to kill it for fear of upsetting the proverbial apple cart. I don’t know that the Pulsar was keeping any GM executives up at night, but it’s not far-fetched that someone at Nissan realized if the Sportback was a success, it might threaten sales of the Hardbody pickup, the Maxima wagon, and potentially the 300ZX if you sprung for the zingy DOHC-engined version, all at once.
Sure, the SE-trim was still a 10-second car to 60, but the trick split-plenum intake management system had the potential to evolve further and make it a bit of a screamer, not unlike Honda’s revered VTEC system. Is this all conjecture? Yes, of course. I’m not getting paid enough to offer you opinions based in fact. But there’s little doubt that Pulsar Sportback was full of good ideas that deserved a shot at further evolution, and the fact that examples like this still live in the wild make it seem like a Frankenstein that escaped the mad (but actually really sensible) scientist’s laboratory. The Nissan is listed for sale at $3,700, and thanks to Barn Finds reader Sam61 for the find.
Thought these pretty cool when they came out-as you said, Jeff, a hatch, sedan and a targa convertible all in one package. With e DOHC it was fun to drive though not necessarily a sub for the 300ZX (which had grown too much in weight and size by that time).
IMHO, the lack of better marketing and their split personality helped bring on the dismal sales performance.
Great find but a few miles on the mill. Still these were a great car back in the day and this is a 5 speed. Can’t be many like this one left. As “Nevada” said above they could not compete with the Z cars but they were were not designed for that either. I was living in Alaska at the time when these came out and always found them “peculiar” against the backdrop of the harsh Alaskan winter.
215k miles on the odometer they definitely got their use out of it judging by some of the pictures its been duck tape and bailing wire maintenance so that makes it a expensive parts car
Nice write-up on the Sportback model, but little was said about this particular car. I understand there was little to go on from the ad, but I miss the keen observations BF is known for.
I think you need to show a little more respect for Aunt Edna’s thighs. She was a world class power lifter. I believe she not only met president Hoover, but carried him around on her shoulders on a regular basis.
Matching color duct tape holding the gas cover lid shut is a nice touch.
The decidedly not sporty Sportback. Always a curiosity.
Great write up, Jeff. Even my Aunt Edna got a laugh from it!
When these were new, the hatchback was the standard rear lift gate option, and IIRC, the Sportback option was available through the parts counter as a dealer-installed accessory. Allegedly, you could swap from one type of hatch to the other using ordinary hand tools, but I wonder how many people actually did that? The magazine ads for these depicted a young surfer couple storing their boards in the Sportback, feeding their boards in through the side windows, which could flip up like the tool doors on an aftermarket truck body, complete with gas struts for the side window hatches!
I hope someone can find one of the ads for these cars, that would be really cool!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_EXA
A smart application of functional design here!
If I recall correctly, they could be purchased in either or both of the guises. Actually, in addition to notchback and wagonback, one could leave either back off had have a sort of pickup for hauling that tall chest of drawers you bought at the garage sale!
Too clever for words… or marketing success.
Oh, and Targa topped too.
A friend back in the 1980s & 90s was parts manager for a very large Nissan dealership in Maryland. In the early 1990s he told me he had several of these Sportback units in inventory and finally had them trucked to the local landfill because they were unsellable.
One of the drawbacks to this car was storing either the hatch or Sportback when not in use. It’s like having a Mercedes-Benz SL hardtop. You better have a garage to hang it from the garage ceiling rafters.
Or a Miata hardtop, LOL! At least the hardtop would fit on a cart, but storing that thing might need and entire garage bay!