Between 1986 and 1990, Nissan offered the Pulsar NX in the U.S. market. It came in only one body style that could be converted into a coupe, targa, cabriolet, or station wagon by removing or replacing body panels. That included a “T-bar removable hatch roof” that could fit a shooting brake style canopy called the Sportbak. While I’ve seen a few Pulsars, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Sportbak version and the seller suggests his ’88 edition could be the only one left. Rare or not, this interesting car is in Olympia, Washington, and available here on craigslist for $9.500. Thanks for the unusual find, Rocco B.!
The design of the NX and its Sportbak variant was conceived in the U.S., but the cars were built in Japan. The North American Pulsar NX was offered in two trim levels, including the version that reflects the seller’s car, the XE with a 1.6-liter E16i SOHC engine. We’re told the drivetrain is up to date on maintenance and performs very well. New parts include the radiator, alternator, renovated A/C compressor, and a rebuilt manual transmission, with a second one thrown in for free. The car is seldom used these days, but that hasn’t always been the case as aggregate mileage is said to be 165,000.
This Nissan wears an interesting combination of yellow paint (which is new) and a blue interior. Perhaps the exterior hue was changed, but we’re just speculating. The interior looks good, but I would have cleaned it out before taking photos. And we can’t help but wonder if the Star Wars character in the passenger front seat comes with the car!
Collectible or not, this is one different vehicle with its removable hatch for use in all sorts of weather. The cargo capacity in the rear has certainly been enhanced with this type of layout. At 32 miles per gallon, you won’t break the bank at the gas station, but that isn’t remarkable considering the gas mileage of some of today’s cars. Does this Sportbak scream “come take me home” at you?
Wow… it’s been said that “If you don’t have anything kind to say – don’t say anything at all.” With that in mind, My comments on this vehicle and it’s chosen color are:
Ha ha!
The Gateway Drug to the Pontiac Aztek.
That is a really cute/humorous comment but…
This design exercise deserves better. Too bad it wasn’t developed further and expanded to become a more widely accepted approach to modular vehicle offerings.
We can add it to the almost endless lists of cars that weren’t developed further. Top of my list includes the Cadillac XLR-V and CTS-V Wagon (6-speed only), Chevrolet SS (Holden) and the Pontiac G8 (Holden). GM will stay true to form by gassing the Cadillac Blackwing CT4/CT6 over the next two years.
Nissan had some interesting ideas back in those days. They stood out with some design ideas, back in the days when auto stylists could break new ground, and not have to guarantee what they drew would be “An absolute sales success” to satisfy the corporate bean counters.
I like this Pulsar with the sport roof. 1990’s take on the English Shooting Brake trend.
And the older I get, the more the Pontiac Aztek begins to grow on me.
Had a 86 pulsar NX (No sport back) back in the 90s. Fun car. I know the sport back is “rare” but now as then. I’d prefer the normal rear hatch. One word of advice to the buyer. Don’t try to sleep over night in a dorm room parking lot in it. NOT comfortable.
Another “Smurf Hearse”.The color makes this design
look even worse.It at least needs some striping/decals to
offset all that YELLOW.
It needs C4!
Really liked the look and flexibility of these when they came out and still do. Only issue that stopped me getting one was the same issue my mother had with her Jeep. When she wanted to go from hard top to soft top storage of the hard top was a pain.
Like these or not, over the years only a few car companies have been willing to bring creative solutions to the market.
Seems the main idea was a buyer would order whichever tailgate version they preferred, not that they’d order both and swap them out.
It has been a long time since i have seen one on the streets, with 165k miles i will guess that is a recent paint job.
As i read the ad again, yes a fresh paint job, the seller says probably the only one left in USA and Canada, Good One!!
That Storm Trooper needs to be buckled in before he cracks his coconut.
Like the CRX to the Civic, and the EXP to the Escort, this was Nissan’s two door version of the Sentra, and haven driven a few, they were not bad little cars for what they were. IIRC, all of the Pulsar NX’s came delivered with the standard hatch, and the sport back lid was a factory option available from the dealer.
I meant two seat, not two doors.
This was a 2+2.
Although I am not a fan of Nissans, this car is so weird, it’s cool!
I thought it was weird enough that I bought one. Course I also had a EXP. The pulsar was a much better car that the EXP
The front reminds me of a Volvo wagon for some reason.
I have something positive to say. I used these seats in my 47 Chevy pickup streetrod and they were really comfortable.
I LOVE IT!
I didn’t when they were new, but art takes time to appreciate. If only I didn’t have waaay to many titles already, and I was much closer to WA.
I wish car companies made things this clever now.
And as for the color, if you are going to be a freak, be a freak all the way!
I’d prefer an original color, although the downside of that is the “Sportbak” extension only came in metallic gray regardless of the main body color (and I don’t think its’ shade was even available as one).
Bright yellow with a blue interior would’ve meant an old repainted taxi when this was new, but now it seems like an antidote to the profusion of black, almost-black, white and German Leasing Silver on the roads.
Front interior shots appear grey, so I think the apparent blue in the rear is actually the same grey, just picking up a bluish cast from the daylight.
To my eye, Nissan had some decent interior designs back in that vintage. As a fan of the EXP and CRX, I also liked these. The idea that they were versatile enough to use as a sport coupe, but could put on the sportbak when needed seemed like a good idea. I think a previous commenter is correct that all the sport back pieces came in metallic grey or silver.
As to this car, I do like yellow, but don’t think if does this car any favors. The idea of having the mismatched hatch color was something that I liked. I also don’t know where in the world all this enthusiasm for black wheels has come from. When I was younger you only had black wheels if your car was a junker and the hubcaps (wheelcovers) had fallen off.
Too many in my stable to consider another and at the asking price I don’t see many takers.
One of my very good friends had one of these, not the sportbak, it was an excellent car.
Possible the transmission was rebuilt because the owner is a volunteer fireman (based on the blue bubble-gum light on the dash)
On closer inspection, that bubble-gum dome appears to be a compass.
wanted one back then. I think U can configure 3 ways – vert, notch (hatch? no I don’t think so) and waggy. I’d swap ’em so no, not the 1 style. Plenty room for the ‘different parts storage’. Y else get it? Sports backs were the less produced. I bet its well perserved (one of the doz or less states I look) even w/those miles on it, as is from WA.
Also liked the Stanza a lill earlier. It’s what I call a mini-mini pre-mini van (the early ’80s?) or 1 of theMPVs (eagle summit, etc).
I can’t see this car getting 32mpg. Just about everybody exaggerates gas mileage, especially when trying to sell a car; and that flat back end most certainly causes some serious aerodynamic drag at highway speeds.
A sliced-off bluff rear end like that is actually quite low-drag, also known as a Kammback after German aerodynamicist Wunibald Kamm who developed it.
City mileage in the 30s was not uncommon for subcompact Japanese cars back then, even into the 40s for the HF version of the Honda CRX, a similarly-sized competitor to this model.