With spring in the air, and cherry blossoms on the trees, it seems like the whole of London is painting itself pink.
Never mind the Sketch afternoon tea rooms, the UK capital is peppered with pink blossoms, pink double-decker buses, and if you're on Instagram much, it seems like pink Nissan Figaros, as well.
They may appear rather British and retro but this classic car that's popping up all over Instagram lately is Japanese and from the early 1990s. And they're quite a rare find, too. According to Carlogbook.co.uk, there are currently only 153 pink Nissan Figaros across the UK.
According to Autoexpress.co.uk, just 20,000 Nissan Figaros were made in 1991. And they were exclusively sold in Japan. Demand for them was so high, Nissan had to create a lottery with 100,000 tickets to satisfy potential owners. The 20,000 lucky buyers had a choice of four colors, representing the four seasons in Japan. The rarest is the Topaz Mist (autumn); just 2,000 cars were finished in this color. There were 6,000 examples each in Lapis Grey (winter), Emerald Green (spring), and Pale Aqua (summer).
Those who know this classic model well, call them "Figs" and "Figgy", but owners also give them other names like Betsy and Jimmy. And these dedicated British owners have Facebook groups like Figaro Owners Club who host picnic days and car rallies across the UK.
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London and Miami based cosmetic expert and pink Figaro owner, Shannon Leeman has named hers "Lola", it can often be spotted around Kensington and Notting Hill and has been getting lots of Instagram fame recently.
"It’s my trademark and I’ve since painted everything I touch pink, including my whole apartment in Miami Beach," she said to Departures. "I always wanted a pink 50’s Thunderbird, so my husband bought the Figaro for me, had it painted pink and surprised me with it. My husband has since passed away so my little ‘Lola’ has seen me through a lot of love and sadness."
