-By John Engstrom
The S-Cargo as well as the Nissan Figaro and the Pao all had their origins from the Special Projects Group at the Nissan Pike Factory. The S-Cargo is a very small retro-styled minivan designed by Naoki Sakan of Nissan fame and was first shown at the 1988 Tokyo Motor Show
The next year the S-Cargo was in production and was solely available by reservation only in Japan through the Nissan Cherry Stores which Nissan setup to sell their newly designed front wheel drive cars earlier. There were various reported production figures which varied between 8,000 to 12,000 units
The S-Cargo known by some as a cartoon van, has had a double interpretation over time. Some believe the name meant Small Cargo and others believe since the van looks like a snail the S-cargo was a play on words sounding like “escargot” the French word for snail.
Specifications
- Engine 1.5L. 4-cylinder, Carbureted
- BHP 48
- Transmission 3-Speed Automatic
- Steering Power assisted, Rack & Pinion
- Brakes Front disc, Rear drums
- Wheels 13”
- Gas Tank 10 Gal
- Length 137”
- Width 62.8”
- Height 72.4”
- Weight 2096 lbs
- ¼ mile Less than a hour