Our Question of the Day about bad cars you’d actually love to own did surprisingly well, but in it I made a grievous error: I assumed that my example, the delightfully weird Nissan Pulsar Sportbak, was a vehicle unable to rise above its humble economy roots.
Not so, says reader As Du Volant, who is heroically but slowly putting the one you see above back together:
I have to disagree with you here. I own a Nissan Pulsar Sportbak. It does share many components with the Sentra, but the top of the line model was different in many important ways. Yes, the base model had the Sentra’s 70hp engine. But the top of the line had a DOHC 1.8 putting out 135hp, which in a car that small is quite peppy (but I wouldn’t call it fast) and actually is a little quicker than a CRX of similar vintage. Though you’re right, it’s not the most sporting Nissan from that time.
I’m in the process of putting mine back together after sitting with a blown engine for the past 5 years, let me know if you want a little wheel time after I’ve got it back on the road.
Will do, my friend. Will do. Congrats on your COTD win, and I hope that thing is back on the road sittin’ on period-appropriate Lorenzos in no time.
Contact the author at patrick@jalopnik.com.