Most of the first cars in the world were convertibles, so it should come as no surprise that people have felt the need to chop off the roof from pretty much any type of vehicle ever since. If Freud was still around, he’d probably say that it has something to do with the feeling of lost childhood – or something like that.
However, in the case of this particular Nissan Evalia MPV (or NV200 as it is known in North America and other places), the reasons for the conversion were a little different. The car serves as a sightseeing van on the sunny Italian island of Capri and replaces a similar convertible MPV based on the Nissan Serena.
Built by Italian coachbuilder Giovanni Vernagallo and officially approved by Nissan, the Evalia C has had its metal roof replaced by a removable fabric top. The car still comes with sliding doors and it can be specified with either five or seven seats. Surprisingly, the Nissan Evalia C is more than just a one-off exercise, as the cabrio MPV is available to order both at Giovanni Vernagallo and at any Nissan dealer in Italy.
Since the car is basically a Nissan Evalia without a roof, customers can choose between the same engines as on the regular model: there’s a 110hp 1.6-liter gasoline engine and a 1.5-liter diesel available in two states of tune – 90 hp and 110 hp (the latter was chosen for the first unit made).
Building the car takes about 5 months, but those interested should also know that the pictured Evalia C costs €47,500 ($61,975). That’s because the conversion alone costs €29,000 ($37,840) and the car is based on the top N-Tec trim level. However, Nissan says the Evalia C can be ordered for the cheaper Visia and Acenta trim levels as well.
By Dan Mihalascu
Story References: Nissan via Indianautosblog
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