Some say Nissan made such a good pun, they created a car to go with it.
The Nissan S-Cargo wasn’t a kei car, but a small, Japan-exclusive retro van, manufactured between 1989 and 1991. Its quirky design was inspired by the Citroën 2CV Fourgonnette delivery van, which was nicknamed “the snail”.
As if that wasn’t enough to make you chuckle, the S-Cargo’s name (which stands for “Small Cargo”) is actually a wordplay, sounding just like “escargot” – the French word for snail. So, basically, Nissan created the snail car. What’s more interesting is that they did it intentionally.
Thanks to Doug DeMuro there’s now one (at least) in the United States, after he commissioned an import company to search for a model. With approximately 8000 units ever made, the S-Cargo is pretty rare, especially as when it was first launched (at the 1988 Tokyo Motor Show) the vehicle was available by reservation only.
It even had two optional extras, including two circle windows embedded on each side panel, as well as an electric canvas sunroof. Sadly, Doug’s variant is the standard one.
Anyway, we’ll let the owner of the whatchamacallit explain more, but keep in mind this is the only vehicle you’ll see that’s actually leaning forward, and has a slightly inclined door frame (and rear end).