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November & December 2018 Newsletter from the Figaro Owners Club - Issue No: 101
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Welcome to our November/December 2018 Newsletter.
A few months ago Sue and I drove our little figgy to London to meet
David Beasley who is the
head of Nissan Design. We mentioned in our last Newsletter the reason for the visit which was to
take a
digital scan of the Figaro. We were so excited to visit this iconic building where many Nissan cars have been created and was very much hoping that we could take some pictures and cover the visit in great detail. Unfortunately, this all went out the window within minutes as we had to both sign a comprehensive
Non Disclosure Agreement restricting any such coverage. We spent almost all day in the building, meeting many of the designers and even got introduced to David's boss. Having heard about their plans and witnessed some of the very secretive 'no-go areas' I cannot tell you how frustrated I feel not being able to share the day. However, on a positive note, at least we now have contact within 'Nissan' who actually now knows a Figaro Owners Club actually exists.
Declining Figgy Numbers
Hot news this week
(courtesy of
Nic Caraccio) was official confirmation from the
DVLA that UK licenced Figaro numbers (cars on the road) have dropped and are down by
643 cars over a 21 month period.
We feel the reason for the decline in numbers could be down to many being retired through rust issues, owners applying for SORN status and more cars finding there way to Europe and US markets. With the age of the car I guess this cannot be shock to us and clearly as the Figaro gets older the ownership cost will increase due to bodywork repairs and engine maintenance costs. With our 30th Anniversary just a few years away it may be interesting to carry out another update?
Wales Rally 2019 (The Big One) Update
A few weeks back we launched our much awaited
Wales Figaro Rally 2019 (The Big One). Many of you must have been hovering over your keyboards ready to hit the 'refresh button' to register as the initial take up was simply mind-blowing with 52 cars booked within 60 minutes! I was just crossing everything and hoping that the server did not crash! Planning has already started with a couple of bookings in the bag including a CAA approved drone pilot to capture the
100 Figaro convoy on day one at Elan Valley and South Wales's finest
50s and 60s band on the Saturday night for our 10th Birthday celebrations.
Read more
See you at the NEC
Next week we will be preparing for the NEC Classic Motor Show which kicks off on
Friday 9th November. We would be unable to do this show without the fantastic support of The Figaro Shop and following members;
Ken Graham, Peter Warnell, Peter & Sandra Pattermore, Steve Paget & Catherine Clark and the team at the Figaro Shop. If you have never been it really is worth a visit with 5 halls packed full of some incredible cars and everything you would ever need to restore a Figaro! Read more and get Discounted Weekend Tickets.
Click here
Thanks
For contributions this month from
Nigel Mitchell, Andra Yanchenko, Patrick Light, Paul Greene & Dee Simpson.
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NOVEMBER & DECEMBER EVENTS
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EVENTS LISTED ON OUR WEBSITE
NEC CLASSIC MOTOR SHOW 2018
Location: Marston Green
Date: 09/11/2018 - 11/11/2018
Time: All Day
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EVENTS ON OUR FACEBOOK CHAPTER PAGES
Many local events are also listed on our Facebook Chapter Pages -
Join here
SEND US YOUR EVENT/MEET/GET-TOGETHER
We are always on the lookout for great events for our members to attend or if you are a member and would like to help organise one then simply complete our form
Click here
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UK Figaro Numbers drop by 643
According to the DVLA the total number of licensed Figaros (on the road) in the UK at the 30th June 2018 was 3,529. However a further 1,415 with a 'SORN' declaration (off the road) should be added to this figure bringing the overall total number of cars to 4,944. The licensed figure was down by 643 over a 21 month period when on the 30th September 2016 the figure stood at 4,172.
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'Twist and Shout' with the Cherry Beats!
We are so excited to announce South Wales's finest 50s and 60s band will be playing live at our 'Vintage Themed' 10th Birthday Party during next years Wales Figaro Rally 2019.
Watch the band in action
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Members Raise over
£13,976
for RNLI
Congratulations to
James & Belinda Richardson for completing their epic challenge of visiting all 238 RNLI Lifeboat stations throughout the whole of the British Isles and Ireland in 911 hours.
This was an incredible achievement in aid of such a great cause.
Read More/Donate
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Drone booked to capture '100' Figgy Convoy during Wales Rally
CAA Approved Drone PilotSam Cook has been booked and briefed to capture what we hope will be the first '100 Car Figgy Convoy' on a public road whilst exploring Elan Valley during our Wales Figaro Rally 2019 next year.
The route will take us over reservoir bridges with waterfalls so we are hoping will be truly spectacular!
Learn more about rally
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Facebook post helps Police find stolen Figaro just 10 miles from home
Owner
Sandra Onofrio's Figgy was taken from outside her home in Sonning (Bucks) between the Sunday and Tuesday 2nd October. It was found by police the next day in a field in Wallingford with luckily damage. Sandra's daughter Chiara appealed for help finding the car on Facebook and more than 600 people shared the post.
Read more
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Figaro Shop employee wins 'Painter of the Year award'.
Congratulations to Elliot Campbell, who has won the Farecla National Apprentice Painter of the Year award. Elliot was just 16 when he joined the company and through his hard work and dedication he is now an award-winning painter! Read more
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Save 30% on new Miroxol Metal Polish
With so much chrome on the Figaro it deserves a great metal polish. We have 'road tested' this product on our club Figaro belle and cannot speak more highly of it! Ideal for the bumpers, wheels, trim and even many parts of the engine.
Priced at £8.50 (less 30%) it comes in a large 100ml tube.
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Figaro effected by London Emission Zone
From the
8th April 2019 next year if you drive a Figaro into parts of the capital you could be paying
£12.50 per day. Penalty charge: £160 (reduced to £80 if paid within 14 days). The charge is in accordance with the new Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). Enforcement will be based on the declared emissions of the vehicle rather than the age. Generally speaking, petrol cars that meet the emissions standards are those registered after 2005. However cars that meet the ULEZ standards have been available since 2000. From 25th October 2021 the area will be expanded to the inner London area bounded by the North and South Circular roads. At the time of writing there doesn't seem to be any information about how you can become compliant other than buying a newer car. As a club we are unsure if approval could be achieved with modifications to exhaust or engine management of the Figaro.
Read more
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Club launches new 'HOW TO' PDF Guides
To support our members we are planning to publish a number of documents on a range of car maintenance topics. The PDF style format can be viewed on a tablet or downloaded and printed allowing the owner to refer to it whilst working on their Figaro. The first one is already published on
How To Test The Cold Valve Start.
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We are ready for the NEC Classic Car Show
Come & say hello at Birmingham's
NEC from 9 - 11 November. Visit us at the Nissan
Figaro Owners Club on stand
5-595 and meet other members, grab a coffee and talk Figgies! You can also see and touch some of the latest accessories from The Figaro Shop in addition to getting up close and personal with the stunning one-off 'West Ham Figaro' whic
h is one of the most extensive customised Figs out there! Call 0871 230 1088 or book online
www.necclassicmotorshow.com Don't forget, club members benefit from a discount on Saturday or Sunday tickets booked in advance using the codes found in our Newsletter.
Learn more/Buy Tickets
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Me & Sue enjoying our 'Belle' |
Lastly, a great big Figgy welcome!
To all our new members. Please remember Sue and I are super friendly so
get in touch if you have a Figgy story or picture to share.
Catch you in a couple of months :)
Kevin & Sue
Club Founder & Assistant!
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Watch the Video...
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Northern Ireland Figaro Tour Sept 2018
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My son Daniel in June 2008
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About the club
How the club started
My son Daniel had always wanted a Figaro, having seen the car at our local garage when he was just 16. After saving for a number of years (plus a small contribution from his mum and dad) he brought an Emerald Green model in June 2008.
Following the purchase we scoured the internet for a members club in the hope that we could attend events with other owners, but were amazed that none existed...and so the Figaro Owners Club was born! We decided to build a website and forum which took 6 months, and on the 1st March 2009 we pressed the 'publish button' and waited to see if anyone wanted to join. Within a week we had 10 members, a month 35 and a year 478 members.
Today the club has around 1,300 members worldwide in countries including New Zealand, Japan, Australia, USA, Canada, Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden and many more.
We are grateful to you and all our other members for help and encouragement throughout our journey as the club has grown into a passion which has taken over our lives.
Warmest Regards
Kevin
Figaro Owners Club Founder
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