N11 Series II

With the Sunny dead and the Laser and Mitsubishi Colt selling up a storm, Nissan fortified the fully-imported Pulsar range with a facelift front and rear, the addition of a base three-door hatch and top-line sporty coupe, and the installation of two all-new four-cylinder engines, a 44kW 1.3 and a 51kW 1.5.

The series II range consisted of the base 1.3 three-door hatch with a four-speed manual gearbox, the 1.5 TL, TS and TC five-door hatch with a five-speed manual or optional three-speed auto, and an oddball 1.5 three-door hatchback “coupe.” Sales improved although the N11 Pulsar – which dated back to May 1978 in Japan – could not match the Laser/Mazda 323 twins for space, refinement, comfort, dynamics or performance.