SUPER S, Cooper S... get it? Although available overseas since the early 1980s, Nissan Australia didn’t market the Echo-sized Micra until well-into the Mk2 model’s career in 1995. Engineered and built in Britain for European tastes, and offered in three and five-door hatchback guises, the Micra suffered from bad timing: Its British sourcing made it expensive just as its main (and often inferior) rivals from Ford (Festiva), Hyundai (Excel) and later Toyota (Starlet) embarked on massive discounting, effectively pricing the Nissan out of contention. Yet its exceptional spaciousness, peppy performance and excellent economy should have won it more buyers. The sporty Super S's kit included anti-lock brakes, a tachometer, sunroof, body kit and alloy wheels. Power came courtesy of a 55kW 1.3-litre twin-cam 16-valve four-cylinder engine, mostly mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. From mid-'96 the Series II heralded in a new grille, revised cabin trim, redesigned wheels and more features. All models now included a driver airbag and central locking. But despite the quality of the product, neither sales nor profits materialised, and Nissan pulled the plug on the Micra in late 1997.