SADLY, one of the best cars ever made here also helped bury Nissan as a local manufacturer. The fourth-generation Pulsar, known as the N14 ES series, was truly all-new – from the Saab 9000-inspired four-door hatch and sedan body styles, classy cabin design and Japanese twin-cam multi-valve drivetrains, to the world-class manufacturing process that achieved new local quality levels. But its huge investment in recessional times and the necessary price premium on a product tarnished by discounting scuppered the big sales Nissan sorely needed. But the ES did win wide acclaim for its high performance, refinement, handling and comfort and qualities. And the best was the SSS "hot-hatch", powered by a rorty 105kW 2.0 twin-cam four-cylinder engine. Also still novel for the segment were its optional anti-lock brakes on the SSS and a four-speed automatic. From 1991 to October 1992 the ES made up the last of the Aussie-made Nissans. Barely visible were the myriad of small differences between the old local ES Pulsar and the subsequent Japanese-made N14 II. They included new wheels, updated cabin trim, revised suspension settings and different seats.