A press delivery driver revealed a cunning car coverup recently, exposing a famous Nissan to be not quite what it seemed.

Remember the pink Nissan Micra C+Cs? A brace of which Nissan ran between 2005-2006, both to turn heads and worry motoring journos who were given one from the press fleet in equal measure? And also, as you’ll see below, famously featured on Top Gear with Richard Hammond wearing a bag on his head?

Well, here’s something. It turns out they weren’t actually pink.

They were blue.

Yes, the pink colouring was a wrap – technology then still in its infancy and thus relatively unknown – and applied to one of the more popular colours available on the Micra C+C, the launch metallic blue seen in the brochures and press launch shots.

Obvious, innit? Not so at the time though, particularly for those serious motoring journalists stuck behind the wheel of one for a week (unless they looked up close, and spotted the bits not covered by the wrap). Their only solace being that it was all in a good cause…

Lot of good work for charidee, mate

Nissan put four pink Micra C+C them on the press fleet between November 2005 and January 2006. For every motoring journo that booked one out and put 250 miles on the clock, Nissan donated £250 to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

It was £250 for every 250 miles, too. As my weekly commute, back then, was around 1200 miles, Nissan could’ve been very charitable indeed. Alas, I didn’t manage to get one out.

Rich Tuckwell of topgayer.com did, though – and put on an amazing 1400 miles in just there days.

(Incidentally, the Micra C+C was in its (ahem) purple period back then, which meant Nissan had several more besides the pinks ones on the fleet, too. If journos didn’t manage to bag a pink one, then, Nissan also donated £10 to the charity for each normal one booked out.)

How much was raised? A hefty £8000, the total boosted further by some journos rallying friends and family to make additional donations.

The journo campaign tied with a broader Nissan GB campaign. The pink Micra C+Cs toured the UK to launch the Breakthrough ‘TLC’ campaign (Touch, Look, Check). Nissan visited city centres in the cars to hand out promo leaflets, and also held a competition, Text to Win, with the prize being a pink C+C.

All admirable stuff. But what happened to that car now? And, more importantly, is both it and the four press cars still pink? Or, has the secret of the delivery driver spread..?

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