Not your average Micra
This time we have something extra special to bring in front of your eyeballs. Some might say, it’s a pocket-Bentley and others might not agree with that. Think, what you want, this thing already got your attention. Say hello to Harri and to his March Bolero – a special retro-luxury-styled Nissan Micra.
First of all, tell us a little about yourself. You were born in Estonia but moved to Finland as a child – what is your connection with Estonia today?
Yes, I was born in Estonia and then I moved to Finland when I was 3 years old with my family. My connection to Estonia is only through relatives that I visit once or twice a year. Regardless of living in Finland, I have always liked that I am Estonian and referred to being an Estonian and not Finnish. I’m always going to be a proud Estonian even if I don’t live there.
We met at Statement in August, where this little Nissan definitely stood out among the much larger and more aggressive builds. What made you bring the Bolero there?
I’ve always liked that my Nissan stands out and it doesn’t fit the standard car scene that you see every day. I think it’s unique in its own way, and I like that I can bring a car that stands out at a car show. It’s also really fun how the car is a conversation starter for all kinds of people. Everyone seems to be really curious about the car and asking all kinds of questions. I think you cannot go by the car and not have some kind of an opinion of it. I also like that I can go to a meet and know I’m the only one there who owns a Bolero.
How did you first discover the Bolero? Did you know about the model before buying yours?
I saw the car for sale on Facebook in summer 2023 and I thought it was ugly and funny-looking. Then, fast-forward to autumn 2025, I saw it again for sale from a different owner. I still had no clue what the car exactly was, but it was listed for really cheap, so I decided to go and look at it immediately. After talking with the owner for 3 hours and he told me all he knew about the special little Nissan he had, I knew that I wanted it. We made a deal that I’ll come the next day after work with money and then I bought it.
What was it about this little car that caught your attention?
The first thing that caught my attention was that it’s the only one in Finland, 1/1. And also that the car is so different and nobody knows what it is, even I didn’t know what it was before I bought it. Also, I’ve always liked the Nissan Micra K11s. Before this car I had a red 1.3 prefacelift K11, which was my first car!
For someone who has never seen one before, what exactly makes the Bolero different from a regular K11 Micra?
The car has the same shell, but the front end, sideskirts, rear end, taillights, spoiler and the interior – everything is different. What’s funny about the whole front end is that you just cannot buy the front bumper with the lights and assemble it to a regular K11 because you also need to have the Bolero hood and fenders. Also, the interior, which I like, is so different. My regular K11 had 0 cupholders and my Bolero has 4 from the factory and 2 extra ones in the VIP table that I built, so 6 in total. Also, I have an armrest, AC and more compartments inside the car. All that came from the factory.
Do you know anything about its history in Japan before it ended up in Finland? What was its condition when you bought it?
I don’t have any history of it in Japan. But I know that the car was imported to Finland in 2016 and it had multiple owners before it came to me. The condition I got it in was overall good, because the seller had it sitting in a garage and didn’t drive the car during the winter. It also came with rep wheels that were too big for the car and the rear windows were tinted. Both things I changed right away.
What else have you changed on the car, and which modification are you personally happiest with? What wheels did you replace the reps with, and what suspension are you currently running?
My favourite thing about the car is probably the interior and how it represents JDM VIP style, and also the fitment is something I really like. The best part about the interior has to be the VIP table that my fiancée hand-made and a matching wooden Victoria steering wheel from the 90s. The wheels that I chose for the car are 1980 Enkei Mesh 3, 13×6 ET10, fitted with D2 coilovers. I found the wheels on the Marketplace for really cheap and I restored them before fitting them to the car.
I noticed the big exhaust at the back – what’s the story behind it, and what made you go for that particular setup?
It’s a funny story. I was going to a large car meet that I attend every summer and it was the first summer I was going to bring my Bolero there. All my friends had ”shotgun” style twin pipes on their cars and I thought to myself that I wanted something different, so I looked around my garage and the first thing that caught my eye was an IKEA table with chrome table legs. So I took one of the table legs out of the table and welded it on the car. At first I was going to cut it shorter, but after seeing how funny it looked on the already weird car, I decided not to shorten it, so the length is about 120 cm right now.
Have you ever had any trouble with the police because of the exhaust, or is something like that not taken too seriously in Finland? And what kind of reactions do you usually get from people when they see the car?
No, I’ve not had any trouble, luckily, with the police, but I also do run a different rear muffler sometimes, so that may be the reason too. I think it’s definitely taken seriously in Finland because I’ve heard some people got tickets for much shorter blast pipes. Usually the first thing people ask me when they see the car is ”what is it”. And then I’ll end up speaking with them for 10 minutes. But many people will have positive reactions about it and like that it’s different and something you don’t see every day!
How does the car drive and feel compared to when you first bought it, and is there anything else you’d still like to change or improve?
When I first bought it, it had about 30 cm ground clearance and it drove perfectly like a daily should, but shortly after I bought it I slammed it to the ground with the 13” Enkeis. Drives like shit, but at least it looks good. And I don’t actually mind daily driving a static car, it’s actually fun, and I absolutely love driving the car because it’s a feeling you cannot explain. When driving it around the town there is always someone looking at it, you cannot drive it if you are afraid of people always looking at you and hitting you with thumbs-ups. For now, I think the car is somewhat “done”, but there are some small things I’d like to change that I’m planning on doing maybe later on this year. Like DIY clear taillights, and maybe a different, even crazier rear muffler.
What has been the funniest or most memorable moment you’ve had with the Bolero, and has owning it helped you meet new people or make new friends through the car scene?
I can’t name one thing that’s the most funny or memorable. I’ll have to say that it’s overall how much 1 car can bring all different kinds of people together and it shows that everyone can enjoy the car culture. You don’t have to be exactly some kind of a person to enjoy car culture. That’s the best part of it. I’ve met so many people after owning the car and it’s almost weekly that someone comes up to me and says ”Hey! I’ve seen this car somewhere” and then we end up talking. So, the short answer is that I’ve definitely made more friends through owning a car!
Is there another car you’d love to own or build someday, and what would your dream project look like?
Yes, there is! Actually, I just got out from the Finnish Army and now I’m back at my work, finally. So I’ve started saving up for a Mazda MX-5 (NB). It’s been my dream car for as long as I can think of. Hopefully, I’ll get it later this year. The dream project/build for the MX-5 would be a touge/street drift car. It’s never going to stand out in a car meet as much as my Bolero will, but hopefully something similar!
Which car would you like to read about in one of our future blog posts?
The first thing that comes to my mind is more weird Japanese cars. But it would also be cool to see some street drift cars (maybe some really illegal street drift cars) and more about that culture. Preferably some shitboxes that have crazy engines and are focused on the driving experience more than the car’s exterior.
Finally, should young people today get involved in the car hobby, and if so, why?
Definitely! I would recommend it to anyone, even older people who haven’t gotten involved yet! It’s the easiest way of making friends and it’s awesome getting to share your experiences together and maybe even building something together one day. I wouldn’t have anywhere near as many friends if I wasn’t into cars. And my best friends that I’ve known for many years came from cars!
I think the simplest way to express car culture is the following saying: “Car culture has no gender and no age limit; it brings people together purely through a shared passion for cars”.
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