- 305
- In a certain pond
- Hetare21
The 1950s was the beginning era of K-car in Japan. Fuji Automobile (Note this had nothing to do with Fuji Heavy Industries, aka Subaru) originally worked on repairing the cars of the U.S. occupation forces, but after merging Tokyo Gas Electric Industries, it started to produce original cars. Its first creation was a bubble car called Fuji Cabin, and it was designed by Ryuichi Tomiya, who designed Suminoe Manufacturing Flying Feather before. Reflecting his idea for small cars, "Gain the maximum work with the minimum consumption," this car was heavily influenced on by functionalism. What made it unique and epoch-making was its body and monocoque made of fiber reinforced plastics (FRP), and this could be the first "everyday" car which has a complete FRP body (1st-gen Lotus Elite also had a full FRP body, but it was first produced in 1957). To reduce parts, only one headlight was mounted on it, and the early model had only one door on its side (Due to inconvenience, another door was added later).
When it came to production, the body itself was a problem. It could not be mass-produced because people then did not have the skill to produce it efficiently. Also, the drivability was very awful due to too small and too narrow tires, and the car lacked a heater and was badly ventilated. Therefore, it was nothing but failure in a commercial aspect, and only 85 units were produced. The body prevented itself from rusting, so the car is well-preserved despite its small production.
Specs:
Drivetrain: RR
Engine: 125 cc Single-cylinder (GasDen SA-1) 2-cycle NA
Power: 5 PS
Length: 2,950 mm
Width: 1,270 mm
Height: 1,250 mm
Weight: 150 kg
If you are interested in my other car suggestions, click here.
When it came to production, the body itself was a problem. It could not be mass-produced because people then did not have the skill to produce it efficiently. Also, the drivability was very awful due to too small and too narrow tires, and the car lacked a heater and was badly ventilated. Therefore, it was nothing but failure in a commercial aspect, and only 85 units were produced. The body prevented itself from rusting, so the car is well-preserved despite its small production.
Specs:
Drivetrain: RR
Engine: 125 cc Single-cylinder (GasDen SA-1) 2-cycle NA
Power: 5 PS
Length: 2,950 mm
Width: 1,270 mm
Height: 1,250 mm
Weight: 150 kg
If you are interested in my other car suggestions, click here.
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