Kei Central

[05XR8]

I want them all in my pocket! The cars too.

 

[INEEDNAWZZZ]

That Subaru 360 ad is as awesome as it is confusing.

 

[Turbo]

Found a slew of Subaru Rex brochures.

Unrelated bonus:

 

[Populuxe]

I'll take a 4WD Rex Combi please, thanks.

 

[05XR8]

Sold! To the sucker with wide open eyes!
That classic shot of it kicking up dust, got me. Want.

 

[homeforsummer]

I do love these old brochure and ad shots.

 

[Populuxe]

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I think "she's hot in the yellow minidress" and then I remember she's someone's grandma by now.

 

[05XR8]

The top pic is like a Speed Racer pose. Looks like him too.

The Honda is such a henchmen's mobile. I'd have that.

 

[homeforsummer]

The top pic is like a Speed Racer pose. Looks like him too.

I've driven cars with 20x the horsepower of the Subaru Young SS in that ad, and I will never be as cool as that guy.

 

[Populuxe]

The top pic is like a Speed Racer pose. Looks like him too.

I've driven cars with 20x the horsepower of the Subaru Young SS in that ad, and I will never be as cool as that guy.

I want to be him when I grow up.

 

[Turbo]

 

[05XR8]

The 80s was such a fun time. Tacky, but fun.

 

[Turbo]

Some more 80s kei. Here's some Minica.

As a bonus, here's a very period correct Wagon R, to say the least.

 

[homeforsummer]

Only the mightiest of bois:

 

[05XR8]

Only the mightiest of bois:

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That grille insert.

 

[kikie]

This is supposed to be a very rare Kei Car.

 

[05XR8]

Not to start a hard argument or debate. Just see how many of these cars have the engine out back?
I was feeling the new Beetle could have been RR. Truth that the Beetle used a shared platform for cost. A bespoke chassis would cost too much. Plus, modern kei cars are mainly FF anyway. A small modern RR, just interests me, that's all.

 

[Volksauto]

Not to start a hard argument or debate. Just see how many of these cars have the engine out back?
I was feeling the new Beetle could have been RR. Truth that the Beetle used a shared platform for cost. A bespoke chassis would cost too much. Plus, modern kei cars are mainly FF anyway. A small modern RR, just interests me, that's all.

RR was a very common platform for compacts from the late 1930s to the mid 1960s. Because the technology for creating a front wheel drive car was largely unheard of so the RR layout had many benefits for the time compared to FR:

• It was space efficient (lack of transmission tunnel and shorter front end)
• Provided good traction

However, as cars like the Citroen Traction and the Mini that had and FF layout came around, people realized the FF layout was the best for those two things listed above. It has good traction but when the engine is mounted transversely, there is still no transmission tunnel like a RR AND you have a much larger area for luggage in the rear.
So RR started becoming out of date and less practical than FF cars as the years progressed.

 

[homeforsummer]

Yeah, I'm not getting the revival of the Beetle conversation here @05XR8.

The original problem was that a RR Beetle wouldn't make sense in a modern context. That's still the case, and referencing a bunch of rear-engined kei cars from when the original Beetle was still on sale doesn't change that.

Could we keep things vaguely on-topic?...

 

[05XR8]

Yeah, I'm not getting the revival of the Beetle conversation here @05XR8.

The original problem was that a RR Beetle wouldn't make sense in a modern context. That's still the case, and referencing a bunch of rear-engined kei cars from when the original Beetle was still on sale doesn't change that.

Could we keep things vaguely on-topic?...

View attachment 773713​

That's why I added, I didn't want to create a big debate, as we discussed in the other thread. I just love seeing these cars and it hits me in the feels.

 

[homeforsummer]

More ads! (Just a few):

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I believe the Hijet isn't technically a kei (as sold in the UK, where that ad's from, at least) because of the engine (1.0 and 1.3 I think), but Japanese versions fit the regulations obviously. The ad reminds me very much of the old Citroen 2CV one ("faster than a Ferrari travelling 68mph" etc).

The "Legacy" appears to be a rebranded/retooled Daihatsu Mira converted to a pickup.

 

[Volksauto]

I want to find one to restore one day.

 

[homeforsummer]

 

[05XR8]

Love the lil ute with Mooneyes. I want that, to drive from my couch to the fridge.

RWD converted kei cars.

 

[Turbo]

Hayabusa swapped Suzuki Cappuccino, making 380hp.

 

[Populuxe]

Hayabusa swapped Suzuki Cappuccino, making 380hp.

View attachment 775201

View attachment 775202

There is nothing about this I do not like.

 

[Turbo]

 

[Populuxe]

wait wut?

 

[Turbo]

wait wut?

Daihatsu Copen with a Gazoo Racing livery. That's right.

 

[05XR8]

wait wut?

Yeah, GT-R front conversions, have been out for a while.