Autobianchi A112
By the beginning of the nineteen eighties there was longer two
separate small economy car markets; European and East Asian, the
latter being effectively the Japanese sphere of influence;
but a world wide small car market that would increasingly be
dominated by the Japanese manufacturers who had been exporting
kits of cars for local assembly and complete cars in significant
numbers since the middle of the nineteen sixties, mostly to South
Africa, Thailand, Australia, the United States and India, with
well over a million units by the nineteen seventies. Exports to
Europe and the United States was limited by quotes and extra
tariffs, despite that, Daihatsu, Datsun and Honda exported their
small cars to Britain in the late nineteen sixties end seventies
but as Nissan and Honda’s cars became larger it was left
Daihatsu with the Domino and the Charade and Suzuki with the
SC100, Alto and Swift SA310 to carry on. There were only four new
ultralight economy cars produced in Europe in the nineteen
eighties and two of them the Fiat Panda introduced in 1980 and the
Seat Marbella in 1986, derived from it could be seen as utility
cars in the style of the Citroen 2CV and Renault R4 being of value
in the country as well as in the city. The Fiat Panda was
available with engines of 652 cc air-cooled twin derived from the
126, to water-cooled fours derived from the 127 from
764cc to 999 cc, driving the front wheels. the Marbella was
only produced until 1988; but the Panda was in production until
2003 with four and a half million made. FSM Fiat in Poland
began making the last in the line of rear engined models evolved
from the 1950s 500 the126bis in 1987. It had 704 cc water cooled
twin cylinder engine and was made until1991. One common feature of
the European ultralight or economy cars with the exception of the
couple of remaining two-stroke engined models still in production
in Eastern Germany, was the use of overhead valves in their four
stroke engines all of which were initially designed in the
nineteen forties and fifties. The Innocenti Minitre the other
model in Europe was the exception. This was because Innocenti had
replaced the British designed engine in their version of the Mini
that they had been making in Italy since 1974 with a unit sourced
from Daihatsu, with sizes ranging from 547 cc to 993 cc. All were
overhead camshaft four-stroke units of two or three cylinder
configurations. The Minitre was produced from 1982 to 1993.
Daihatsu L55 Mira
This takes us to the ultralight cars from Japan all of which had
overhead camshaft engines in the same period. The smaller Japanese
ultralight cars the Kei cars were still restricted to a capacity
of 550cc at this time and increasing restrictions on emissions
limiting power output manufacturers had to produce more efficient
and sophisticated engines to keep the type viable. The Daihatsu
L55 series Mira/ Cuore/ Domino was produced from1980, replacing
the Max Cuore, again with the twin cylinder 547cc engine. A
larger 617cc engined version the L60 Cuore was produced
along side the L55 from 1982 for export. Both were produced until
1985 when the L70 series was introduced, it had a longer wheelbase
and the latest version of 547 cc engine. Export versions mostly
had a 847 cc three, in was made until 1990. The 1984 Mitsubishi
Minica/Econo was now a front wheel drive car, it had a 546 cc
single overhead camshaft three cylinder engine and was revised in
1989. Suzuki introduced the Cervo Coupe in 1984 based on the Alta,
again with a 543cc single overhead camshaft three cylinder engine.
After a gap of eleven years Honda again produced a Kei car the
Today, in production from 1985 to 1998. Initially with a twin
cylinder engine derived from a overhead camshafts motorcycle
unit, After 1990 a three cylinder unit of 647 cc later 656 cc was
fitted taking advantage of the 1990 change in the Kei car
regulations allowing engines up to 660 cc to be used. Suzuki
introduced a revised Fronte in 1984 again in two versions, the Kei
version for Japan with the same 543 cc engine and the export
version with a 796 cc unit with the Alto name, this model
was also produced in China, India as the Maruti 800 and Pakistan
as the Mehran 800 and remain in production until 2013. Revised
models were introduced in 1986 and 1988 with revised rear
suspension, disk brakes and in some versions a double overhead
camshaft engine. The Fronte name was dropped in 1989 and the Alta
name used for all models. The Autozam Carol Mk1 was produced by
Suzuki for Mazda in 1989, Autozam was a name some Mazda cars were
sold under. It used the Alta platform and had a 547 cc engine, It
was updated in 1994. In the one litre sector Daihatsu was still
making the Charade throughout the nineteen eighties as did FAW
Tianjin in China from 1986, and it was joined by models from
Suzuki, Nissan and Subaru. The first of the Nissan
Micra/March k10 model was first produced in 1982 initially until
1989 with only a 1 litre engine available a four cylinder unit.
Over two million where produced in the eleven years.
The Suzuki SA310 was a front wheel drive car and had a 993
cc three cylinder overhead camshaft engine. It was assembled in
seven countries around the world and sold with many names such as
Suzuki Swift, Cultus, Khyber Forsa, Holden Barina in Australia,
Chevrolet Sprint/Sprint Metro, Pontiac Firefly in Canada,
Isuzu Geminett in Japan and was in production from 1983 to 1988 in
its first version. The Subaru Justy was a front engined
front wheel drive later four wheel drive hatchback Both were
fitted with the Subaru EF10 of 997cc, single overhead camshaft,
water-cooled, three-cylinder units. This version of the Justy was
produced from 1984 to 1994.
Nissan Micra/March K10