Misplaced Pages

#370629

57-667: Introduced in October 1955, "SF" stood for "Suzuki Four-wheel car". Work had begun in January 1954, with a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive and rear-engined design also considered. The first Suzuki was closely based on the Lloyd 400 , chosen after Suzuki also having considered the Citroën 2CV and Renault 4CV . The Suzulight SF shared the Lloyd's transversely mounted, front-wheel drive layout and

114-521: A 1,275 cc (1.3 L; 77.8 cu in), both of which were also offered to the public. The smaller engine model was purely to homologate for racing in sub-1000cc capacity classes, only 961 were built with 970 cc engines and the model was discontinued in April 1965. The 1,275 cc (1.3 L; 77.8 cu in) engined models continued through the Mk2 Mini, finally being killed off in 1971 in

171-521: A 2,000 mm (78.7 in) wheelbase and a 1,050 mm (41.3 in) front and rear wheel track . Its design was by the company's founder Michio Suzuki . When introduced, the SF also had double wishbone coil-sprung suspension front and rear, with rack-and-pinion steering , features which were far ahead of their time. Just like the Lloyd which inspired it, the Suzulight featured a chassis consisting of

228-561: A 360.88 cc (22.0 cu in) displacement. Power was up by two PS, to 18 (13 kW). Since the Suzulight's modern suspension was unable to cope with the bad Japanese roads of the time, the wishbones and coil springs were replaced with leaf springs on all corners at the same time, while the SS sedan version was withdrawn. In November Suzuki took advantage of the fact that Japanese tire manufacturers, who had hitherto not made any tires smaller than 16 inches, had begun making 14-inch tires. While

285-442: A cable linkage. From March 1953, however, a hydraulic linkage mechanism was installed, and on cars produced after August 1955 the diameter of the brake drums was increased to 200 millimetres (7.9 in). The mechanically controlled hand brake worked on the front wheels. A budget version of the Lloyd 400, the Lloyd 250 , was launched in April 1956. Its stripped down specification meant the removal of hub caps and bumpers, and there

342-537: A central tube with the suspension attached to each end of the tube. Type approval was issued on July 20, 1955, and sales began three months later. The introduction of the Suzulight SF series also dovetailed nicely with the "People's Car Program" recently announced by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), which established a goal for the Japanese auto industry of producing "a four-seater with

399-540: A five-digit chassis number (FE*****) while Frontes have a six-digit one (FEA1*****). Soon thereafter the rear end was redesigned, becoming very square and van-like. This kept the appearance of the Suzulight Van quite modern, and sliding open rear windows made the rear a more comfortable place to be. For November 1964, the rear wheel housings became larger. In April 1965 the Fronte's front end was reworked (October for

456-485: A handful of exotic looking (and exotically priced) vehicles , the passenger cars produced by Volkswagen were all the same shape. The shape had been innovative twenty years earlier, but the architecture and look of the car had changed very little since. The approach of the Borgward Group could hardly have been more different. In 1955 the group produced 91,810 passenger cars, using three different brands and offering

513-416: A minimum number of compound curve pressings. The 360 cc engine, tubular chassis, and column mounted three-speed transmission were lightly modified carryovers from the SF, but power was up to 21 PS (15 kW). The interior was spartan. One publicity blurb of the era mentions such luxuries as "synchronized wipers", "a lever-operated winker switch", a fuel gauge, and "self-starter activated by turning

570-656: A remote gearshift mechanism (like the Cooper) and the engine was upgraded to the 998 cc version. Production of the Australian Morris Mini Deluxe continued until 1969 when it was replaced with another Australian only model, the Mini K the "K" stands for Kangaroo. The K received the more powerful 1098 cc engine (from the Morris 1100) as well as 4-speed synchromesh transmission and upgraded instruments. It

627-607: A standard two-tone paintjob, it was also referred to as the "Suzulight SF Light Van" in period brochures. Although looking a lot like a modern hatchback in design, this was considerably more utilitarian in nature. Production ended in July 1959 with the introduction of the Suzulight TL Light Van. Production of the commercial use Suzulight SF series were 101 in 1956, followed by 385 examples in 1957, 454 in 1958. 1,115 Suzukis intended for commercial use were built in 1959, but

SECTION 10

#1732787525371

684-518: A steel roof. The steel roofed Lloyd 400s are easy to differentiate from earlier cars with synthetic leather skin covering the roof, since the switch to a steel roof was accompanied by an increase in the size of the (now curved) rear window. Lloyd themselves still had no heavy presses for stamping body panels from sheet steel. Body panels were bought in, delivered in bare-metal form to the Lloyd factory in Bremen for finishing, assembly and painting. Most of

741-533: A switch to an all-red interior, excepting the plentiful exposed metal. In January 1969, the Suzulight Van was replaced by the conventionally laid out Suzuki Fronte Van (LS10). Having been an early adopter of front-wheel-drive, Suzuki now embraced more traditional layouts and was not to build another such car for over ten years, until the May 1979 introduction of the SS30/SS40 Alto and Fronte . In March 1962,

798-499: A timber frame body, clad in a synthetic-leather outer skin, reflecting the structural underpinnings of the Lloyd 300 of which the Lloyd 400 was in many respects an upgraded version. However, only about 1,000 cars had been produced before the skins on the wing panels were replaced with steel panels in March 1953. From January 1954 the bonnet/hood and boot/trunk lids were also formed of sheet steel, and cars produced after November came with

855-506: A top speed of 100 km/h, priced at ¥150,000," in order to speed up motorization of the country. When it first went on sale, in October 1955, three body styles were listed as being on offer: A fourth bodystyle, the roomier SD Delivery Van, was added in November 1955. The pickup was the first ever bonneted Kei truck , although only 30-50 of these were built. In April 1956, the engine bore was increased to 59 mm (2.3 in), making for

912-487: A top speed of 72.4 mph (116.5 km/h) and could accelerate from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 27.1 seconds. A fuel consumption of 43.5 mpg ‑imp (6.49 L/100 km; 36.2 mpg ‑US ) was recorded. The test car cost £537 including taxes of £158. Issigonis' friend John Cooper , owner of the Cooper Car Company and Formula One Manufacturers Champion in 1959 and 1960, saw

969-615: A total 359 cc (21.9 cu in) displacement, power and torque remained the same as for the TL. The biggest improvement was the introduction of Suzuki's patented "SELMIX" inlet automatic lubrication system. This eliminated the need for pre-mixed gasoline, improving convenience, economy, and reliability. It was offered as a Standard (FEB, ¥345,000 - although this did not receive the SELMIX system) or DeLuxe (FE, ¥360,000), with yet another new grille design. The Fronte FEA cost ¥380,000. Vans have

1026-454: A tuned engine, twin HS2 SU carburettors , and 7 in (18 cm) disc brakes , a first at the time in a small car. 1,000 of this iteration were commissioned by management, intended for and designed to meet the homologation rules of Group 2 rally racing . The 997 engine was replaced by a shorter stroke 998 cc (1.0 L; 60.9 cu in) unit in 1964. By the time production of

1083-496: A wider range of models than any other West German manufacturer, with models replaced or substantially upgraded every few years. One result of these contrasting approaches was that it was Volkswagen that set the prices in what was still an acutely price sensitive market segment. In August 1955 the price of a standard Volkswagen came down again, to DM3,790, a level that it held till 1961. In order to maintain market share, competitors had little option other than leaving Volkswagen to set

1140-468: Is a small car produced by the Borgward Group 's Lloyd Motoren Werke GmbH ( Lloyd Motor Works ) in Bremen between 1953 and 1957. As with its predecessor, the Lloyd 300 , the full name of the Lloyd 400 featured a two letter prefix that identified the body shape as follows: LP400 ("Limousine" / saloon), LK400 (panel van) and LS400 (estate). From August 1955 an LC400 ("Cabrio-Limousine" / cabriolet saloon)

1197-717: Is characterised by its sliding windows, external door hinges and "moustache" grille. In the United Kingdom the Mark I was produced between 1959 and 1967 at the Longbridge Plant near BMC's headquarters, with production in Australia continuing until 1970. The Mini Mark I was sold under both Austin and Morris marque names. Designed as project ADO15 (Austin Drawing Office 15), the first models were marketed with

SECTION 20

#1732787525371

1254-491: The Morris Mini Deluxe . The Australian Mini had wind up windows many years before their British counterparts. Chassis numbers for production changes are given in italics, where necessary in the format Austin/Morris Certain components fitted to Mark I cars were stamped with the date on which they were made. This is in the format of month/year, like 1/62 for January 1962. These dates can be useful for working out

1311-464: The Volkswagen . Space was at a premium and the 25 litres (5.5 imp gal; 6.6 US gal) fuel tank was accommodated ahead of the bulkhead underneath the front hood/bonnet in a space shared with the engine and the six-volt battery. Power was fed to the front wheels via a three-speed manual gear box: there was no synchromesh. The steering employed a rack and pinion mechanism which

1368-579: The carburettor at the back, rather than at the front, as in the prototype, to reduce wear on the gearbox. The proposed engine size was originally 948 cc as used in the Morris Minor and Austin A35 . However, Leonard Lord , chairman of BMC thought that the 90 mph (140 km/h) top speed was excessive and thus reduced the engine size to 848 cc to gain a more manageable speed (for the time) of 72 mph (116 km/h). Issigonis' suspension featured

1425-529: The Borgward Group to feature as West Germany's third largest automobile producer, behind only Volkswagen and Opel (and ahead of Ford and Mercedes-Benz ). It is, however, salutary to note that even in 1955, Volkswagen produced 279,986 Volkswagen Beetles , representing more than five Beetles for every Lloyd 400 produced. Mark I Mini The Mark I Mini (1959–1967) was the first version of British Motor Corporation 's Mini model . It

1482-594: The Cooper model ended in 1967, 12,274 of these popular cars had been sold to the public. A more powerful Mini Cooper, dubbed the "S", was developed in tandem and released in 1963. Featuring a 1,071 cc (1.1 L; 65.4 cu in) engine and larger disc brakes, 4,030 Cooper S's were produced and sold until the 1071 model was deleted in August 1964. Cooper also produced two models specifically for circuit racing , rated at 970 cc (1.0 L; 59.2 cu in) and

1539-533: The Mini should have sliding windows rather than wind-up windows. The tiny 10-inch (250 mm) wheels helped to reduce the intrusion of wheel arches into the interior of the vehicle and allowed a modest amount of additional luggage space in a "boot" area behind the rear seats. Overall the Mini represents some very clever packaging. An Austin de luxe saloon was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1959. It had

1596-568: The Mk3 bodyshell. The Cooper S version was also used by some British police departments and the Australian Traffic police as a plainclothes car. The engine was a 1,275 cc (1.3 L; 77.8 cu in) BMC A-series Inline-4 OHV 2 valves per cylinder , producing a maximum power of 76 bhp (57 kW; 77 PS) @ 6000 rpm and a maximum torque of 79 lb⋅ft (107 N⋅m) @ 3000 rpm. The suspension in all UK models

1653-518: The SL had been able to accommodate and with higher comfort for the occupants. Suzuki took full advantage of 12-inch wheels having recently become commercially available in Japan and produced a modern glassy design with one wheel at every corner, very reminiscent of the Mini introduced one month later (see size comparison on right). The design, by Tadaaki Mizuki, was the result of trying to save space while using

1710-528: The TL-based Fronte TLA passenger car appeared. The name was meant to symbolize Suzuki's position at the front of Kei car development, as well as alluding to its FF layout. The Fronte received a different grille from its working sister as well as a reworked rear end, with a top-hinged trunk lid (later bottom-hinged) and roll-down rear windows. Softer springs and a more plush interior made it more comfortable. Developments generally mirrored those of

1767-748: The Van versions, until the LC10 Fronte replaced it in 1967. The first four-wheeled Suzuki sold under the company's own name rather than as a Suzulight was the Suzuki Fronte 800 , presented in August 1965. In 1967, when introducing the LC10 Fronte, Suzuki Motor Company chose to market this too under the "Suzuki" brand, even though it was a light (kei) car. This also made marketing easier, with Suzuki no longer having to split their resources on two different brand names. Lloyd 400 The Lloyd 400

Suzuki Suzulight - Misplaced Pages Continue

1824-513: The Van), with the headlights now incorporated into the grille (FE2/FEA2). From February 1966, these versions also received an engine with Suzuki's improved CCI lubrication system. While the Fronte was discontinued in 1967, the Van received another minor facelift in March 1968, becoming the FE3 (beginning with chassis number FE69001). This incorporated some minor engine modifications (now with reed valves ) and

1881-415: The benchmark prices on the domestic market. The Lloyd 400 was nevertheless considered a commercial success. In 1955, production peaked, at 47,903 cars, which represented more than 50% of the cars produced by the entire Borgward Group in what turned out to be its best ever year, in terms of production volumes. Total production for the Lloyd 400 between 1953 and 1957 came out at 106,110 units. This enabled

1938-409: The best of it and quickly built a new, more modern assembly line factory (finished only four months later) and were thus able to build many more TLs than the original goal of 200 per month. Sales in 1960 were 6075, of which 5824 were TLs, against nearly twice as many Subaru 360 and 23,417 Mazda R360 Coupés. Nonetheless, this equalled about five times the total number built of the preceding SF series. By

1995-511: The cars produced were LP400 Limousine (saloon/sedan) bodied cars. A LS400 Kombi (estate/station wagon) was also available along with an LK400 panel van. In September 1955 an LC400 Cabrio-Limousine (convertible) joined the range. The doors were hinged at the rear edge in every case. In 1953 the Lloyd LP400 (saloon/sedan) came with a manufacturer's recommended price of DM 3,780, while the Kombi

2052-465: The end of 1960, monthly production had reached 1000, while it was up to 1500 per month by March 1962. For 1961, the Suzulight TL II was presented. A new pressed steel grille in place of the TL's simple mesh and chrome rubbing strips on the bumpers enhanced its look, and there was also a second windshield wiper. The engine received some improvements such as larger bearings and the gear linkage

2109-430: The engine compartment. There was no third box providing a separate luggage compartment (i.e. a boot) and that inevitably compromised luggage space. To offset that problem, large bins beside each of the four seats provided some useful interior storage and a centrally located instrument binnacle allowed the dashboard to be opened up for storage too. The requirement for storage bins in the front doors effectively determined that

2166-474: The ignition key". There was only one, central taillight. The 1959-1960 TLs were not even available with a passenger side windshield wiper. Nonetheless, the mostly handbuilt Suzulight TL Van was the most expensive car in its class, at ¥398,000. Meanwhile, the Subaru 360 Commercial cost ¥365,000 and a Cony 360 Truck a mere ¥330,000. On 26 November 1959, Typhoon Vera destroyed Suzuki's assembly plant. Suzuki made

2223-434: The lion's share of that year's production consisted of the succeeding TL series. In July 1959 (on sale by October), the new Suzulight TL was introduced, replacing the SF. Only available with a split folding rear seat and a large tailgate opening to the side, its layout was far ahead of its time. With rear seats folded, the TL could take 1 cubic metre (1.3 cu yd) or 300 kg (661 lb), fifty per cent more than

2280-564: The names Austin Seven (often written as SE7EN) and Morris Mini-Minor in England. Until 1962, they appeared as the Austin 850 and Morris 850 in some export markets. The production model differed from the original prototype (affectionately named "The Orange Box" because of its colour) due to the addition of a modified front subframe, on which the engine was mounted, and by the engine being mounted with

2337-664: The potential of the little car, and after some experimentation and testing, the two men collaborated to create a nimble, economical, and inexpensive car. The Austin Mini Cooper and Morris Mini Cooper debuted in September 1961. The original 848 cc (0.8 L; 51.7 cu in) engine from the Morris Mini-Minor was increased to 997 cc (1.0 L; 60.8 cu in), boosting power from 34 bhp (25 kW) to 55 bhp (41 kW). The car featured

Suzuki Suzulight - Misplaced Pages Continue

2394-411: The range was whittled down to a single model. A fifteen percent sales tax on passenger cars had recently been introduced, making the SS a hard sell, and the pickup's limited payload and sales conspired against it. The "SL" Light Van remained; its owner could also easily install a proper rear seat to circumvent the taxation rule. With two seats plus an auxiliary seat, a 200 kg (441 lb) payload, and

2451-583: The remaining 88 as " furgones ", i.e. small vans. It is unknown how these relate to the single model available in Japan, a light van with a folding rear seat. In March 1963 the Suzulight series received an all new engine. Still an air-cooled , two-stroke two-cylinder, the FE was based on the FB which had been introduced in the Suzulight Carry FB in late 1961. With a 61.0 x 61.5 mm bore and stroke, for

2508-538: The two-cylinder, two-stroke engine was a narrow-bored copy of the Lloyd's, using the same 66.0 mm (2.60 in) stroke. Thanks to a smaller bore of 58.9 mm (2.32 in) and resulting 359.66 cc (21.9 cu in) swept volume, it met the Japanese Keijidosha ("light car") legislation . The SF had drum brakes all around, was 2,990 mm (117.7 in) long, 1,295 mm (51.0 in) wide and 1,400 mm (55.1 in) tall, with

2565-429: The use of rubber cones as springs: the spring rate of rubber changes with compression, allowing the suspension to adapt to passenger load variations (a full passenger load could actually double the tiny vehicle's gross weight). A conventional suspension would have required an increase in height to the design. This unique design was adapted from Issigonis's home-built racer and built for the Mini by Alex Moulton . The Mini

2622-409: The vehicle was reduced, because there was no need to accommodate a separate gearbox across the width of the car and because there was no transmission tunnel in the floorplan of the Mini, there was more space that could be used to accommodate the passengers thus compensating for the reduced width. Overall length was minimized because of the Mini's two-box design, comprising only a passenger compartment and

2679-438: The wheel wells remained rather large for a three-meter car, making for inefficient space utilization, the Suzulight's appearance became considerably more harmonious with smaller wheels. Small-scale series production began in October 1955, with 3-4 cars being built per month. By February 1956, however, monthly production had jumped to about 30 cars. In January 1958, after sluggish sales and to take advantage of economies of scale,

2736-445: Was 75 km/h (47 mph). Despite the leisurely performance figures, the Lloyd 400 was considerably faster and more powerful than its predecessor . The car was fueled using "regular" grade petrol/gasoline, mixed in the ratio of 25:1 with oil, reflecting the requirements of the "motorbike-style" two-stroke engine. When driven normally the Lloyd 400 consumed fuel significantly more frugally than West Germany's best selling small car,

2793-402: Was a genuine four seater. This was possible within such a small bodyshell because the engine was mounted transversely, driving the front wheels via a gearbox which was uniquely incorporated into the sump of the engine. Engine and gearbox thus shared the same oil, which was a significant piece of design in response to the 1956 Suez crisis and the fears of future oil shortages. The overall width of

2850-486: Was also offered. The Lloyd 400 was powered by an air-cooled twin cylinder two-stroke engine with a horizontal-flow Solex 30 BFRH carburetor. The engine was mounted transversely. The engine was based on that of the Lloyd 300, but the cylinder bore (diameter) was increased by 8 millimetres (0.31 in) to 62 millimetres (2.4 in). The resulting engine capacity of 386cc provided for a maximum power output of 13 PS (9.6 kW) at 3,750 rpm. The top speed listed

2907-471: Was change from a cable operated one to a more precise mechanical linkage. The price dropped to ¥360,000. Next year's TL III , introduced in October 1961, continued this trend, dropping down to ¥345,000 while offering a new, fully synchronized four-speed transmission. The TL III also received an updated dash and turn signals integrated into a new grille and taillights instead of on the B-pillar. The sheet metal

SECTION 50

#1732787525371

2964-621: Was changed to accommodate new doorhandles, but the biggest difference was at the rear, where there was a horizontally split two-piece tailgate. The TL III was marketed as the "Suzulight Van 360". The TL Van was exported in small numbers, with English-language brochures printed. A single car was sent to New York City in 1960, with the intent of putting the TL on sale in the United States for $ 1,300. In 1962, 238 examples were assembled in Arica , Chile. 150 of these were classified as "Stations" and

3021-553: Was claimed that the Mini K was produced with 80% local content. Both of the Australia only round-nosed minis were based on the UK Mark I Mini with the production changes from the Mark II Mini never being used in Australia. Production of the round-nosed mini in Australia halted in 1970 with the release of the new Mini Clubman . The Australian Mini Clubman used the same locally designed wind up windows and exterior door hinges as

3078-474: Was conventional at the time. It required 2¼ turns between opposite locks: the turning circle was 11 m (36 ft). The front wheels were suspended by two laterally mounted leaf springs. At the back there was a swing axle with semi-elliptical longitudinally configured leaf springs. There were essentially three development phases for the Lloyd 400, and the first batch of cars was delivered with drum brakes of 180 millimetres (7.1 in) diameter, controlled via

3135-475: Was no backrest for passengers in the back. The reduced size and power of the engine in the Lloyd 250 nevertheless enabled it to be driven legally with a "Class IV" driving license, meaning that in West Germany it could be driven by people who had not yet passed a standard driving test. Structural changes through the model life define the three phases of the Lloyd 400's production. The car was launched with

3192-470: Was priced at DM 3,970. By September 1955, supported by that year's healthy sales volumes, and presumably in response to pressure from the market, the price of the LP400 was down to DM3,350, and the Kombi was offered at DM3,480. However, the small car market in West Germany was increasingly dominated by Volkswagen . In March 1954, the price of a standard Volkswagen was reduced from DM4,150 to DM3,950. Apart from

3249-561: Was replaced by a Hydrolastic system in 1964. The new suspension created a softer ride, but it also increased weight and production cost; in 1969 the original rubber suspension reappeared except on 1275 GT, Clubman and Cooper S models. Many other production changes occurred over the life of the Mark I Mini. In Australia, 1965 saw the release of the redesigned Australian Morris Mini Deluxe . The new model featured redesigned doors with conventional interior handles and wind up windows (with quarter vents), hydrolastic suspension, key operated starter,

#370629