Mitsubishi Mizushima

The Mitsubishi Mizushima was the first of a series of three-wheeled cargo carriers that Mitsubishi built in Japan between 1947 and 1962. A prototype, the XTM-1, was finished in 1946 at the former Mizushima aircraft works, and series production of the TM3A began in May 1947. The TM3A carried 400 kilograms and, unlike most three-wheeled trucks of its day, had a folding canvas cover and a windshield for the occupants. Later versions added a hardtop passenger cabin in 1948 and, in 1955, the TM18 Mitsubishi 1500 pickup that could carry up to two tonnes, with engines growing from air-cooled singles to a 1.3-litre OHV twin. About 91,000 were made before the Minicab and other four-wheeled light trucks replaced it. With the Silver Pigeon scooter it was among the company's first postwar contributions to Japanese personal and light freight transport.