Mitsubishi 500

The Mitsubishi 500 was the first passenger car produced after the Second World War by Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, one of the companies that would become Mitsubishi Motors. It was shown at the 1959 Tokyo Motor Show, went on sale in 1960 at 390,000 yen and was built until 1962, forming the basis of the Colt 600. A rear-mounted, air-cooled 493 cc two-cylinder engine with a single downdraught carburettor made 21 PS and drove the rear wheels through a three-speed manual gearbox. The body was a monocoque, light and strong enough to seat four and reach 100 km/h with such a small engine, and the chassis code was A10, later A11. An enlarged 594 cc, 25 PS engine arrived in August 1961 in the 500 Super DeLuxe. It was never a kei car, since the regulations of the day capped kei engines at 360 cc. A Super DeLuxe based touring car took class honours at the 1962 Macau Grand Prix, and only four cars are known to survive.