O.G. Factor

The land of the free and the home of the brave has always been accustomed to comparatively low gasoline prices. But with oil reaching well over 120 to 130 a barrel, and only expected to go higher, many Americans are looking for alternatives to their enormous S.U.V.’s. Of course, we still have it good with 4 dollars a gallon, compared to the rest of the world where petrol and diesel prices have been 3 to 6 dollars a liter. (A gallon is about 4 liters by the way). Recently, Japan’s gas prices have risen dramatically as well, much like the rest of the world. Prices soared from an average of 3.79 per gallon in 2004, to a whopping 6 dollars a gallon as of the 9th of May. What’s one way the citizens of the land of the rising sun combat these prices? Well, my favorite has to be the Kei-Car. K-car is short for keijidōsha, which literally translates into “light car”. Japanese law mandates that cars in this class must be a maximum length of 3.4 meters, a maximum width of 1.48 meters, and a maximum height of 2 meters. Engine displacement and power output has also been restricted to 660cc’s and 64ps (~63hp).
Now, you might be saying to yourself how dinky these little cars sound, and how you would never be caught dead in one. Well, I beg to differ. I’m not sure how one would classify it, but there are ’sport’ models in the K-car class. These cars generally weigh below 1600lbs stock, feature forced induction engines, and some are even RWD. It’s no wonder these little micro cars have become the tuning platform for many racers. The most recognizable, and popularized by the devil (initial d…just kidding) is the Suzuki Cappuccino, or EA11R.

The Cappuccino falls just under 1600lbs. stock, has a 50/50 weight split, is Front engine, rear wheel driven, and features an inline 3 turbocharged engine that produces 64hp from the factory. Oh and my favorite part, it has a 8500 rpm redline. Stock. These little cars average 58mpg at a constant speed of 56mph, and an average of 45 mpg from mixed driving.
The next most popular car has to be the Honda Beat.

The beat is a little different from its competitors from the era. It produces 64hp with its mid-engine inline 3 without the help of a turbocharger. The beat weighs just a hair until 1700lbs and has a weight split of 43/57. Gas consumption is again in the mid 40’s to high 50’s. Yes, that is a female driver in that picture… I can’t tell if she’s hot or not, someone send me a zoomed up version.
The final K-car is one of the most praised K-cars to come out of Japan. The Mazda Autozam AZ-1.

Yep. Those are gullwing styled doors. Let’s take another look…

Yeah. That’s tight. The AZ-1, also known as the Suzuki Cara, features a 660cc 3 cylinder turbocharged suzuki engine, which is placed in the middle of the chassis. The weight split is about the same as the Honda Beat, and gas consumption on modest driving is similar to the Beat and Cappuccino. The AZ-1 is highly regarded for its insane styling, mainly the gullwing doors. This has to be one of the most unique k-cars to come out of that era.

So there you have it, Kei-cars are meant to be fun, economical, and very affordable. Unfortunately, the U.S. never received any of these fun little cars. It’s a shame but I suppose we were too busy with the S.U.V. craze of the late 90’s.

Here are a couple of cool modified K-cars for your viewing pleasure.