Mitsubishi Model A

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Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Model A prototype (1917) with workers from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.
Mitsubishi Model A prototype (1917) with workers from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.
Model a
Production period: 1917-1921
Class : Middle class
Body versions : Touring car
Engines: Petrol engine :
2.8 liters (26 kW)
Length: 3830 mm
Width: 1620 mm
Height: 2070 mm
Wheelbase : 2640 mm
Empty weight : 1315 kg

The Mitsubishi Model A was the first production automobile in Japan and the only automobile manufactured by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. built. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. as part of Mitsubishi Keiretsu , Mitsubishi Motors later developed . It was produced from 1917 to 1921. The idea for its production goes back to Iwasaki Koyata , the fourth president of the company and nephew of the company's founder Iwasaki Yatarō , who foresaw the immense potential of motorized vehicles and their role in the economic development of Japan. The Model A was a luxury automobile for high officials and business leaders, so it had to be reliable, comfortable and a shining example of Japanese craftsmanship.

The four-door sedan with seven seats was based on the Fiat Type 3 and had an in-line four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 2765 cm 3 and 35 hp (26 kW) that propelled the rear wheels and the car up to a speed of 32 km / h could accelerate. The company produced 22 copies (including prototypes) in 4 years in the port of Kobe .

Since it was relatively expensive to manufacture using hand-built construction and a body made of lacquered cypress wood, it could not compete with the cheaper products from the USA and Europe. As a result, Mitsubishi stopped production after just four years and concentrated on the manufacture of commercial vehicles with the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation . A Mitsubishi car was again only in 1951 with the Mitsubishi Henry J offered.

At Mitsubishi's Auto Gallery (a museum in Okazaki that has existed since 1989 ) a replica of the Model A is on display, assembled in 1972 with contemporary materials. The replica has a slightly shorter wheelbase and a water-cooled, overhead steering four-cylinder engine with 977 cm 3 displacement instead of the original engine with 2.8 l displacement.

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