SUZUKI'S CENTENARY
Suzuki is celebrating its centenary this year, Michio Suzuki having first started in business in 1920 with the manufacture of textile looms. Initial development of Suzuki’s first car began as far back as 1937, although this had to be shelved later with the outbreak of WW2. Research and development finally resumed in 1954 when the Suzuki Motor Co Limited was formed.
Michio Suzuki began development by researching vehicles produced overseas, quickly gaining a wealth of knowledge that enabled him to build the first Suzuki car, known as the Suzulight. This was a compact vehicle weighing just over 500kg and powered by a 360cc, 15PS, two-cylinder, two-stroke engine. It was the first car in Japan to feature a FWD/front engine layout, and was ahead of its time in other ways too, featuring independent coil spring suspension plus rack and pinion steering.
The Suzulight easily met the Japanese ‘Keijidosha’ or Kei light car legislation, and Suzuki and his team quickly began their first development road testing of it. As a prototype, its most memorable early drive was a 300km trip across the Hakone mountainous region between Hamamatsu and Tokyo, which proved challenging on roads that had not yet been paved. Although the car arrived in the capital very late in the evening, the President of Yanase Auto, Japan’s leading authority on automobiles, had stayed on late to greet the team. After testing the car for several hours, he returned impressed and gave Suzuki approval to put the Suzulight into production.
The new car started rolling off the production lines in October 1955 with initial production of just 3- 4 cars per month, but by early 1956 monthly volume had climbed to 30 units. In 1959, design changed with the development of the two-box Suzulight TL, which proved extremely popular and sold a total of 5824 units in 1960 alone.
The next major model to be introduced was the Suzulight Fronte FEA in March 1963. Immediately after its launch, the Fronte appeared in the first Japanese Grand Prix held at Suzuka International Racing Course, winning 1st, 2nd and 4th places in the mini vehicle category. This was followed in 1968 by the Fronte SS 360, a new concept for the company which adopted a RWD/ rear engine layout and rounded styling that featured a complex surface structure known as the 'coke bottle' line. The interior space on the new model was large enough for four passengers in response to increasing demands for family use.
An interesting side note is that on 12th August 1968, a driving test was conducted on the Autostrada del Sol in Italy to prove the high performance capabilities of the new Fronte SS. This was perhaps one of the lesser known cars driven by the late, great Stirling Moss, who was selected for the test along with Mitsuo Ito, Suzuki’s own motorcycle rider who had won the Isle of Man TT 50cc ultra-lightweight class in 1963 and was the first Japanese rider to have ever won a TT.
The Autostrada del Sol spans 462 miles from Milan to Naples and had no speed limits at the time, except on bends or in tunnels. When Moss and Ito arrived at their first transit point in Rome, Suzuki were able to boast that their tiny car had driven the 338 miles from Milan to Rome in four hours and 27 minutes at a remarkable average speed of 77mph. Then they started towards Naples and drove the entire route at an average speed of 75mph, amply demonstrating the high performance and endurance capabilities of the new car despite it having an engine capacity of just 360cc, modest power output of 25PS and a kerb weight of only 420kg. Subsequent design classics from Suzuki included such icons as the SC100 Whizzkid, the Jimny 4x4 and the Cappuccino roadster, all true to its small- car roots. The company now produces three million units per year.