Suzuki’s greatest hits

01 Suzuki Jimny

Believe it or not, the little Jimny off-roader has been around for over 50 years across four different generations. It’s always been super cute, but the latest iteration that arrived in 2018 has to be our favourite, even if emissions rules killed off the passenger version.

02 Suzuki Swift Sport

In the mid-Noughties, Suzuki launched the reborn Swift with a young man named Cristiano Ronaldo fronting the ad campaign – whatever became of him? The Swift Sport was a highlight, with a high-revving naturally aspirated four-pot and bags of charm.

03 Suzuki Ignis 4x4

As a general rule, TopGear doesn’t really like small crossovers for obvious reasons. The retro-styled 2016 Ignis with its AllGrip four-wheel drive option is the exception to this rule, mainly because it’s an ultra light rival to the accomplished Fiat Panda 4x4. Sweet!

04 Suzuki Fronte SS 360

When Suzuki launched a sporty 36bhp variant of the rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive Fronte 360 kei car in 1968, it sent Stirling Moss and TT-winning biker Mitsuo Ito on a 466-mile marketing stunt across Italy to try and drum up enthusiasm for the new car.

05 Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa

Now, we’re not exactly bike fanatics, but even we couldn’t avoid the two-wheeled side of motoring when discussing Suzuki. When the Hayabusa arrived in 1999 it absolutely smashed the production top speed record of the time. A real icon.

06 Suzuki QuadRunner LT125

From the Sixties, sporting all-terrain vehicles grew in popularity, but all of them were threewheeled deathtraps. Suzuki launched the QuadRunner LT125 in 1982 as the first mass produced four-wheeler, only slightly improving the safety of the things.

07 Suzuki Cappuccino

The Cappuccino was a Nineties kei car with a turbocharged 660cc three-cylinder engine and perfect 50:50 weight distribution. The removable roof panels meant that depending on your fancy you could drive the Cappuccino as a coupe, a targa or a full convertible.

08 Suzuki L40V

The Giugiaro-designed L40 Carry Van is a strangely cool thing just to look at, and was a distant forerunner of cult classic the Bedford Rascal (cough). But did you know that Suzuki also built a fleet of 10 electric versions to patrol the venues at Expo ’70 in Japan?

09 Suzuki Ignis Sport

To homologate the Ignis for the Junior World Rally Championship in 2002, Suzuki built the brilliantly bodykitted Ignis Sport. It weighed 945kg, pumped out 107bhp and featured some of the best looking Recaro chairs ever to be bolted into a car.