Daihatsu Bee
Encyclopedia
The Daihatsu Bee is a three wheeled microcar
that was produced by Daihatsu Kogyo Co Ltd from 1951.
Although Daihatsu had been producing motorized tricycles for carrying freight since 1930, and had also produced a small car for military use in 1937, the Bee was the first passenger car
the company built for sale to the general public. The car was marketed from October 1951, shortly before the company changed its name from 'Hatsudoki Seizo Co' to Daihatsu.
Photographs show the car with a two door fibreglass body, though other sources state that it had a four door body instead and as a result was popular as a taxi
. Power was provided by a rear mounted 540 cc OHV
air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke
engine. The car was adapted from one of Daihatsu's three wheeled delivery trucks. It sold very poorly and ceased production after only 90 units were built.
Microcar
A microcar is the smallest automobile classification usually applied to standard small car . Such small cars were generally referred to as cyclecars until the 1940s. More recent models are also called bubblecars due to their egg-shaped appearance.-Definition:The definition of a microcar has varied...
that was produced by Daihatsu Kogyo Co Ltd from 1951.
Although Daihatsu had been producing motorized tricycles for carrying freight since 1930, and had also produced a small car for military use in 1937, the Bee was the first passenger car
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
the company built for sale to the general public. The car was marketed from October 1951, shortly before the company changed its name from 'Hatsudoki Seizo Co' to Daihatsu.
Photographs show the car with a two door fibreglass body, though other sources state that it had a four door body instead and as a result was popular as a taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
. Power was provided by a rear mounted 540 cc OHV
Overhead valve
An overhead valve engine, also informally called pushrod engine or I-head engine, is a type of piston engine that places the camshaft within the cylinder block , and uses pushrods or rods to actuate rocker arms above the cylinder...
air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke
Four-stroke cycle
A four-stroke engine, also known as four-cycle, is an internal combustion engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes—intake, compression, power, and exhaust—during two separate revolutions of the engine's crankshaft, and one single thermodynamic cycle.There are two...
engine. The car was adapted from one of Daihatsu's three wheeled delivery trucks. It sold very poorly and ceased production after only 90 units were built.
