Mitsubishi Model A
Encyclopedia
The Mitsubishi Model A is the only car built by the Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Company, a member of the Mitsubishi
keiretsu
which would eventually evolve into Mitsubishi Motors
, and the first series production automobile
manufactured in Japan
. It was the brainchild of Koyata Iwasaki, the Mitsubishi's fourth president and the nephew of founder Yataro Iwasaki
, who foresaw the vast potential of motorized vehicles and the role they would play in the economic development of Japan. Envisioned as a luxury vehicle for high echelon government officials and top executives, the Model A had to be reliable, comfortable and a showcase of Japanese craftsmanship.
Based on the Fiat
Tipo 3, it was a four-door seven-seat sedan powered by a front-mounted 26 kW 2.8 litre straight-4
engine driving the rear wheels, and was capable of speeds up to 20 miles per hour (8.9 m/s). 22 were built at the company's Kobe
shipyard, including prototypes, between 1917 and 1921.
Because it was expensive to produce—it was built entirely by hand, with a cab made of lacquer
ed white cypress—it could not compete with cheaper American
and Europe
an competition, and Mitsubishi halted production after four years. Concentrating instead on its successful Fuso commercial vehicles
, the Model A would be the company's last passenger car until the Mitsubishi 500
of 1960.
At Mitsubishi's Auto Gallery (a museum of the company's most historically significant vehicles, established at their R&D Center in Okazaki
in 1989) there is a replica
on display, assembled in 1972 using materials of the time. It has a slightly shorter wheelbase, and uses a water-cooled 977 cc four-cylinder OHV
engine instead of the larger 2.8 litre original.
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
keiretsu
Keiretsu
A is a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings. It is a type of business group. The keiretsu has maintained dominance over the Japanese economy for the greater half of the twentieth century....
which would eventually evolve into Mitsubishi Motors
Mitsubishi Motors
is a multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. In 2009 it was the fifth-largest Japan-based automaker and the 17th-largest in the world measured by production...
, and the first series production automobile
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...
manufactured in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It was the brainchild of Koyata Iwasaki, the Mitsubishi's fourth president and the nephew of founder Yataro Iwasaki
Yataro Iwasaki
Iwasaki Yatarō was a Japanese financier and shipping industrialist, and the founder of Mitsubishi.-Early life:...
, who foresaw the vast potential of motorized vehicles and the role they would play in the economic development of Japan. Envisioned as a luxury vehicle for high echelon government officials and top executives, the Model A had to be reliable, comfortable and a showcase of Japanese craftsmanship.
Based on the Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
Tipo 3, it was a four-door seven-seat sedan powered by a front-mounted 26 kW 2.8 litre straight-4
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
engine driving the rear wheels, and was capable of speeds up to 20 miles per hour (8.9 m/s). 22 were built at the company's Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
shipyard, including prototypes, between 1917 and 1921.
Because it was expensive to produce—it was built entirely by hand, with a cab made of lacquer
Lacquer
In a general sense, lacquer is a somewhat imprecise term for a clear or coloured varnish that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process as well that produces a hard, durable finish, in any sheen level from ultra matte to high gloss and that can be further polished as required...
ed white cypress—it could not compete with cheaper American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an competition, and Mitsubishi halted production after four years. Concentrating instead on its successful Fuso commercial vehicles
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation
The Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation is a German-owned, Japan-based manufacturer of trucks and buses. It is headquartered in Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa, Japan. This company is one of the World's largest truck manufacturers...
, the Model A would be the company's last passenger car until the Mitsubishi 500
Mitsubishi 500
-History:The Mitsubishi 500 was the first passenger car produced after the Second World War by Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, Ltd, one of the companies which would become Mitsubishi Motors. First shown at the 1959 Tokyo Motor Show, it became available in 1960 at a cost of ¥390,000...
of 1960.
At Mitsubishi's Auto Gallery (a museum of the company's most historically significant vehicles, established at their R&D Center in Okazaki
Okazaki, Aichi
is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of August 2011, the city had an estimated population of 373,339 and a population density of 964 persons per km². The total area was 387.24 km².-Geography:...
in 1989) there is a replica
Replica
A replica is a copy closely resembling the original concerning its shape and appearance. An inverted replica complements the original by filling its gaps. It can be a copy used for historical purposes, such as being placed in a museum. Sometimes the original never existed. For example, Difference...
on display, assembled in 1972 using materials of the time. It has a slightly shorter wheelbase, and uses a water-cooled 977 cc four-cylinder 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...
engine instead of the larger 2.8 litre original.