Kei car is the smallest category of Japanese, expressway-legal motor vehicles. 'Kei' is diminutive for kei-jidōsha,, "light automobile" or "compact automobile". With restricted dimensions and engine specifications, owners benefit firstly from lower taxes and insurance rates which lead to a lower overall cost of ownership. And in most rural areas, importantly, they were also exempted from the general Japanese shako shōmeisho (車庫証明書) parking-space ownership requirement to legally buy a motor vehicle at all, as street parking is generally restricted in Japan. Japan's carmakers also make microvans and kei trucks within this legal category.
The Austin Ambassador is a large family car that was introduced by the Austin Rover Group subsidiary of British Leyland in March 1982. The vehicle was a heavily updated version of the Princess, a saloon car that had lacked a hatchback. Only the doors and inner structure were carried over, but the wedge-shaped side profile betrayed the car's Princess origins, and it was not considered a truly new model. The Princess had been out of production for four months by the time that the Ambassador went on sale.
The Ford Corcel is a family car which was sold by Ford do Brasil in Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela. It was also assembled in Venezuela. The French-influenced styling of the Corcel was unique to Brazil until late 1977. From this year, the redesigned Corcel II bore a strong resemblance to the European Ford Escort and Ford Cortina of same era, but its Renault underpinnings remained the same. The Corcel was eventually replaced by the Del Rey, which was originally introduced as a better equipped version of the Corcel.
The Opel Ascona is a large family car that was produced by the German automaker Opel from 1970 to 1988. It was produced in three separate generations, beginning with rear-wheel-drive and ending up as a front-wheel drive J-car derivative.
The Nissan S130 is a sports coupé produced by Nissan in Japan from 1978 until 1983. It was sold as the Datsun 280ZX, Nissan Fairlady Z and Nissan Fairlady 280Z, depending on the market. In Japan, it was exclusive to Nissan Bluebird Store locations. It was the second generation Z-car, replacing the Nissan Fairlady Z (S30) in late 1978. The 280ZX was the first time the "by Nissan" subscript was badged alongside the Datsun logo, along with Nissan trucks. The 280ZX was Motor Trend's import car of the year for 1979. The 280ZX was replaced by the Nissan 300ZX in 1984.
The Isuzu Gemini is a subcompact car produced by the Japanese automaker Isuzu from 1974 until 2000. The same basic product was built and/or sold under several other names, sometimes by other General Motors brands, in various markets around the world. While the first generation was of a rear-wheel drive design, later versions were all front-wheel-drive, and the last two generations were no more than badge-engineered Honda Domani until the name was retired in 2000.
The Opel Commodore is an executive car (E-segment) produced by Opel from 1967 to 1982. It is the six-cylinder variant of the Rekord with styling differences. The Commodore nameplate was used by Opel from 1967 to 1982. However, its nameplate/lineage continued until 2020 with the Australian Holden Commodore. The last generation was sold in the United Kingdom primarily as the Vauxhall Viceroy although Opel models were also sold.
The Fiat 600 is a small, rear-engined city car and economy family car, made by Italian carmaker Fiat from 1955 to 1969 — offered in two-door fastback sedan and four-door Multipla mini MPV body styles. The 600 is considered a pop icon of the Italian economic miracle, and the three-row seating Multipla, though diminutive and odd-looking, is seen as one the first mass-produced minivans.
The Nissan A series of internal combustion gasoline engines have been used in Datsun, Nissan and Premier brand vehicles. Displacements of this four-stroke engine family ranged from 1.0-liter to 1.5-liter and have been produced from 1967 till 2009. It is a small-displacement four-cylinder straight engine. It uses a lightweight cast iron block and an aluminum cylinder head, with overhead valves actuated by pushrods.
The Nissan E series name was used on two types of automobile engines. The first was an OHV line used in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. The second was an OHC version ranging from 1.0 to 1.6 litres and was produced from 1981 till 1988. It was replaced by the GA engine series.
The Toyota Tercel is a subcompact car manufactured by Toyota from 1978 until 1999 across five generations, in five body configurations sized between the Corolla and the Starlet. Manufactured at the Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Japan, and sharing its platform with the Cynos and the Starlet, the Tercel was marketed variously as the Toyota Corolla II — sold at Toyota Japanese dealerships called Toyota Corolla Stores — and was replaced by the Platz in 1999. It was also known as the Toyota Corsa and sold at Toyopet Store locations. Starting with the second generation, the Tercel dealership network was changed to Vista Store, as its badge engineered sibling, the Corolla II, was exclusive to Corolla Store locations.
The Nissan Leopard is a line of sport/luxury cars built by Japanese carmaker Nissan. The Leopard began life in 1980 and was discontinued in 1999. The Leopard were initially based on the Japanese market Nissan Skyline and Nissan Laurel, then later based on the chassis of their Nissan Cedric and Nissan Gloria contemporaries and were rear wheel drive. Final versions were the contributing factors to Nissan's Infiniti M and J products.
The first generation Honda City was a subcompact hatchback aimed mainly at the Japanese domestic market. The somewhat uniquely designed City, referred to by Honda as "Tall Boy" style, was also marketed abroad and was available in a number of versions. First introduced in November 1981, it carried the model codes AA for sedans, VF for vans, and FA for the widetrack Turbo II and Cabriolets. It was sold at the Honda Japan dealership sales channel called Honda Clio.
The SD engine was replaced by the Nissan TD engine. It was manufactured by Minsei Diesel Industries, Ltd., which was renamed Nissan Diesel Motor Co., Ltd in 1960.
The Holden Commodore (VH) is a mid-size car that was produced by Holden from 1981 to 1984. It was the third iteration of the first generation of the Holden Commodore.
The Daewoo Maepsy is a compact car manufactured by Daewoo in South Korea from December 1977 to 1989. The Maepsy was a badge engineered version of the Opel Kadett C, or to be more precise, of the PF50 Isuzu Gemini. Originally the car was sold as the Saehan Gemini, but in February 1982 the car evolved to become the Saehan Maepsy. By 1983 it was called the Daewoo Maepsy after Saehan Motor was bought out by the Daewoo Group, and finally the Daewoo Maepsy-Na. The word "maepsy" means "beautiful" in Korean.
The Monteverdi Safari is a Swiss luxury SUV first presented by Peter Monteverdi in 1976. It entered into production in 1977. Production came to an end in 1982, after production of the International Harvester Scout came to an end. There was also a lower-priced version called the Sahara, which retained the Scout's original bodywork with some modifications.
FASA-Renault was a Spanish automobile manufacturer which produced Renault and Renault-based vehicles from 1951 to 2000. Since 2000 until the present, its factories are part of Renault España.
The Naylor TF 1700 is a British sports car built in the 1980s by Naylor Cars, Ltd., located in Shipley, West Yorkshire, England. Presented in 1984, it was the brainchild of Alastair Naylor and was developed together with Alan Staniforth.
The Daihatsu C-series engine is a range of compact three-cylinder, internal combustion piston engines, designed by Daihatsu, which is a subsidiary of Toyota. The engines range from 843 to 993 cc and have been manufactured in petrol and diesel-driven series. They have cast iron engine blocks and aluminum cylinder heads, and are of either SOHC or DOHC design, with belt driven heads. The engine first appeared in the all-new Daihatsu Charade in October 1977, in "CB20" form.
