My Form 1 teacher had one of these little Daihatsu pillarless coupe fellows back in 1980. It was a 74 model, in a burnt orange colour, with a black interior and in perfect condition. I used to think it was absolutely brilliant and it looked so exotic and sporty with those hubcaps against that body colour and that swept up rear side window....and pillarless doors! I heard it running one day and laughed, telling her I thought it sounded like my lawnmower, She told me that you had to start the car the same way - that it had a big pull cord under the bonnet that you had to pull several times to get the car to start. She reckoned it was how she kept so fit! Took me years until I finally saw under the bonnet of one and realised she was pulling my leg!
My sister in law had one, and it was our car to use when we came to the city from Waiheke Island, 2 adults, 2 kids, and all our luggage for the weekend crammed in. Driving it around Auckland, doing all we needed to do...lots of fun. No engine braking ! It would pick up speed fast downhill, and the drum brakes weren't really up to it. Thanks for the memories.
That car brings a smile to your face. There is definitely a place for them on the roads. There are many times where it would be perfect for short trips and such. Glad you showed us this nice car.
Never seen one of those before! Looks great and sounds brilliant with that revvy 2 stroke. It just shows how little you actually need to transport two adults and two children around.
It was very nice to see Miss Hubnut introducing the Dinky Dihatsu from Japan. It certainly was a very entertaining drive video to watch & finally seeing Miss Hubnut taking the car for a little drive.🙂👍👍
Great fun little car for you and Miss Hubnut to enjoy and also thank you for the distraction during this time of sorrow , Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth the Second.
What a delicious little car. More smiles per mile, definitely. As a wise man once said, "Power, less is more." I also love the thought that you could almost park it end on between other cars, a la Fiat 126. PS. Miss Hubnut was worryingly good at that intro. I think you may have competition there, Mr. H.
There are whole bunch of Japanese Kei cars that are really interesting - and fun (sometimes!) - the Suzuki Cappucino being the best known.Its a pity that we don't see more of them in the UK, and that more weren't imported officially.
@@nakoma5 They are of course better than these monstrous SUVs that are so popular, but I guess it actually makes less difference than you'd think, compared to 'normal' small cars.
Kei cars make perfect sense for the UK. Similar ancient, narrow roads to Japan. Overcrowded country. RHD. I'm surprised they havent been sold here officially.
Fabulous video you two! I love the colaborative presentation. Keep it up. I had the pleasure of taking a passenger ride in this diminutive little car and it was so much fun. Long live the Kei car
That engine noise is so addictive, what a cracking little car, loving the colour of it too. Reminds me of the Suzuki SC100 although obviously this car precedes that one.
The Cervo, SC100 is also ever so slightly bigger and more sportier. You could get 4 stroke engines for those :P. But there is the Suzuki Fronte, which had a coupé version, which looks a lot like this :) . Which came before the Cervo :). Really Suzuki and Daihatsu's competition was.. fascinating :).
@@graemew7001 No problem, I love old Suzukis and Daihatsus. I just wish they wouldn't rust so bad :( . Engine wise they are often indestructible though :) .
As an ex Whizzkid owner, I also get the SC100 vibes from this. However, as been said, the SC100 was fitted with a 970cc 4-stroke I4! which certainly made it entertaining! Would love to have a go in this though!!
@@stuartjones8238 The predecessor to the SC100 is more in the era of this one. The Suzuki Fronte, and that one was 2 stroke as well. But indeed Suzuki was really good in making sporty small cars :P .
This video brings back plenty of memories of my Daihatsu Time. I loved my 1985 G11, with that 3-cylinder engine. That there was a 2 stoke engine is new for me. Very nice video.
One of the cutest cars ive ever seen, very cool. The way you describe the driving experience makes me wonder if the wheel alignment could be off, causing tire scrub and absorbing some engine power along with the poor handling
What a fun little car; looked nearly as terrifying as driving TWC at 50 MPH! I'd bet "2stroketurbo" would love one of these; he's a Subaru 360 aficionado...Great color, too; it looks like a first-gen Corolla someone washed in too hot of water...nice to see Miss HubNut have a go, too!
Great to see you both having such a giggle together, road testing such a cute little car. Looks great as a pillarless coupe too. I bet it’s a ball to hoon about in it with the “crazy frog” sound track blaring! 😂
I'm glad you confirmed the memory I have of driving one of the first three-cylinder Daihatsu imports back in the 1980s: there was a terrifying lack of any discernible link between the steering wheel and the front wheels!
I remember back in the 1980's a feature on Top Gear with Chris Goffy about 2 stroke cars. He got out of an old Saab 96 with the 3 cylinder engine and into a Ford Fiesta fitted with an Orbital engine 3 cylinder 2 stroke and the camera was on the exhaust as he pulled away showing no smoke ! It showed great promise but it never happened and I can't find a video of it anywhere.
hi, like you I love Daihatsu mini cars, I had a Cuore + for 12 years until spares became a problem following the withdrawal of Daihatsu from the UK market. I love this video of the tiny Diahatsu Fellow Max, well done finding one of these to demonstrate. For me little cars are always great fun I have had original Minis and a 1983 Suzuki Alto. You had my attention in the first seconds of this great video - keep up the great output.
I have never driven a two stroke car but l have owned and riden many two stroke motorcycles one had a three cyliner water cooled motor it was my Suzuki GT750 and ir would cruise quite easily do 160 kph produced about 60bhp great touring bike
Miss Hubnut's presentation style is on a par with Supercar Blondie. I'm interested in that engine though. Reminds me of the 70s 2-stroke superbikes like the Yamaha RD350. I suppose it could be related.
What an utterly amazing car. The reluctance to speed will probably be the exhaust, 2st exhausts easily choke up with carbon so needs burned-out. A good hubnut task.
Perfect music at the end. A brilliant little car, keep one as a spare in your loft. BTW always wear shoes in a car. Get shunted front and back, maybe have to kick out a window to get out, then run over broken glass and twisted metal and possibly burning fuel. Hypothetical yes but it happens all the time.
A cute little one this daihatsu is, japan has come out with plenty of good little cars after all. And that was a good little intro with carly there as well.
I think the back looks quite modern and it’s about the same size of a original mini in my opinion that is anyway really enjoyed this video can’t wait for Chemmy videos!!! Thanks Ian and Carly for this video
What an amazing noise! I think that was my take-away from the NZ test too. The tinny clunk when Ian shut the door was quite telling also. I wonder if this uses a steering box? If so, I guess a rebuild would help with the vagueness & wandering
It looks cute when your wife rides it. The Daihatsu Fellow Max is a Japanese original standard car. Since it is a car about 50 years ago, it is rarely seen in Japan. This is a very nice car. When I was a kid, I had many cars of this size. The price was affordable even for people with low income, so it sold a lot. It's small and doesn't have much power, but I don't think there was a problem with two adults using it in the city.
Love this car! I have a Suzuki Cappuccino (saw your video on these some while back) and am a great fan of small Japanese cars. The Japanese are amazing engineers. Thanks for showing the video!
I would love one of these cars to drive as often as possible but unfortunately I cannot justify it but it looks just so much fun to drive. I do love this Daihatsu though, it looks like it could fit through a (large) cat flap and sleep on the sofa. The development team may have had some parts washed on a hotter wash than recommended temperature and it shrunk but liked the end result but carried on anyway producing a cracking design. Nice one HubNutters.
I love two stroke engines my dads 1974 Warburg was on of the best cars we have owed very smooth big boot great in the snow in ice the only down side it was not good on mpg also it took a bit to get the oil mix right have you ever driven one
As a p/t petrol pump attendant in Kent when I was at school in the early 70s, I can remember a Wartburg that regularly came into the petrol station. To fill it, you first added a pint of cheap 20/50 oil into the petrol tank, then you filled it with '2 star'. An odd car, but very solid looking and an interesting blocky design.
I used to drive a 2-stroke Bedford truck 40yrs ago,and the mechanic at the dealers where it was serviced once told me “you’ve got to thrash these 2-strokes to stop the bores glazing up”
In Wellington New Zealand there were just enough 2 stroke kei cars to be aways able to hear one. My favorite kei car was the mid 70s Suzuki Fonte Coupe with its 500cc two stroke rear engine. Kei cars were popular as second cars where mum was given it to run the kids around and dad could take the big car to work to up his image or something in the work parking lot. Yes a Fonte Coupe is still fun with 5 kids and a dog in the car.
Oh wow! I think it'll be living in England for a while yet. If you like, I'd be happy to forward an email to the current owner if you have any memories of the car. Ian@hubnut.org
Very good video. I didn't know this car. Amazing Japanese technology from the 70s. Here in Argentina we met the Dahiatsu Charade in its fully equipped version in 1980. A luxury what that auro brought: air conditioning; electric windows; hydraulic power steering. Equipment almost unknown in the cars manufactured in Argentina at that time.
What a lovely little car and a great video introduction by miss Hubnut. I think the later cars had (?) a bigger engine, which was also used on the Portuguese Sado 550 :)
what a cool little car. When you parked amongst the other cars i know which one id rather drive and have more fun in. Reminds me so much of the Suzuki SC100
Thanks for this interesting car review. I remember the earlier, even more basic, ones in Australia trying to carve out a tiny niche in the market. Competing with the Honda Scamp then Life 360cc models at the time. Low purchase price and low fuel consumption was the attraction for a tiny segment of the marketm
I'm 6 foot 2, and my girlfriend and I drove from Melbourne to Sydney and back in her Honda 360 Z. It was 30 years before New South Wales has completed the freeway on their side. It took 20 hours each way, in my Accord it took 8-9 hours. Terrible road, and the Semi-trailers were terrifying. I have no idea how we survived.
Amazing car in many ways. A very unexpected exhaust note in that it does not sound typically 2 stroke with more in the bass register than you would expect. Leg room, very surprising, given the lilliputian dimensions and , despite the lack of footwear, the pedals appear to be nicely spaced. Very delightful spin out in this deliciously deceiving Daihatsu. Tardis of a two stroke. So pretty, oh so pretty, descant.
Absolutely brilliant! Unfortunately I don't have this car for the last classic car event in the public bath in Kressbronn am Bodensee (my home village). That would be a show!!!
It would be interesting to compare rear seat space of this to the 126, because the 126 is astoundingly ok to sit in the back. Pillarlessness may help access, but that rear seat looks more like a brolly shelf. When the 126 was launched in 1972, Italy still had a measurable birth rate, and 126es were bought with family use in mind. In fact, improved boot space compared to the 500 was definitely a requirement during the 126‘s development. My father in law, Italian immigrant in Germany, had a Honda N600 in the early 70s and when he went to Italy in it (no Gottardo tunnel then btw), people certainly looked, but there were no Japanese cars imported to Italy anyway. In fact, there weren’t in many continental European markets, in Germany the first Honda to really make an impact was the Civic, and Toyota started around 1970 with Carina and Celica. Only Switzerland and the Benelux countries were early adopters of Japanese brands on the continent.
That car, along with the Suzuki Cervo (first gen) is the closest that y'all can get to experiencing My Summer Car IRL. Now all you gotta do is move to Finland, build a house in the countryside, and there you have it Edit: Y'know what, I take it back. The Datsun Cherry is the closest that y'all can get to experiencing My Summer Car IRL. It's literally the car that the Satsuma was based on Edit 2: Also, there was a four stroke version of the Fellow Max (or Max Cuore, or Max 550, or simply Cuore). Introduced in May of 1976, it had a 547cc I2 (meaning that it can be turboed with a Garrett GT0632sZ, provided you have custom piping and a small enough intercooler), had a curb weight of just 565 kg (1,246 lb), a wheelbase just shy of two meters (six feet or 82.3 in), a height of 1,32 m (just above 3 ft or 52 in), a bumper-to-bumper length of 3 m (9 ft or 124.6 in), a width of 1.304 m (also just above 3 ft or 55 in), came in either a two/four-door sedan or a three-door van, had a puny 4-speed manual, and last but not least, it's a front-engine, front-wheel drive Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daihatsu_Fellow_Max#550cc_era
Such a tiny and cute cat! Great you managed to save some footage, it would be very unfortunate otherwise. Also you may be surprised that the Fellow Max was imported and sold in Greece in four door form, as the Daihatsu 360 (imported by the Ilias Kammenos group of companies) Didn't get a barefoot alert though- haha
My Form 1 teacher had one of these little Daihatsu pillarless coupe fellows back in 1980. It was a 74 model, in a burnt orange colour, with a black interior and in perfect condition. I used to think it was absolutely brilliant and it looked so exotic and sporty with those hubcaps against that body colour and that swept up rear side window....and pillarless doors! I heard it running one day and laughed, telling her I thought it sounded like my lawnmower, She told me that you had to start the car the same way - that it had a big pull cord under the bonnet that you had to pull several times to get the car to start. She reckoned it was how she kept so fit! Took me years until I finally saw under the bonnet of one and realised she was pulling my leg!
My sister in law had one, and it was our car to use when we came to the city from Waiheke Island, 2 adults, 2 kids, and all our luggage for the weekend crammed in. Driving it around Auckland, doing all we needed to do...lots of fun. No engine braking ! It would pick up speed fast downhill, and the drum brakes weren't really up to it. Thanks for the memories.
That car brings a smile to your face. There is definitely a place for them on the roads. There are many times where it would be perfect for short trips and such. Glad you showed us this nice car.
Never seen one of those before! Looks great and sounds brilliant with that revvy 2 stroke. It just shows how little you actually need to transport two adults and two children around.
Sounds nearly like a wankel.
Just the type of car we need in these times of high costs.
This is 2 strokes engine consuming more gasoline than you expected
It was very nice to see Miss Hubnut introducing the Dinky Dihatsu from Japan. It certainly was a very entertaining drive video to watch & finally seeing Miss Hubnut taking the car for a little drive.🙂👍👍
This is just stunning!! looks a little like a miniaturized Austin Allegro
It's a beauty and a lovely colour. A smashing review from you both 👍
Yes those are indeed adorable. If I had a car collection, this would be one of them for sure.
Brilliant test, well done to Carly on the introduction and outdo test drive. I saw it as the FOTU and couldn’t believe it was sooo tiny either!
Great fun little car for you and Miss Hubnut to enjoy and also thank you for the distraction during this time of sorrow , Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth the Second.
Going a million miles an hour......channeling the inner Clarkson 😄
I just grinned from ear to ear watching this. I’ve known a car to make me feel so giddily happy! Fabulous
What a delicious little car. More smiles per mile, definitely. As a wise man once said, "Power, less is more." I also love the thought that you could almost park it end on between other cars, a la Fiat 126.
PS. Miss Hubnut was worryingly good at that intro. I think you may have competition there, Mr. H.
There are whole bunch of Japanese Kei cars that are really interesting - and fun (sometimes!) - the Suzuki Cappucino being the best known.Its a pity that we don't see more of them in the UK, and that more weren't imported officially.
the Autozam AZ-1 is my favorite kei car next to the Subaru Vivio
If people really cared for the environment we'd be driving modern kei cars.
@@nakoma5 They are of course better than these monstrous SUVs that are so popular, but I guess it actually makes less difference than you'd think, compared to 'normal' small cars.
Kei cars make perfect sense for the UK. Similar ancient, narrow roads to Japan. Overcrowded country. RHD. I'm surprised they havent been sold here officially.
@@nakoma5 What a stupid thing to say!
I know you were concerned about the audio, but it really was perfectly fine.. whatever you did to clean it up must have worked!
Fabulous video you two! I love the colaborative presentation. Keep it up. I had the pleasure of taking a passenger ride in this diminutive little car and it was so much fun. Long live the Kei car
Carly, your presentation skills are coming on in leaps and bounds.
Loved Miss Hub Nut's introduction. I hope to be seeing more of her on camera in the future.
A friend in Madeira found one but the restoration was impossible, very cheeky tiny Japanese car from 70's, an ode to the petrol crisis!
That engine noise is so addictive, what a cracking little car, loving the colour of it too. Reminds me of the Suzuki SC100 although obviously this car precedes that one.
The Cervo, SC100 is also ever so slightly bigger and more sportier. You could get 4 stroke engines for those :P. But there is the Suzuki Fronte, which had a coupé version, which looks a lot like this :) . Which came before the Cervo :).
Really Suzuki and Daihatsu's competition was.. fascinating :).
@@DehnusNorder Thanks for that, it gave me a good hour on the internet looking through the data on those cars 👍
@@graemew7001 No problem, I love old Suzukis and Daihatsus. I just wish they wouldn't rust so bad :( . Engine wise they are often indestructible though :) .
As an ex Whizzkid owner, I also get the SC100 vibes from this. However, as been said, the SC100 was fitted with a 970cc 4-stroke I4! which certainly made it entertaining! Would love to have a go in this though!!
@@stuartjones8238 The predecessor to the SC100 is more in the era of this one. The Suzuki Fronte, and that one was 2 stroke as well.
But indeed Suzuki was really good in making sporty small cars :P .
I love this car, I am a huge Daihatsu fan having owned a Mira Trxx imported from Japan.
This video brings back plenty of memories of my Daihatsu Time. I loved my 1985 G11, with that 3-cylinder engine. That there was a 2 stoke engine is new for me. Very nice video.
That was a lovely video and a nice bit of escapism at this time - well done you two 👍
All the car we will ever need soon (or be allowed to use).
This car looks so modern. I can imagine it coming out as an electric version.
One of the cutest cars ive ever seen, very cool. The way you describe the driving experience makes me wonder if the wheel alignment could be off, causing tire scrub and absorbing some engine power along with the poor handling
Lovely video, well done Miss Hubnut particularly. Loved seeing this at FOTU and glad you could vicariously live my dream of driving it 👍
What a fun little car; looked nearly as terrifying as driving TWC at 50 MPH! I'd bet "2stroketurbo" would love one of these; he's a Subaru 360 aficionado...Great color, too; it looks like a first-gen Corolla someone washed in too hot of water...nice to see Miss HubNut have a go, too!
Great to see you both having such a giggle together, road testing such a cute little car. Looks great as a pillarless coupe too. I bet it’s a ball to hoon about in it with the “crazy frog” sound track blaring! 😂
I'm glad you confirmed the memory I have of driving one of the first three-cylinder Daihatsu imports back in the 1980s: there was a terrifying lack of any discernible link between the steering wheel and the front wheels!
Wow, a gem! Beautiful design, and fantastic colour 👏
I've always wondered how advanced would two-stroke car engines be if their development would've progressed. Amazing little car, this.
I remember back in the 1980's a feature on Top Gear with Chris Goffy about 2 stroke cars. He got out of an old Saab 96 with the 3 cylinder engine and into a Ford Fiesta fitted with an Orbital engine 3 cylinder 2 stroke and the camera was on the exhaust as he pulled away showing no smoke ! It showed great promise but it never happened and I can't find a video of it anywhere.
Loving this double review ❤️ Puts you in mind of an Allegro from the rear
Reminds me a bit of my Datsun Cherry from the 80's, it was my escape pod from my first marriage, rusty as hell but I loved it.
hi, like you I love Daihatsu mini cars, I had a Cuore + for 12 years until spares became a problem following the withdrawal of Daihatsu from the UK market. I love this video of the tiny Diahatsu Fellow Max, well done finding one of these to demonstrate. For me little cars are always great fun I have had original Minis and a 1983 Suzuki Alto. You had my attention in the first seconds of this great video - keep up the great output.
I have never driven a two stroke car but l have owned and riden many two stroke motorcycles one had a three cyliner water cooled motor it was my Suzuki GT750 and ir would cruise quite easily do 160 kph produced about 60bhp great touring bike
Miss Hubnut's presentation style is on a par with Supercar Blondie. I'm interested in that engine though. Reminds me of the 70s 2-stroke superbikes like the Yamaha RD350. I suppose it could be related.
As a yam RD350LC addict, i was thinking exactly the same. It must be glorious to drive behind this car, the intoxicating smell of 2 stroke oil 😁
I can’t wait til she gets her license and can give us her impressions too!
What an utterly amazing car. The reluctance to speed will probably be the exhaust, 2st exhausts easily choke up with carbon so needs burned-out.
A good hubnut task.
How "under" can a dog be? I submit to the world that this is the most HubNut of any car, in the world, ever.
I Can't beleve how they could built a pillarless frame over such a tiny body! Impressive car! Greetings from Argentina!!!
Greetings from Liverpool England.
Perfect music at the end. A brilliant little car, keep one as a spare in your loft. BTW always wear shoes in a car. Get shunted front and back, maybe have to kick out a window to get out, then run over broken glass and twisted metal and possibly burning fuel. Hypothetical yes but it happens all the time.
Bloody love it! You tower over it Ian!
A cute little one this daihatsu is, japan has come out with plenty of good little cars after all. And that was a good little intro with carly there as well.
I think the back looks quite modern and it’s about the same size of a original mini in my opinion that is anyway really enjoyed this video can’t wait for Chemmy videos!!! Thanks Ian and Carly for this video
What an amazing noise! I think that was my take-away from the NZ test too. The tinny clunk when Ian shut the door was quite telling also. I wonder if this uses a steering box? If so, I guess a rebuild would help with the vagueness & wandering
What a cool little buzz box ! I'm a former Charade owner. Daihatsu are fun cars ❤️
Looks nicely, neatly designed - inside & out.
It's like someone put a Datsun on boil wash! What a charming little car
Also FEET ALERT
For 1973 it looks so modern compared to the cars we were making in the uk at that time. Makes my smart car look massive!
What a delightful little car with plenty of smiles per hour.
WHAT A THING!! as Clarkson would say, love it, imagine owning one of those but bringing the handling up to modern standards, I'd have one.
What an thing
Its kind of crazy, but the " huge " sidewall on those 10 inch tires make them (somehow) look massive.
Absolutely fabulous little car love it brilliant video Ian Miss hubnut Absolutely amazing sounds better than my Peugeot 208 3 cylinder
What an astonishing little car. Got similarities to the original Nissan Cherry and the Suzuki. Lovely looking too.
When 50mph feels like "breakneck speed". All the simple fun of 70s small car ownership.
It looks cute when your wife rides it. The Daihatsu Fellow Max is a Japanese original standard car. Since it is a car about 50 years ago, it is rarely seen in Japan. This is a very nice car. When I was a kid, I had many cars of this size. The price was affordable even for people with low income, so it sold a lot. It's small and doesn't have much power, but I don't think there was a problem with two adults using it in the city.
Love this car! I have a Suzuki Cappuccino (saw your video on these some while back) and am a great fan of small Japanese cars. The Japanese are amazing engineers. Thanks for showing the video!
Never seen this car before and it's stunning. What a beauty.
Fun little car, I'm sure you could fit a modern engine/gearbox out of a newer Diahatsu, hey Miss HubNut.
I would love one of these cars to drive as often as possible but unfortunately I cannot justify it but it looks just so much fun to drive. I do love this Daihatsu though, it looks like it could fit through a (large) cat flap and sleep on the sofa. The development team may have had some parts washed on a hotter wash than recommended temperature and it shrunk but liked the end result but carried on anyway producing a cracking design. Nice one HubNutters.
I love two stroke engines my dads 1974 Warburg was on of the best cars we have owed very smooth big boot great in the snow in ice the only down side it was not good on mpg also it took a bit to get the oil mix right have you ever driven one
I have driven a couple in pre-video days. I like them very much.
As a p/t petrol pump attendant in Kent when I was at school in the early 70s, I can remember a Wartburg that regularly came into the petrol station. To fill it, you first added a pint of cheap 20/50 oil into the petrol tank, then you filled it with '2 star'. An odd car, but very solid looking and an interesting blocky design.
@@frglee Any reason why you didn't use proper two-stroke oil ?
I think its the perfect car for MissHubnut in size anyway. I'm feeling a little short changed with my 325bhp small car ;)
This looks hilarious. I love the way you feel like you're going so fast in a tiny, low car too
I used to drive a 2-stroke Bedford truck 40yrs ago,and the mechanic at the dealers where it was serviced once told me “you’ve got to thrash these 2-strokes to stop the bores glazing up”
I loved seeing this at Festival Of The Unexceptional, it was such a crowd puller!
The most amazing thing is the dashboard. Looks like it came out of a Triumph of the era, although it appears to be fake burr walnut.
IF ever there was a perfect car for Miss Hubnut - then this is it! loove the two stroke sound and the dinkiness of the car.
Miss HubNut you are such a natural on screen 👏
That's a great little car. love the 70s american styling. I would definitely have this over the non description junk turned out today.
Love the hubcaps. I saw e Fellow Max at Lauder show in the Scottish Borders it was brown. I was amazed.
In Wellington New Zealand there were just enough 2 stroke kei cars to be aways able to hear one.
My favorite kei car was the mid 70s Suzuki Fonte Coupe with its 500cc two stroke rear engine.
Kei cars were popular as second cars where mum was given it to run the kids around and dad could take the big car to work to up his image or something in the work parking lot.
Yes a Fonte Coupe is still fun with 5 kids and a dog in the car.
I drove a Fellow Max in Christchurch and found a Suzuki Fronte while I was there too!
The sound wasn't that bad, so glad you chose to post it
I am a daughter of the former owner of this car in Japan, and I’m currently living in Perth, Australia😂 I hope I see this car again in Straya!
Oh wow! I think it'll be living in England for a while yet. If you like, I'd be happy to forward an email to the current owner if you have any memories of the car. Ian@hubnut.org
Very good video. I didn't know this car. Amazing Japanese technology from the 70s. Here in Argentina we met the Dahiatsu Charade in its fully equipped version in 1980. A luxury what that auro brought: air conditioning; electric windows; hydraulic power steering. Equipment almost unknown in the cars manufactured in Argentina at that time.
What a lovely little car and a great video introduction by miss Hubnut.
I think the later cars had (?) a bigger engine, which was also used on the Portuguese Sado 550 :)
From behind it looksa little like a mini Leyland Princess :-)
I was going to comment about being on private land & giving Miss H a go, and, you did!!! Looks like the perfect car for her... :D
What a neat little car. It is proportioned so well.
what a cool little car. When you parked amongst the other cars i know which one id rather drive and have more fun in. Reminds me so much of the Suzuki SC100
Thanks for this interesting car review.
I remember the earlier, even more basic, ones in Australia trying to carve out a tiny niche in the market. Competing with the Honda Scamp then Life 360cc models at the time.
Low purchase price and low fuel consumption was the attraction for a tiny segment of the marketm
I'm 6 foot 2, and my girlfriend and I drove from Melbourne to Sydney and back in her Honda 360 Z. It was 30 years before New South Wales has completed the freeway on their side. It took 20 hours each way, in my Accord it took 8-9 hours. Terrible road, and the Semi-trailers were terrifying. I have no idea how we survived.
What a beautiful little car, awesome 👍
Love it love it love it! Love your videos and I think this might be my favourite!!!!!
YES YES YES! Please Carly, Please get your license! Please!!!!!!! Such a delightful car. Thank you both.
Amazing car in many ways.
A very unexpected exhaust note in that it does not sound typically 2 stroke with more in the bass register than you would expect.
Leg room, very surprising, given the lilliputian dimensions and , despite the lack of footwear, the pedals appear to be nicely spaced.
Very delightful spin out in this deliciously deceiving Daihatsu. Tardis of a two stroke.
So pretty, oh so pretty, descant.
Tiny door handles but a fierce horn.
I’m already invested in this video!
Absolutely brilliant! Unfortunately I don't have this car for the last classic car event in the public bath in Kressbronn am Bodensee (my home village). That would be a show!!!
Yet another fantastic video ,😎
Miss Hubnut loves her Diahatsu cars. Lovely little motor
The phrase “ Pulling the skin off rice pudding” comes to mind
It would be interesting to compare rear seat space of this to the 126, because the 126 is astoundingly ok to sit in the back. Pillarlessness may help access, but that rear seat looks more like a brolly shelf. When the 126 was launched in 1972, Italy still had a measurable birth rate, and 126es were bought with family use in mind. In fact, improved boot space compared to the 500 was definitely a requirement during the 126‘s development.
My father in law, Italian immigrant in Germany, had a Honda N600 in the early 70s and when he went to Italy in it (no Gottardo tunnel then btw), people certainly looked, but there were no Japanese cars imported to Italy anyway. In fact, there weren’t in many continental European markets, in Germany the first Honda to really make an impact was the Civic, and Toyota started around 1970 with Carina and Celica. Only Switzerland and the Benelux countries were early adopters of Japanese brands on the continent.
That looks so much fun, we need to return to smaller cars
That car, along with the Suzuki Cervo (first gen) is the closest that y'all can get to experiencing My Summer Car IRL. Now all you gotta do is move to Finland, build a house in the countryside, and there you have it
Edit: Y'know what, I take it back. The Datsun Cherry is the closest that y'all can get to experiencing My Summer Car IRL. It's literally the car that the Satsuma was based on
Edit 2: Also, there was a four stroke version of the Fellow Max (or Max Cuore, or Max 550, or simply Cuore). Introduced in May of 1976, it had a 547cc I2 (meaning that it can be turboed with a Garrett GT0632sZ, provided you have custom piping and a small enough intercooler), had a curb weight of just 565 kg (1,246 lb), a wheelbase just shy of two meters (six feet or 82.3 in), a height of 1,32 m (just above 3 ft or 52 in), a bumper-to-bumper length of 3 m (9 ft or 124.6 in), a width of 1.304 m (also just above 3 ft or 55 in), came in either a two/four-door sedan or a three-door van, had a puny 4-speed manual, and last but not least, it's a front-engine, front-wheel drive
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daihatsu_Fellow_Max#550cc_era
Sounds like an upgraded, tuned Trabant! Lovely! 😃
Wonderful little car. I had a Fiat 126 years ago, just great fun too.
#powerlessismore
What a fun little car the fellow max is, excellent Review Ian and Carly.
Love the sporty steering wheel , looks a lot of fun.
Such a tiny and cute cat!
Great you managed to save some footage, it would be very unfortunate otherwise.
Also you may be surprised that the Fellow Max was imported and sold in Greece in four door form, as the Daihatsu 360 (imported by the Ilias Kammenos group of companies)
Didn't get a barefoot alert though- haha
Thanks for sharing this a very nice and wonderful car thanks mr and Mrs hub nut greetings from Scotland 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Great vid mate the look on your face when you pulled away lol good times