Mazda may have celebrated its 100th birthday in 2020, but its first passenger car wasn’t officially launched until 1960. It was small, light and cheap; more importantly, the R360 Coupé represented a significant step for Japan’s motoring world. Moving away from the company’s light-commercial-vehicle origins, this tiny coupé not only laid the foundations for Mazda’s innovative road car future, but revolutionised Japan’s burgeoning kei car market.
This subcategory of weird and wonderful vehicles was introduced in 1949 in an effort to bring motoring to the masses. The Japanese Government was willing to offer huge licensing and tax benefits to vehicles falling within a certain physical size and engine capacity, to encourage manufacturers to build very small, efficient and cheap cars. Engine capacity was initially limited to 150cc but it was the increase to 360cc in 1955 that really kick-started interest.
According to Mazda, the little R360 received more than 4500 orders on launch day in May 1960, and went on to sell 23,417 in the first year. To put that into perspective, it accounted for two-thirds of the kei cars sold that year, and around 15% of the entire Japanese car market almost overnight. Impressive.
Why was it such a hit? Up to that point, kei cars had been very slow and not particularly rewarding to drive. Although governed by the same rules as the more established competition – such as the Subaru 360 – Mazda focused on making the car as lightweight and fun-to-drive as possible. It was of monocoque construction and featured an aluminium bonnet, with plexiglass for the sliding side windows and curved rear screen. Though technically a four-seater, the rear bench was intended only for very small children.
Powering the R360 was a rear-mounted, air-cooled 356cc V-twin. Unlike the two-strokes that were commonplace, this was a refined, frugal and relatively high-revving four-stroke engine, developing 16bhp. With aluminium cylinder heads and a magnesium alloy transmission casing, it helped keep weight down to 380kg, making the R360 good for 56mph.
As well as low weight, the key to making it fun was fully independent suspension – with trailing arms and a Mini-like rubber spring set-up – and direct rack-and-pinion steering.
It was such a success for Mazda that the company introduced the full four-seater Carol in 1962, with a tiny 358cc four-cylinder engine. This proved even more popular and ultimately killed demand for Mazda’s baby coupé. Mainstream R360 production continued until 1966, although it was still available to special order until 1969. Sales started off brilliantly but had tailed off by the time production ended, with 65,737 built in total.
Not only did the R360 revolutionise kei cars, which remain a fundamental part of Japanese car culture to this day, but its clever design and lightweight ethos influenced Mazda’s automotive direction for decades to come. It’s a niche prospect outside of Japan but, if you appreciate clever engineering, microcars and oddball Japanese classics, not much else comes close.
What to look out for
• Mechanically the R360 is simple, so it’s easy to work on and the running gear rarely causes any problems.
• Prioritise finding a car with good trim and glass if possible, although parts can often be found through Japanese auction sites.
• The two-speed auto was one of Japan’s first, but it seriously limits performance. We’d recommend the manual.
Mazda R360 prices
There are a handful of cars scattered around the globe, but Japan is still the best place to find an R360. Most have been restored and will command £15,000-20,000, but scruffier running examples can be found for closer to £10,000. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of shipping and import taxes.
Although never sold in the USA, a few left-hand-drive cars were built for US servicemen living in Japan. Some of these were exported to the US and are now treasured by collectors. Expect to pay upwards of $40,000, if and when they come to market.
