Little-Known Japanese Compact Cars
In this country, Japanese automakers didn’t begin to make a visible presence in the market until the 1970s; before that, at best, niche products (e.g., the Toyota GT 2000, Honda S800, and Subaru 360) were exported and registered in Switzerland or Germany.
In Japan itself, however, the variety was already significantly greater in the 1960s than we in Europe were aware of.
Some interesting examples will go under the hammer on September 19, 2026, at Bonhams during the Goodwood Revival .
In our part of the world, at any rate, you hardly ever see a Mazda P360 Carol Saloon, built around 1966. And the Toyota Publica 700 DX Saloon from around 1965 (pictured above) reminds us more of a Fiat 1100 than of the Toyotas we’re familiar with.
The Mitsubishi 500 Saloon from around 1969 is also an unknown quantity to us. Visually, this small sedan reminds us a little of the Goggomobil.
And Suzuki didn’t really make its mark in Europe until 1978 with the LJ80, even though the first Suzulight had already been introduced on its home market in 1955. However, one would have hardly ever seen the early Suzuki (or Suzulight) models with the additional designation “Fronte” in Europe.
That makes it all the more exciting that, in just a few days, the Bonhams auction at the Goodwood Circuit will feature precisely these kinds of mostly small and fuel-efficient (right-hand-drive) vehicles. One can certainly hope that one or two of these cars will eventually turn up at a classic car show…
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