#mazda k360

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Mazda K360, 1959. A 3-wheeled micro-truck powered by a mid-mounted air-cooled V twin engine. The K360 remained in production for a decade during which time 280,000 were made

[things-about-cars-in-posts]

might be a bit of a boring question but how do you feel about the Mazda b series? and if you have nothing to say about that one then I'd love to hear your thoughts on the tacoma

So thoughtful of you to give me a backup question, but worry not! If I've got nothing to say about a car, I will find it, goddamnit, if it'll take me two months! Which it very nearly did. Sorry. Anyhow! In reverse order of generations:

1. 5th

it would take state-backed effort to get me to care for -hell, care about- this last one, which did not excel in looks nor performance nor, from what I can tell, reliability nor comfort. It feels like it would be a very complex thought experiment to come up with the buyer this would be the best choice for, even in its time. (However, while the enthusiasts' metric of evaluation is competition, the owners' metric is their own expectations, so it is certain and valid and good that millions of owners were chuffed about their purchase and I love that for them and do not whatsoever seek to rain on their parade.)

2. 4th

Neat! Even beyond the spectacular decals, I just love Japanese pickups of this era (the ones yankees call "small pickups" and we call "pickups" because we don't have those useless fuck-off-gargantuan shit yankees love to pretend has any use). So much so that I want two of them. Neither are this (they're the Toyota Hilux and the Nissan D21), but objectively they're all about the same and my preferences are purely based on aesthetic minutiae.

3. 3rd

First I see of it! The front is kind of unfortunate, but it reminds me of the Yugo so it's on my good side. The rear taillights also have a kind of Soviet quality to them, I'm sure there's some -az car with rear lights just like those.

4. 2nd

HELL FUCKING YEAH *checks pronouns* SISTER! I love this thing. Especially the REPU, where PU stands for Pick Up and RE stands for...

Yep :D, this was the time when Mazda was shoving rotaries left and right into applications they were comically unsuited for absolutely no discernible reason, and we're all glad that they did, because Lord knows no one else had the lack of sense to do it.

Yes the ROTARY POWER* on the back of it is factory! *BITCHES

5. 1st

Yeah, this is at the edge of car period that excites me. Not that I think it looks bad or is bad or anything, it just starts to feel too... historic for me to connect to? I guess a Mazda pickup from the early '60s is just not for me.

It seems I guessed wrong.

This Ghibli-esque little thing is the 1959 Mazda K360, being a kei truck with the then maximum of 360cc of engine. It was a popular taxi (taxi!) in Myanmar...

...where it kept being produced until the early '70s, when it got replaced by the other other truck Mazda was making by the early '60s, the B360.

Wow I really was wrong there huh.

These were probably a sort of "Eastern Europe getting Fiat's scraps" kind of deal, since while these were manufactured in Myanmar from '72 to the mid-90s (mid-90s!), by 1972 Japan had already long been getting the B360's replacement i.e. the Mazda Porter, which OOOO0000°°°°°ººººº⁰⁰⁰⁰⁰⁰⁰ my GOOOOOODDDD

OMGOMGOMG THIS IS THE CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD

I don't even want to own one of these, I want to cuddle it. I want to protect it.

OMG THIS ONE HAS TINY LITTLE HAYASHIS WITH TINY LITTLE LETTERING ON ITS TINY LITTLE TIRES

*faints* *a feeble, wiggly speech bubble appears from below the table* Tacoma's good btw. Best of segment by miles.

Links in blue are posts of mine about the topic in question: if you liked this post, you might like those - or the blog’s Discord server, linked in the pinned post!

[japanesecarssince1947]

1958 Mazda K 360

My tumblr-blogs: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/germancarssince1946 & https://www.tumblr.com/blog/frenchcarssince1946 & https://www.tumblr.com/blog/englishcarssince1946 & https://www.tumblr.com/blog/italiancarssince1946 & https://www.tumblr.com/blog/japanesecarssince1947

[carsonfilm]

Mazda K360 Truck　＠　Boso Hanto

[mesmomeugenero]

Mazda K360

[teilix]

1962 Mazda K360 micro-truck at Mazda Classic (@mazdaclassic Automobil Museum Frey) in Augsburg. 280,000 units were produced 1959–1969. [Ad/Werbung, tagging unpaid/unbezahlt] #microcarmonday #MazdaK360 #Mazda #K360 #classicmazda #mazdaclassic #vintagemazda #keicar #kcar #Kleinstwagen #microtruck #minitruck #microcar #microcars #japanesecars #japaneseclassic #japaneseclassiccar #classiccar #classiccars #smallcar #cutecar #classiccarspotting #oldtimer #vintagecar #vintagecars #teilixmazda #classictruck #carsofinstagram #obscuremonday (hier: Mazda Classic - Automobil Museum Frey) https://www.instagram.com/p/B89O5mvopee/?igshid=1ki4kf35e9hur

[diecastcarzer]

Tomica Limited Mazda K360 Subaru Sambar Postal Car Set https://ift.tt/35wbgxx * This link to ebay.com *

[mandarake-en]

Coming to the #Mandarake Zenbu 96 Big Web Auction New Mazda K360 Pink (Yonezawa) - The covered type of the Mazda K360 that was nicknamed 'Kesaburo'. https://t.co/E0L3vtt2Bo https://t.co/O6FY79Y8oH Mandarake Twitter: http://twitter.com/mandarake_en Mandarake Facebook: http://facebook.com/mandarake (Automated Tumblr Post)

[joe-kanno]

1/64 TLV MAZDA K360 #tomicalimitedvintage#tomicacollection#tomicagram#tomica#diecastcollector#diecastcars#164scale#164scalediecast#scale164#64scale#164scalecollector#toycar#miniaturecar#miniature#barnfind#tomicajapan#hondat360#jdmdiecast#錆塗装#ミニカー#軽トラ#mazdatrucks#k360##ケサブロー #北原コレクション #北原コレクションミュージアム#diecastcustom#thelamleygroup#lamleycustoms

[overliter012]

#tomica #tomicalimitedvintage #tomicalimitedvintagetoysclub #mazda #k360 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp0XqYwgPbQ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=lhvsnjhkzkqj

[todaynotoday]

マツダK３６０in 沖縄

にほんブログ村：那覇情報

にほんブログ村：ライフスタイルブログ

にほんブログ村：B級グルメ

にほんブログ村：ブログ村

[mmmworkstation]

新たな出逢い！MAZDA K360！ 3輪自動車！ 家から歩いて50mの御近所さんのおばあちゃん家に何十年も眠っていただなんて！ 亡きおじいちゃんがずっと大切にされていた商売道具な1台だったそうです☀️ 書類も揃ってるし軽自動車検査協会の方曰くこのナンバーを復活できる方法があるそうなので、 まずは車体をレストアしてあげたいけれど、 うーん…探偵ナイトスクープにでも応募してみるか🤔 ちなみにこのクルマのニックネーム、 『松田けざぶろう』 って言うんですって☀️ 1962年式…！ 56年前のマシンです😋 #MAZDA #mazdak360 #mazdak360softtop #KTBA43 #まつだけさぶろう #松田けざぶろう #旧車 #昭和37年 #農家の軽トラ #花屋の軽トラ #軽トラ #オート三輪 #ミゼット

[jonathanbelloblog]

Kenichi Yamamoto, Father of the Mazda Rotary, Dies at 95

Former Mazda engineer and president Kenichi Yamamoto may not have invented the rotary engine, but he’s the reason the design made it to mass production and became a symbol of Mazda’s ingenuity. Yamamoto passed away in his home country of Japan on December 20, 2017, at the age of 95, The Asahi Shimbun reports.

As Japanese classic car enthusiast website Japanese Nostalgic Car recounts, Yamamoto lived an incredible life. Born in 1922, Yamamoto entered adulthood in the midst of World War II. He earned his degree in mechanical engineering in 1944 and began working for the Kawanishi Aircraft Company. In 1945, he was recruited by the Japanese navy just before the end of the war. Afterward, he returned to his hometown of Hiroshima, which was all but completely obliterated by the atomic bomb. He lost his sister in the attack, but his mother survived and needed him to take care of her.

Yamamoto found work at Toyo Kogyo, the parent company for Mazda at the time, assembling transmissions and differentials for its three-wheeled trucks. After finding blueprints for the parts he was building, he began to check their tolerances, acting as his own quality control. This extra care was noticed by management, landing him a job in the engineering department. He climbed the ranks to become deputy manager of Engine and Vehicle Design by 1959. In that role, he oversaw development on the Mazda K360 and R360 trucks, as well as the company’s first passenger car. But it was his work on the rotary engine that would cement his legacy at Mazda.

Yamamoto was one of 47 engineers and designers hand-picked for the Rotary Engine Research Division. The team earned the nickname “47 Ronin,” a reference to a famous samurai legend, and spent years perfecting the rotary engine that was originally conceived by Felix Wankel. By 1967, Mazda released its first production rotary-powered model: the Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. The engine was so revolutionary that American aircraft company Curtiss-Wright bought a Cosmo and imported it to the U.S., where it was never sold, to study its drivetrain for possible aerospace applications. That exact car is now owned by Mazda North American Operations and kept at its headquarters in Irvine, California.

Later, Yamamoto would be tasked with improving the rotary’s fuel economy by 40 percent and reducing its emissions to satisfy requirements imposed by the Clean Air Act of 1970. Before retiring in 1992 as Mazda chairman, Yamamoto had a hand in the R100, REPU pickup truck, RX-2, RX-3, RX-4, three generations of RX-7, and even the 787B—the first and only Japanese car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“We send our condolences to the Yamamoto family and recognize the achievements and innovations Yamamoto-san created to change the automotive landscape and shape Mazda,” a Mazda spokesman told us in an email.

Thanks for giving Mazda the innovative spirit it has today, Yamamoto-san. Hopefully we’ll one day see another rotary-powered Mazda.

   The post Kenichi Yamamoto, Father of the Mazda Rotary, Dies at 95 appeared first on Automobile Magazine.

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[eddiejpoplar]

Kenichi Yamamoto, Father of the Mazda Rotary, Dies at 95

Former Mazda engineer and president Kenichi Yamamoto may not have invented the rotary engine, but he’s the reason the design made it to mass production and became a symbol of Mazda’s ingenuity. Yamamoto passed away in his home country of Japan on December 20, 2017, at the age of 95, The Asahi Shimbun reports.

As Japanese classic car enthusiast website Japanese Nostalgic Car recounts, Yamamoto lived an incredible life. Born in 1922, Yamamoto entered adulthood in the midst of World War II. He earned his degree in mechanical engineering in 1944 and began working for the Kawanishi Aircraft Company. In 1945, he was recruited by the Japanese navy just before the end of the war. Afterward, he returned to his hometown of Hiroshima, which was all but completely obliterated by the atomic bomb. He lost his sister in the attack, but his mother survived and needed him to take care of her.

Yamamoto found work at Toyo Kogyo, the parent company for Mazda at the time, assembling transmissions and differentials for its three-wheeled trucks. After finding blueprints for the parts he was building, he began to check their tolerances, acting as his own quality control. This extra care was noticed by management, landing him a job in the engineering department. He climbed the ranks to become deputy manager of Engine and Vehicle Design by 1959. In that role, he oversaw development on the Mazda K360 and R360 trucks, as well as the company’s first passenger car. But it was his work on the rotary engine that would cement his legacy at Mazda.

Yamamoto was one of 47 engineers and designers hand-picked for the Rotary Engine Research Division. The team earned the nickname “47 Ronin,” a reference to a famous samurai legend, and spent years perfecting the rotary engine that was originally conceived by Felix Wankel. By 1967, Mazda released its first production rotary-powered model: the Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. The engine was so revolutionary that American aircraft company Curtiss-Wright bought a Cosmo and imported it to the U.S., where it was never sold, to study its drivetrain for possible aerospace applications. That exact car is now owned by Mazda North American Operations and kept at its headquarters in Irvine, California.

Later, Yamamoto would be tasked with improving the rotary’s fuel economy by 40 percent and reducing its emissions to satisfy requirements imposed by the Clean Air Act of 1970. Before retiring in 1992 as Mazda chairman, Yamamoto had a hand in the R100, REPU pickup truck, RX-2, RX-3, RX-4, three generations of RX-7, and even the 787B—the first and only Japanese car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“We send our condolences to the Yamamoto family and recognize the achievements and innovations Yamamoto-san created to change the automotive landscape and shape Mazda,” a Mazda spokesman told us in an email.

Thanks for giving Mazda the innovative spirit it has today, Yamamoto-san. Hopefully we’ll one day see another rotary-powered Mazda.

   The post Kenichi Yamamoto, Father of the Mazda Rotary, Dies at 95 appeared first on Automobile Magazine.

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[robertkstone]

Father of the Mazda Rotary Kenichi Yamamoto Dies at 95

Former Mazda engineer and president Kenichi Yamamoto may not have invented the rotary engine, but he’s the reason the design made it to mass production and became a symbol of Mazda’s ingenuity. Yamamoto passed away in his home country of Japan on December 20, 2017, at the age of 95, The Asahi Shimbun reports.

As Japanese classic car enthusiast website Japanese Nostalgic Car recounts, Yamamoto lived an incredible life. Born in 1922, Yamamoto entered adulthood in the midst of World War II. He earned his degree in mechanical engineering in 1944 and began working for the Kawanishi Aircraft Company. In 1945, he was recruited by the Japanese navy just before the end of the war. Afterward, he returned to his hometown of Hiroshima, which was all but completely obliterated by the atomic bomb. He lost his sister in the attack, but his mother survived and needed him to take care of her.

Yamamoto found work at Toyo Kogyo, the parent company for Mazda at the time, assembling transmissions and differentials for its three-wheeled trucks. After finding blueprints for the parts he was building, he began to check their tolerances, acting as his own quality control. This extra care was noticed by management, landing him a job in the engineering department. He climbed the ranks to become deputy manager of Engine and Vehicle Design by 1959. In that role, he oversaw development on the Mazda K360 and R360 trucks, as well as the company’s first passenger car. But it was his work on the rotary engine that would cement his legacy at Mazda.

Yamamoto was one of 47 engineers and designers hand-picked for the Rotary Engine Research Division. The team earned the nickname “47 Ronin,” a reference to a famous samurai legend, and spent years perfecting the rotary engine that was originally conceived by Felix Wankel. By 1967, Mazda released its first production rotary-powered model: the Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. The engine was so revolutionary that American aircraft company Curtiss-Wright bought a Cosmo and imported it to the U.S., where it was never sold, to study its drivetrain for possible aerospace applications. That exact car is now owned by Mazda North American Operations and kept at its headquarters in Irvine, California.

Later, Yamamoto would be tasked with improving the rotary’s fuel economy by 40 percent and reducing its emissions to satisfy requirements imposed by the Clean Air Act of 1970. Before retiring in 1992 as Mazda chairman, Yamamoto had a hand in the R100, REPU pickup truck, RX-2, RX-3, RX-4, three generations of RX-7, and even the 787B—the first and only Japanese car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“We send our condolences to the Yamamoto family and recognize the achievements and innovations Yamamoto-san created to change the automotive landscape and shape Mazda,” a Mazda spokesman told us in an email.

Thanks for giving Mazda the innovative spirit it has today, Yamamoto-san. Hopefully we’ll one day see another rotary-powered Mazda.

Source: Japanese Nostalgic Car, The Asahi Shimbun

   The post Father of the Mazda Rotary Kenichi Yamamoto Dies at 95 appeared first on Motor Trend.

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[diecastcarzer]

Tomica Limited Vintage Lv-29B Mazda K360 Postal Car https://ift.tt/2zpkkpU