1990s Kei Sports Car Collection

The concept of a Kei car, known as Kei Jidosha or "light vehicle", began around 1950 after World War II. Like the micro cars in Europe, the Japanese needed a cheap, economical vehicle that was easily affordable by the majority of the population. These vehicles also received tax and insurance breaks, and Kei owners were exempt from needing a dedicated parking space for the vehicle, which saved even more money. The Kei vehicle regulations limited engine size and exterior dimensions. Over the years, tweaks were made to the regulations. The original Kei vehicles had a displacement limit of 360cc. This limit was raised to 550cc in 1976 and 660cc in 1990.

At 660cc, the engines finally had enough power to run an AC compressor, which allowed the cars to have more features. Although most Kei cars were daily drivers like hatchbacks, pickup trucks or vans, the last displacement increase opened the door for a Kei sports car. The sports cars still needed to adhere to the max Kei dimensions of 130 inches in length and 55 inches wide. Three Kei Sports cars were produced in the 90s, known as the A-B-Cs: the Autozam AZ-1, the Honda Beat, and the Suzuki Cappuccino. All three vehicles are rear wheel drive, with the Autozam and the Beat sharing a mid engine layout. The Cappuccino has the classic front-engine and rear wheel drive layout. In the 1990s, Japanese auto manufacturers had a gentleman's agreement to limit horsepower to 280 PS for sports cars. For Kei cars, the gentleman's agreement was set at 64 PS.

1991 Honda Beat

The first Kei sports car to hit the market was the Honda Beat in May of 1991. It has a 656cc E07A MTREC three cylinder motor with triple individual throttle bodies. The ITBs make an amazing induction sound at full throttle! Curb weight is 1680 lbs. The engine makes 64 PS per the gentleman's agreement (63hp) and 44 lb-ft at 7000 RPM. The engine redlines at 8100 RPM with an electronically-limited top speed of 84 MPH. With a tweak of the ECU, the top speed restrictor can be removed and the engine redline increased to 9000 RPM. The Beat was the first Kei vehicle to have 4-wheel disc brakes, and all models featured a 5-speed manual transmission. A LSD was an option in the later models, as well as ABS. The Beat also features air conditioning. The idea was to create a full-featured and engaging sports car experience under the Kei regulations and Honda certainly succeeded. A small decal on the side of the car reads "Beat. Midship Amusement." It certainly is amusing!

The Beat was a raging success when it was launched. 33,635 units were produced over the model's production run, which ended in February 1996. The majority of Beats were produced in the first year. Our Honda Beat is an original white car, which represents only 4% of production. Although our car does have the original white tiger floor mats, our white tiger fabric seats have been reupholstered in dark red leather, which matches our red Honda badges and brake calipers. The mod list for our car also includes forged Volk CE28N 8-spoke wheels in staggered 14" front and 15" rear sizing, Feels strut reinforcement bars in front and back, Feels header and titanium exhaust, Feels coil over suspension, rear rollover hoops, a Momo steering wheel, as well as carbon fiber door panels, center console, and a Mugen shift knob. Overall, it is a nicely modded car that makes amazing sports cars sounds. Two latches and the top folds back easily, making this an easy car to hop in and enjoy over the summer.

1997 Suzuki Cappuccino

Suzuki was tossing around the idea of a Kei sports car as early as 1987, and the final production version of the Cappuccino debuted in October of 1991. While the gentleman's agreement limited the Cappuccino to 63hp, there was no limitation on torque. The Cappuccino initially came with the FA6 657cc DOHC 3-cylinder engine, which made 63hp and 63 lb-ft torque at 4000 RPM with a max redline of 8500 RPM (fuel cut at 9300 RPM!). Later in 1995, Suzuki upgraded the engine to the K6A specification, which included a timing chain instead of a timing belt. Torque increased to 76 lb-ft at a lower 3500 RPM, for added grunt down low. The curb weight for the Cappuccino is listed as 1598 lbs., and the car features 50:50 weight distribution with two passengers aboard. With its unique 3-piece roof arrangement, the car can be operated as either a hard-top coupe, a t-top with a center roof bar, or the panels can be removed completely with the rear window pivoting into the rear deck of the car. A version of the Cappuccino was also sold in the British market between 1992 and 1995, until emissions regulations killed the model there. The model continued to be produced in Japan until 1998, with a total production of 28, 010 units.

Our Suzuki Cappuccino is a 1997 model and it features many modifications and upgrades designed to increase power, performance, and aesthetic appeal. Top on the list is a rebuilt engine with upgraded forged JE pistons and head gasket, a larger HT07 turbocharger, and an N1 ECU with an HKS Turbo Timer and an APEXi boost controller which the seller claimed raise the power to over 80hp. Although the car runs and idles well, we have a feeling that with a proper standalone ECU and dyno tune, this powertrain can be pushed even further. Our car also features a Suzuki Sport cat-back exhaust, BC Racing coil over suspension, 15-inch Enkei wheels, a Nardi steering wheel, LED tail lights, and a roll bar behind the seats. The original color of the car is silver, but the previous owner changed the color to blue with a vinyl wrap.

1994 Autozam AZ-1

Our first Kei car acquisition was also the last of the three Kei sports cars to enter production. Originally created as a concept by Suzuki, Mazda later took the project over and badged the vehicle as an Autozam, a sub-brand of Mazda in Japan. The engine is the same Suzuki F6A power plant used in the Suzuki Cappuccino, with some differences to accommodate the mid ship layout. That being said, the AZ-1 feels like the fastest of the three cars by a considerable margin. Curb weight is listed at 1587 lbs. Production began in January of 1992, with a total of 4392 units produced. 3,861 units were badged as the Autozam AZ-1, with the remaining 531 units sold as the Suzuki Cara near the end.

Our vehicle is one of 100 special Mazdaspeed units that featured a unique front bumper with lip, hood, and rear wing. For the Mazdaspeed models, the lower segment of the body was painted body color instead of grey. Our car also features unique 5-spoke alloy wheels that enhance the baby Ferrari F40 aesthetic that the car has going, along with its factory original single stage red paint. Our car did not come from the factory with a radio head unit, and instead it has a cubby in place in the dashboard. With the gullwing doors raised, the car really draws a crowd of interested onlookers at local car shows. Unlike our other two Kei sports cars that ride on aftermarket coil over suspension, our AZ-1 still rides on its factory shocks, which do lean a bit in corners. We are considering an upgrade to some aftermarket sway bars to help with the handling. In the mean time, we'll be enjoying the drive and looking for opportunities to display all three cars together - it is quite a site!