Small, but bullies?
There are certain cars that are reserved for very specific regions of the world, one of the clearest cases being the Japanese kei-car. Small vehicles developed for the Japanese domestic market that are governed by very strict regulations. They’re not the fastest cars in the world, but a drag race between them sounds interesting.
First of all, we are going to analyze what are the characteristics that they have to have by law:
- They have to be 3.4 meters long at most
- They must have a width of 1.5 meters at most
- They must mount a 660cc engine at most
- The block develops a power of 64 CV
With this in mind, we can draw two conclusions.
The first is that these are small models, designed for crowded cities with Tokyo. In addition, what is usually sought is that, within their contained dimensions, they have the largest usable space, which is why they usually present very square silhouettes. However, there is also room for models with a more sporty cut.
The second is that, having such a strict regulation, we are possibly talking about the most suitable segment to carry out an acceleration race under equal conditions. Now, although the power is marked by law, the maximum torque of the engine is not, so it is the factor that can give a certain advantage to one model or another.
The lineup in this case consists of the following models: Daihatsu Copen, Autozam AZ-1, Suzuki Alto Works, Suzuki Capuchino and Mitsubishi Minica Dangan. The first has 108Nm, the largest on the starting grid, the Dangan has 75Nm and the rest all have identical 85Nm.
In addition, they also present differences in the bodywork, with formats that are more or less aerodynamic; in the type of traction, there is front, rear and integral; and weight, which given its contained power can also be key in who wins, the Copen is the heaviest (800 kilos) and the Alto Works the lightest (700 kilos).
