Mort Smit was a Subaru 360 enthusiast that built this special car he called “Peanut”. Mort retired and converted an old Greyhound bus into a motor home to travel in.
Operating in Austin, Texas, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Jet Industries was known primarily for the conversion of a variety of vehicles to electric power, which were then marketed under their own name with new model names.
Hardware store tycoon and automotive entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin became the first to import Subarus to the US when he founded Subaru America in 1968.
Fuji, one of Japan’s industrial giants, began to make Rabbit motor scooters in 1956. (Be sure to look for one in the motorcycle wing.) Two years later they launched their first car –the Subaru 360.
The name “Subaru” is Japanese for the Pleiades which are the six stars in the Taurus constellation. The six stars of the Subaru logo represent the six companies which make up Fuji Industries.
In 1961, the Subaru Sambar made its debut. The Sambar, based on the Subaru 360, was a truck that was outstandingly pleasant to ride in and stable to drive.
The Alto is a kei-class car that was introduced in 1979. This third-generation Alto is a special edition by i.e. Works, with a SOHC turbo-charged F5B engine and four-wheel drive.
The origins of today’s great Suzuki empire began in 1909 with power looms for cotton weaving. Motorcycles were added in 1952, and car production began in 1956.
In 1952, handicapped Russian veterans of World War II (or the “Great Patriotic War” as it was called in the USSR) received their long overdue motorized transportation in the form of an open three-wheeler, the SL1.
Tata (TAH-tah) Motors began as an Indian locomotive manufacturer in 1945. In 2005, Tata began developing a car that could compete with India’s main form of motorized transport: the motorcycle. To do so, it had to be very inexpensive.
Hans Ledwinka was one of the most original and logical thinkers ever to work in the motor industry. He believed the automobile was destined to become an object of everyday use to modern man. His creations in such varied areas as engine design, frame and structures, suspension systems, and aerodynamics attracted worldwide attention.
In 1925 Tatra decided to enter the famous Targa Florio road race in Italy to help publicize its name. Since Tatra had only been making cars for two years, many outsiders believed the Tatra cars would never be able to finish the grueling 450-mile road race.
By the late 1920s, Tatra realized that their very successful and robust T-12 needed updating. Automobiles were becoming larger and faster, and the T-12 was no longer adequate.
In 1931, Tatra introduced the T-57 model, with the air-cooled, four cylinder, overhead valve engine placed in front. The T-57 was one of Tatra's most popular models – four series were produced.
