Mazda R360
Encyclopedia
The R360 was Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...

's first real car
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 - a two-door, four-seat coupé
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...

. Introduced in 1960, it featured a short 69 inch (1753 mm) wheelbase and weighed just 838 lb (380 kg). It was powered by a rear-mounted
RR layout
In automotive design, a RR, or Rear-engine, Rear-wheel drive layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the rear of the vehicle. In contrast to the RMR layout, the center of mass of the engine is between the rear axle and the rear bumper....

 air-cooled 356 cc V-twin engine
Mazda V-twin engine
Mazda's first automobile engine was the V-twin family. This tiny air-cooled engine only lasted a few years in the early 1960s before Mazda moved to the standard straight-4 format used in most modern automobiles.-356:...

 putting out about 16 hp (12 kW) and 16 ft·lbf (22 Nm) of torque. The car was capable of about 52 mph (84 km/h). It had a 4-speed manual or two-speed automatic transmission. The suspension, front and rear, was rubber "springs" and torsion bars.

Within a few years of introducing the R360, Mazda had captured much of the lightweight (kei car
Kei car
Kei cars, K-cars, or , are a Japanese category of small vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They are designed to comply with Japanese government tax and insurance regulations, and in most rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is...

) market in Japan. It was augmented by the Mazda P360 "Carol" 2+2 in 1962, as well as a convertible version in 1964. Production of the R360 lasted for six years.

B360 Pickup

The B360 was a pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...

 bodystyle based on parts of the R360 coupé. It used the same 356 cc engine, but mounted it in front with rear wheel drive. Like most pickups, it used a rigid rear axle and leaf spring
Leaf spring
Originally called laminated or carriage spring, a leaf spring is a simple form of spring, commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles...

 suspension. The engine was replaced with the Carol
Mazda Carol
The Mazda Carol is a name used by Mazda for its kei cars from 1962 until 1970. It was revived again with Mazda's 1989 reentry into the Kei car class.-Carol :...

's 358 cc I4
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....

 in 1964, and the B360 was replaced by the Mazda E360
Mazda Porter
The Mazda Porter and Porter Cab was a series of small trucks produced from 1961 to 1989 , mainly sold in the domestic Japanese market. Export versions of the Porter were labelled E360...

 in 1967.

A larger B600 pickup was introduced for the export market. It used a 577 cc version of the V-twin
Mazda V-twin engine
Mazda's first automobile engine was the V-twin family. This tiny air-cooled engine only lasted a few years in the early 1960s before Mazda moved to the standard straight-4 format used in most modern automobiles.-356:...

.
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