Section 8. Debut of the Toyopet Crown, a Full-Fledged Passenger Car
Item 1. Development of Compact Car Equipped with the S Engine
- Body mounting for compact passenger cars by body manufacturers
- Body mounting for small trucks by car body manufacturers
- Increase in the number of passenger cars utilizing truck chassis
- Compact passenger cars equipped with the S engine
- Model SA passenger car and Model SB truck
- Model SC and SD passenger cars
- Model SF series of passenger cars and Model SG truck
- Model SH series of passenger cars and Model SK truck
- Toyopet Light Truck Model SKB
- Toyopet Corona Model ST10
Model SF series of passenger cars and Model SG truck
The Model SB small truck chassis, which was also used in the Model SD passenger car, was further improved with the assumption that it would also be used in passenger cars.
In the spring of 1950, Director Eiji Toyoda, then General Manager of the Engineering Department, gave instruction on the design of a new truck chassis with the goals of improving performance and reducing cost. Following a development period of approximately 2 years, the new chassis was released as the Model SG truck chassis in March 1952 (Table 1-28). The major improvements included the following:
Table 1-28. Specifications of the Model SG Truck (1952)
Item |
Description |
---|---|
Engine |
Model S (995 cc, 28 hp) |
Length |
4,195 mm |
Width |
1,594 mm |
Height |
1,735 mm |
Vehicle weight |
1,170 kg |
Maximum load |
1,000 kg |
- Source:
- Toyota Engineering Society's Toyota Technology, February 1, 1952
- 1.Improvement in engine performance (from 27 to 28 hp)
- 2.More modern styling (with headlights embedded in the fender)
- 3.Expansion of the truck bed area (by 13 percent)
- 4.Improved serviceability
- 5.Improved riding comfort (load distribution adjustment by widening the wheel base by 100 millimeters, stability improvement by lowering the center of gravity, and installation of shock absorbers in the front wheels)
- 6.Standardization of parts with the Model SB truck chassis
The Model SF series of passenger cars, created by mounting a passenger car body on the Model SG truck chassis, were manufactured by Arakawa Sheet Metal Works (under the model name SF), Kanto Auto Works (SFK), and Central Japan Heavy-Industries (SFN). Table 1-29 shows the specifications of the Model SF passenger car, which was launched in October 1951 ahead of the Model SG truck.
Table 1-29. Specifications of the Model SF Passenger Car (1952)
Item |
Description |
---|---|
Engine |
Model S (995 cc, 28 hp) |
Length |
4,280 mm |
Width |
1,594 mm |
Height |
1,600 mm |
Vehicle weight |
1,200 kg |
Maximum speed |
79 km/h |
- Source:
- Toyota Engineering Society's Toyota Technology, February 1, 1952
A total of 3,635 chassis were produced for the Model SF series passenger car from August 1951 to August 1953, and a total of 7,749 chassis were produced for the Model SG truck from February 1952 to October 1953. In terms of the number of Model SG truck bodies mounted, which was performed by Toyota Auto Body, the monthly average in 1952 was only slightly more than 100 units, far from Toyota's goal of mounting bodies in 50 percent of the chassis.1 It is presumed that more than 70 percent of the bodies were mounted on the Model SG truck chassis at other makers, including Kanto Auto Works, Central Motor, and Mikawa Jidosha (Kanazawa City), but no detailed records remain.
The same was true with passenger cars. Although body mounting for the Model SF series of passenger cars was performed primarily by Arakawa Sheet Metal Works, Kanto Auto Works, and Central Japan Heavy-Industries, the total actual number of bodies mounted on the Model SF series of passenger cars was only around 2,600, leaving a gap of approximately 1,000 units compared with the chassis production volume of 3,635. Back then the process of mounting bodies on chassis following their shipment from a plant was still the business realm of Toyota Motor Sales, and therefore no system was in place to enable Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. to accurately assess the actual situation.
- Body mounting for compact passenger cars by body manufacturers
- Body mounting for small trucks by car body manufacturers
- Increase in the number of passenger cars utilizing truck chassis
- Compact passenger cars equipped with the S engine
- Model SA passenger car and Model SB truck
- Model SC and SD passenger cars
- Model SF series of passenger cars and Model SG truck
- Model SH series of passenger cars and Model SK truck
- Toyopet Light Truck Model SKB
- Toyopet Corona Model ST10