Oh hi, Mark. Today’s Rare Ride is a very rare version of Daihatsu’s Leeza Kei car. It’s tiny, turbocharged, and one of only 200 made.
No more The Room jokes, I promise.
Daihatsu launched its Leeza in 1986, as the second model entrant in its contemporary kei car lineup. Prior, Daihatsu had offered only one Kei at a time. That strategy dated back to the Fellow of 1966, which was eventually renamed Mira in 1981.
The Leeza was intended as a more stylish alternative to the Mira, with which it shared some components and a platform. It was more limited in configuration than the Mira, and was offered only as a three-door hatch for the vast majority of its run. And though the hatchback was shaped like a fun “coupe,” most earlier examples sold were considered utility vehicles. Due to Japanese tax regulations, the rear seats installed at the factory were temporary, and there were cargo tie-down points at the rear. Those two features meant Leeza qualified as commercial transportation and thus lesser taxation.
Engines were smaller for the first part of production and included 550-cc three-cylinder mills in naturally aspirated and turbocharged guises. Fitted with carbs, those engines produced either 32 or 50 horsepower, respectively. Leeza saw an update for 1990 when Kei car regulations were altered. It grew in size very slightly and gained new, larger engines. Still inline-three configuration, the 660-cc plants were again offered in naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions. More displacement meant 50 standard horses and 64 with the turbo. Early models used a four-speed manual or two-speed auto transmission, which was upgraded later to a five and a three.
After its low-power and utilitarian beginnings, Daihatsu started to play around with trims, performance modifications, and standard equipment. This was caused largely by the loss of advantageous commercial taxation, as that particular regulation was disallowed. Daihatsu created special editions targeting women (ChaCha) and racer types (Club Sports). And then, along came a Spider.
It debuted in Japan in 1991, as a show car called FX-228. When it entered production late in 1991 it was renamed the Leeza Spider and was available only with the turbocharged 660-cc engine. The Spider was built alongside the standard Leeza through 1993, at which point the model was canceled. Leeza’s hatchback customers were directed to the more modern Opti that debuted in ’92, but the Spider did not see a replacement. In total, just 200 Spiders were produced.
Today’s Leeza is located in Middlesbrough, which is far north of Downtown England. In excellent condition, it asks $10,855. Pictures at the link.
[Images: Daihatsu]
It looks like a VW Cabrio gone horribly wrong.
That was the intent.
Gas powered golf cart, cool
How ironic this post was made today.
I just sold my 1988 Daihatsu Charade this morning. With only 56k miles and in pristine condition, it seriously tore me apart to see it go. It was a perfect representation of how solid and over-engineered anything made in Japan was at the time.
As far as the Leeza Spider, it’s not their best work. It’s cute but in an awkward way. It’d be fun just scoot around town in and start a few conversations
The Mira in general wasn’t some of Daihatsu’s best work, and I say that as someone who tends to like certain Daihatsus.
Haven’t driven a Leeza, but my overwhelming memory of the same-era Domino (which was the name we got the Mira under) was that it was just not a very good car. Don’t care what the reviewers said; I had to use one as a driving test vehicle and it was worse in just about every conceivable way compared to the Fiat 127 I’d been driving up to that point.
People don’t like alphanumeric car names, but at least then you don’t run the risk of trying to sell the “Daihatsu Absurd Pretense intended to Create a Pleasant or Respectable Appearance”.
Love THE ROOM references and totally got it from the title. SCOTCHKA for everyone!
$20 please
Ok here you go!