Daihatsu has uploaded more videos continuing the virtual tour of curiously named Humobility World, the company’s museum in Osaka. In part one, we saw the earliest Daihatsu products, a 5,842-pound diesel engine that’s likely the heaviest thing in Humobility World, and the Daihatsu-go three-wheeled truck. In these newly uploaded clips, we get to see some actual cars.
The second floor begins with an exhibition of four-wheel-drive vehicles. There’s an original Taft, an off-roader that’s bigger than a kei car but still much smaller than a Land Crusier or Patrol. Equipped with a ladder frame and rigid axles with leaf spring suspension front and rear, the trucklet initially came with a 1.0-liter engine when it debuted in 1974. By the time it exited the market in 1984, it could be equipped with a 2.8-liter diesel four, all while weighing less than 2,800 pounds.
Contrary to popular opinion, it was not named after William Howard Taft, 27th president of the United States. Instead, Taft is an acronym for Tough & Almighty Four-wheel Touring vehicle. Trivia fact: It can ford rivers with a water depth of 40cm (15.75 inches).
Next to it is a Daihatsu Rocky, top-of-the-line SX model. This one came with a composite rear cover, though a canvas option was available. With T-top open and its rear cover removed, it’s as good as a convertible.
The third floor begins with a timeline of every Daihatsu vehicle ever made, from Midgets and Compagnos to the Thor. That funnels you to a 1950s street scene with a first-gen Daihatsu Midget. Prior to this iconic vehicle, many deliveries in narrow city streets were conducted by bicycle or trolley cart. The Midget transformed all that, and as a result was nicknamed the “city helicopter” because they were constantly buzzing around the streets.
The dioramas with each decade. The 1960s is represented by a Daihatsu Fellow, the company’s first people’s car, designed within kei specs to carry around a family of four. The 1970s is marked by the Charade, powered by what Daihatsu proudly boasts was the world’s first 1.0-liter 3-cylinder engine. The 1980s is illustrated by the Mira, a car designed for and hugely popular with women. In its six-year, nine-month lifespan, it sold a whopping 1 million units, all in Japan.
Lastly, there arer more recent cars like the Move, Copen and Tanto. There’s even a section for overseas production models like the made-in-Indonesia Ayla.
The fourth and final floor shows how cars work and how they are made. It’s intended for kids, and there’s games that teach the basic mechanisms of engines, steering, and braking, as well as safety and environmental systems. The manufacturing display simply shows a series of videos and isn’t as snazzy as the ones in the Isuzu museum, but there’s cutaways showing the incredible packaging of kei cars and interactive activites are plentiful.
It seems like a cool place to kill a couple of hours if you’re in Osaka, though beware of its limited schedule. It’s only open on Saturdays, at one of two times. The morning session is 9:30am — 12:00pm (last admission 11:00am) and the afternoon session is 1:00pm — 5:00pm (last admission 4:00pm). Of course, right now it’s closed due to the coronavirus but hopefully things will go back to normal soon.
