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| The 500 was Mitsubishi Motors' first foray into passenger vehicle production, being built in response to the Ministry of Transportation's call for a so-called "people's car". The 500 was developed after surveys of the European market with the aim of creating a cheap and fully-fledged compact family car. The car's styling drew on the strength of Mitsubishi's technological prowess, which included Japan's first wind tunnel test using a 1/5 model, and the 500 was released in 1960. Featuring a practical and simple design, the 500 was sold at the time for the low price of 390,000 yen. The day after its release in September 1959, it received sensational press reviews such a "new car that breaks the 400,000 yen barrier and opens a new age of popular motoring", "the first candidate for the people's car", and "a turning point in industrial history". |
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| Storage location | : | MITSUBISHI MOTORS CAR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER (1, Nishishinkiri, Hashime-cho, Okazaki-shi, Aichi-ken 444-8501) | |
| Year manufactured | : | 1960 | |
| Manufacturer | : | Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, Ltd. | |
| Classification | : | Mass-production vehicle | |
| Current status | : | On public display: operational | |
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| Vehicle name / Manufacture |
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| Vehicle name | : | Mitsubishi 500 (A10) |  |
| Company name | : | Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, Ltd. | |
| Year manufactured | : | 1960 | |
| Vehicle type/usage | : | Small 4-wheel passenger car | |
| Location of actual vehicle/replica | : | Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Okazaki |
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| Model / Weight |
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| Style | : | Sedan | |
| Number of doors | : | 2 | |
| Passenger capacity | : | 4 | |
| Vehicle weight | : | 490 kg | |
| Points of interest, topicality | : | Ushered in the era of the popular car |
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| Body / Size |
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| Structure | : | Monocoque | |
| Bumpers | : | Provided | |
| Overall length | : | 3140 mm | |
| Overall width | : | 1390 mm | |
| Overall height | : | 1380 mm | |
| Tire size | : | 5.20-12 |
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| Body / Axle / Driving / Others |
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| Frame | : | Frameless | |
| Front axle | : | Independent suspension type (trailing arm) | |
| Rear axle | : | Independent suspension type (trailing arm) | |
| Wheelbase | : | 2065 mm | |
| Front tread x rear tread | : | 1180×1170 mm | |
| Steering | : | Rack and pinion |
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| Engine / Size / Power |
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| Cooling/cylinder arrangement | : | Air-cooled/inline 2-cylinder | |
| Valve train | : | OHV | |
| Carburetor | : | Downdraft Solex type with acceleration pump | |
| Bore x stroke | : | 70×64 mm | |
| Displacement | : | 493 cc | |
| Max. power/r.p.m. | : | 21 ps/5000 rpm | |
| Fuel tank capacity | : | 20 L | |
| Fetures | : | Engine type: NE19A |
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| Drive-train |
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| Transmission | : | 3 forward speeds | |
| Drive system | : | RR |
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| Reference materials | : | Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries Technical Review, vol. 2, No. 1 | |
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