The History of Japanese Car Makers and the Odd Story of Okamura’s Mikasa Cars

When it comes to Japanese car makers, every company except Nissan has a history that starts in a completely different field. Suzuki and Toyota began with looms, Honda with motorized bikes, Subaru with aircraft, Daihatsu with steam trains, Mazda with corks, and Mitsubishi and Isuzu with ships. So, the unusual history of the first car with an all-Japanese automatic gearbox is not that surprising.

Okamura, a company that now sells office chairs for £800, initially got into metalwork to make parts for the Jeeps of the Americans occupying Japan after the war. One day, a GI used Okamura’s shop to repair his scooter, which had a hydraulic torque converter. This inspired the engineers there, and by 1951 they had designed and built their own automatic gearbox, splendidly named the No Clutch OK Drive.

With this success in heavy machinery, Okamura decided to move into cars. They wowed us at the fourth Tokyo Motor Show with a tiny coupé and estate named Mikasa. Inspiration for the design came from the Citroën 2CV, which had a 585cc air-cooled flat twin driving the front axle within a separate chassis. However, conventional suspension was fitted as the 2CV’s ultra-soft linked set-up was deemed not robust enough. The drive wasn’t very lively, with output of just 17bhp.

The Mikasas were to cost about £485 when the manual 2CV was £398 in the UK. Some 500 were built by 1960, but not profitably. In 1960, Okamura made “a courageous withdrawal” from car making. It’s a reminder that innovation doesn’t guarantee prosperity and nor does seeming to be the hottest start-up in an era of opportunity.

The Birth of the Austin ‘Frogeye’ Sprite

In 1958, small British company Healey’s 1000 roadster impressed BMC so greatly that the two formed a joint venture. This having gained sales success, they set about designing a smaller, affordable car, with some help from MG. The Sprite, popularly known as the Frogeye due to its ‘cute’ styling, used uncomplex chassis and body construction and many proven BMC parts, including Austin A35 suspension, Morris Minor steering, and A-series manual gearbox and 948cc four-pot engine. Twin carbs gave that 43bhp at 5000rpm and 0-60mph in 22sec. At £678, it undercut all rivals, and today it’s a beloved British icon.

Ford’s Badly Timed Edsel Launch

In 1955, Ford saw an opportunity to rival Buick, DeSoto, and Oldsmobile with a new brand. So it spent $250m to launch Edsel – only for it to flop, with 35,000 cars sold in the first six months against a target of 100,000. A US journalist told intrigued Brits this was largely due to bad timing, with a recession having started and sales of mid-size cars faltering. The bigwigs had ignored the market researchers’ warnings. Many blamed the bizarre front-end styling, but our man didn’t agree. Either way, Edsel was shelved in 1960, hitting Ford’s coffers hard.

In conclusion, the history of car makers is filled with ups and downs. While some companies have found success in their initial ventures, others have struggled to make a profit. Okamura’s Mikasa cars serve as a reminder that innovation alone does not guarantee prosperity. Meanwhile, the Austin ‘Frogeye’ Sprite and Ford’s Edsel launch are examples of how timing and market research can make or break a new car model.