Toyota SA

The SA was Toyota's first new passenger car design (as opposed to updating the AA) after World War II. It was the first in a family of vehicles before the introduction of the Crown. A series of light trucks also shared the chassis and major components of these passenger cars.

All of these vehicles were sold under the Toyopet name.

SA

SA
Manufacturer	Toyota
Production	1947 to 1952
Assembly	Japan
Predecessor	AE
Successor	SD
Class	large family car
Body style(s)	sedan
Layout	front-engine, rear-wheel drive
Platform	backbone chassis
Engine(s)	Type S
Transmission(s)	3 speed manual
Wheelbase	2400 mm
Length	3800 mm
Width	1590 mm
Height	1530 mm
Curb weight	1170 kg
Related	SB, SC
Designer	Dr Kazuo Kumabe

The SA was Toyota's first true post war design. It differed from all previous Toyota cars by having a 4 cylinder engine (previously a 6 cylinder was used), 4 wheel independent suspension (previously using rigid axles with leaf springs) and a smaller, aerodynamic body. The project was driven by Kiichiro Toyoda under the wisdom of his father's (Sakichi Toyoda) words, "Stay ahead of the times" but most of the design work was done by Dr Kazuo Kumabe.

The body was aerodynamic in a style similar to the Volkswagen Beetle. Only a two door sedan was made, making it unsuitable for the taxi market. The doors were arranged to open rearwards (often called suicide doors). The front window was a single pane of flat glass with a single wiper mounted above the driver. Only right hand drive was offered.

Toyota engineers (including Dr Kumabe) had visited Germany before World War II and had studied the 16 cylinder Auto Union racing car (independent suspension) and Porsche and Volkswagen designs (independent suspension, aerodynamic bodies, backbone chassis, rear mounted air cooled engines, economical production cost). Many Japanese companies had ties with Germany during the war years but most partnered with British or American companies after the war and thus used technologies commonly used in Britain or America. But Toyota did not partner with a foreign company, so it was free to use German designs. Many features of the prototype Beetle were subsequently put into the SA, although the Beetle's rear mounted air cooled engine feature was not used. Later on, Toyota revisited the economic principles exemplified by the Beetle when designing the Publica and the Corolla.

Dates and Production Figures

Although permission to begin full production of passenger cars in Japan was not granted until 1949, limited numbers of cars were permitted to be built from 1947, and the Toyota SA was one such car. Design work started at the end of 1945 when the GHQ let it be known that authorised commercial production of vehicles for the general public would be commencing soon. This model was introduced in January 1947, with a prototype (which had been under development for more than a year) being completed at that time.

Production occurred from October 1947 through May 1952 (overlapping with the 1949-introduced SD), with a total of only 215 being built. The first car to be produced by Toyota in the postwar period was the AC, which had first been produced in 1943-1944. Fifty were built for government and military use in 1947, and three more were assembled in 1948. Since only 54 cars were built by Toyota in 1947, this leaves four Model SA production cars to be built at the end of that year, not counting the prototype.

Eighteen SA cars were built in 1948, and from 1949-1952, 193 more were built. No breakdown exists between models after 1948; only yearly passenger-car grand totals are extant.

Mechanicals

This model introduced the Type S straight-4 water cooled engine, conventionally mounted in the front of the car and driving through the rear wheels. Two small grills at the front allowed air for the engine's radiator. Transmission was by a 3 speed manual gearbox and a Hotchkiss drive (previous Toyotas used a torque tube) to a rear mounted differential. The final drive gear ratio was 7.17:1 .

More unconventional was the use of a backbone chassis and four wheel independent suspension. A-arm suspension (short upper arm, long lower arm) with coils was used at the front and swing axle suspension with semi-trailing arms, Panhard rods and a transverse semi-elliptical leaf spring was used at the rear.

SB

SB
Manufacturer	Toyota
Production	1947 to 1952
Assembly	Japan
Successor	SG
Class	light truck
Layout	front-engine, rear-wheel drive
Platform	ladder frame
Engine(s)	Type S
Transmission(s)	3 speed manual
Wheelbase	2400 mm
Length	3950 mm
Width	1590 mm
Height	1725 mm
Curb weight	1125 kg
Related	SA, SC, BJ

A light truck using the running gear from the SA but with a ladder chassis and solid axles front and rear, both with semi-elliptical springs. The SB was popular with the general public and also with the American occupation forces, which ordered it in large numbers.

The SB was offered with commercial bodies only but many dealers and owners had sedan bodies made for them. Toyota contracted the Kanto Denki factory to produced a sedan body and wagon on the SB chassis as the SC. A small number of police cars were made by adding a special body with a canvas top, 4 canvas doors and a fold down front window for the Japanese Police Reserve Force but they were not popular.

The SB chassis was combined with the Type B engine, four wheel drive and a utilitarian body to make the Toyota BJ, which was later known as the Toyota Land Cruiser.

Dates and Production Figures

Produced from 1947.

Mechanicals

The SB used the same engine and gearbox as the SA. A conventional ladder frame chassis was used with conventional semi-elliptical springs and solid axles front and rear.

SC

SC
Manufacturer	Toyota
Production	3 prototypes in 1948
Assembly	Japan
Predecessor	SA
Successor	SD
Class	large family car
Body style(s)	sedan
Layout	front-engine, rear-wheel drive
Platform	ladder frame
Engine(s)	Type S
Transmission(s)	3 speed manual
Related	SB

The SB light truck was offered with commercial bodies only but many dealers and owners had sedan bodies made for them.Toyota contracted the Kanto Denki factory to produced a sedan body and wagon on the SB chassis as the SC. However, production of the SA sedan continued and the SC was not put into production. When production of the SA stopped, a revised version of the SC was made as the SD.

Dates and Production Figures

3 prototypes were built but the SC did not go into production.

Mechanicals

Same as the SB.

SD

A passenger car using the same chassis and suspension as the SB.

Dates and Production Figures

Produced from 1949 to 1951.

Mechanicals

Same as the SB.

SF

SF
Manufacturer	Toyota
Production	from 1951
Assembly	Japan
Predecessor	SD
Successor	RH
Class	large family car
Body style(s)	sedan
Layout	front-engine, rear-wheel drive
Platform	ladder frame
Engine(s)	Type S
Transmission(s)	3 speed manual
Wheelbase	2500 mm
Length	4280 mm
Width	1590 mm
Height	1600 mm
Curb weight	1250 kg

An update to the SD.

Dates and Production Figures

Produced from October 1951 to 1953.

Mechanicals

Same as the SD.

SG

SG
Manufacturer	Toyota
Production	1952-1954
Assembly	Japan
Predecessor	SB
Successor	SK
Class	light truck
Layout	front-engine, rear-wheel drive
Platform	ladder frame
Engine(s)	Type S
Transmission(s)	3 speed manual
Wheelbase	2500 mm
Length	4195 mm
Width	1595 mm
Height	1735 mm
Curb weight	1170 kg

An update to the SB, sharing components with the SF.

Dates and Production Figures

Produced from 1952 to 1954.

Mechanicals

Same as the SF.

RH

A further update to the SF but with the newly designed Type R engine. The RHN's body was made by the New Mitsubishi Heavy Industrial Manufacturing Co. and the RHK's body was made by Kanto Auto Work, Ltd.

The RH was also made into BH26 Police Patrol Car and the BH28 Ambulance by using the Type B 6 cylinder engine and a longer front end. The RH was succeeded by the similar 1955 RR Master and the much more modern 1955 RS Crown.

The RH was also known as the Super.

Dates and Production Figures

Produced from 1953 to 1955.

Mechanicals

Same as the SF except for the new Type R engine.

RR

The RR Master was a further update to the SF/RH with an updated body.

The RS Crown was designed to replace the Super in 1955 but Toyota wasn't sure if its independent front coil suspension and its suicide type rear doors were too radical for the taxi market to bear. So the Super was updated, renamed the Master and sold alongside the Crown. When sales of the Crown proved worthwhile, the RR Master was discontinued in November 1956. Production facilities for the Master were transferred to the Crown.

The RR Master's body panels were used in cut-down form as an economical and fast way to design the new ST10 Corona in 1957. A later variant of the Crown was called the Masterline to distinguish it from other variants of the Crown.