Mitsubishi 500

Mitsubishi 500
Manufacturer	Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, Ltd
Parent company	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Production	1960–1962
Successor	Mitsubishi Colt 600
Body style(s)	2-door sedan
Layout	RR layout
Engine(s)	NE19A OHV I2 (493 cc, 594 cc)
Transmission(s)	3-speed manual
Wheelbase	2060 mm (81.1 in)
Length	3140 mm (123.6 in)
Width	1390 mm (54.7 in)
Height	1372 mm (54 in)
Curb weight	490 kg (1080 lb)

The Mitsubishi 500 was the first passenger car produced after the Second World War by Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, Ltd, one of the companies which would become Mitsubishi Motors.Available in 1960 at a cost of ¥390,000, it was powered by a rear mounted, air-cooled 493 cc two-cylinder engine with a single downdraught carburettor producing 20 hp at 5000 rpm, driving the rear wheels through a three-speed manual transmission.

Bouyed by its sales success, it was given an enlarged 594 cc engine in 1961 for improved acceleration and durability. This model was known as the Mitsubishi 500 Super DeLuxe.

Motorsport heritage

Although they are now more renowned for their contemporary successes in off-road racing with the Pajero-based Rally Raid vehicle and Lancer Evo-based WRC car, Mitsubishi's first "homologation special" was a Super DeLuxe-based touring car which the company prepared for the 1962 Macau Grand Prix. In an auspicious debut Kazuo Togawa took class honours, as the diminutive sedan swept the top four places in the "Under 750 cc" category.