Daihatsu Bee

Although Daihatsu had been producing motorized tricycles for carrying freight since 1930, and had also produced a small car for military use in 1937, the Bee was the first passenger car the company built for sale to the general public. The car was marketed from October 1951, shortly before the company changed its name from 'Hatsudoki Seizo Co' to Daihatsu. The Bee's model code is PCA.{{cite web | url = http://www.daihatsu.co.jp/company/csr/recycle/list/kogata_syou.pdf | title = ダイハツ ≪小型、普通･商用車 その他≫ |trans-title=Daihatsu: Other small, regular, and commercial vehicles | publisher = Daihatsu Motor Co. | date = 2012-04-01 | work = Car Recycling Fees | accessdate = 2015-01-18 }}

The car had a two-door fibreglass, saloon body, and was popular as a taxi in Japan where licensing regulations permitted a lower charge per mile for three wheel vehicles than for four.{{cite book|editor=Nick Georgano|title=The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile|volume=1|year=2000|publisher=The Stationery office|location=London|isbn=0117023191|page=367}} Power was provided by a rear-mounted 540 cc OHV air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke engine. It was the first car in Japan with a horizontally opposed engine.{{cite book |editor-last=Georgano |editor-first=G.N. |editor-link=G.N. Georgano |title=Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars |year=1982 |publisher= Ebury Press|location= London |isbn=0-85223-234-9 }} The car was adapted from one of Daihatsu's three-wheeled delivery trucks. It sold very poorly, production was highly labor-intensive and ceased after only approximately 300 units were built.{{cite book|last=Davis|location=Sydney|first=Tony|title=Extra Lemon!|publisher=Bantam|year=2005|isbn=1-86325-550-8|page=99}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite web|title=Company Milestones |publisher=Daihatsu |url=http://www.daihatsu.co.jp/info/gaiyou/enkaku/enkaku1960.htm |accessdate=2007-10-30 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027084726/http://www.daihatsu.co.jp/info/gaiyou/enkaku/enkaku1960.htm |archivedate=2007-10-27 |language=ja |url-status=dead }}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160506051932/http://www.3wheelers.com/daihatsu.html Source of secondary information about the car]
• [http://www.motormuseum.de/MarkenModelle/Automobile/Daihatsu/daihatsu-bee {{in lang|de}} Photographs of the Bee showing the engine and other views]
• [http://ameblo.jp/public/image/displayimage.do?imagePath=/user_images/14/1b/10023618163.jpg Daihatsu publicity photograph of their museum car]{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070331150238/http://www.daihatsu.co.jp/i/wt/imgs/bee1_505.jpg Daihatsu archive photograph of the Bee]

{{Daihatsu}}

Bee

Category:Three-wheeled motor vehicles

Category:First car made by manufacturer

Category:Cars powered by boxer engines

Category:Rear-engined vehicles

Category:Cars introduced in 1951

Category:Cars discontinued in 1952

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