The original Carol 360 was so over-engineered — monocoque body, four-wheel independent suspension, a five-bearing crank — that the extra cost and weight worked against it, and the comfy ride came with a cramped cabin.
Median 104 hp across 387 similar cars
Lead trim: 358 cc DA (18 PS) · up to 20 hp
Mazda Carol 360 / P360 KPDAKPDA · 1962–1970
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mazda Carol 360 / P360 KPDA yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe original Carol 360 was so over-engineered — monocoque body, four-wheel independent suspension, a five-bearing crank — that the extra cost and weight worked against it, and the comfy ride came with a cramped cabin.
The Mazda P360 Carol, introduced in February 1962 as the company's first four-passenger car. Rear-engined, with a rear-mounted water-cooled 358 cc OHV four with a five-bearing crankshaft, a very strong monocoque body and four-wheel independent suspension by torsion bars, it captured 67% of the Kei market in its first year. 265,226 Carol 360s were built before production ended in August 1970.
Collectors Spotted in the Mazda Carol Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Mazda Carol yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 358 cc DA (18 PS) | 1962–1963 | 0.4 L Inline-4 | 18 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| 358 cc DA (20 PS) | 1963–1970 | 0.4 L Inline-4 | 20 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Mazda's eighth-generation Carol is a rebadged Suzuki Alto that differs from it only by its badge.
A lighter platform, body, engine and seats cut 60 kg from the car it replaced, for a claimed 37 km/L.
Wheelbase stretched to 2,400mm for this generation, purely to give rear passengers more legroom in a kei car.
Its downward-curving bonnet and headlamps drew comparisons with the Toyota WiLL Vi and the Citroën C2.
This Carol wore a Mazda badge but was basically a Suzuki Alto underneath.
The second-gen Carol barely got off the ground with its original 550cc engine - new kei-car rules allowing bigger engines arrived so fast that production of that version lasted just four months.
The original Carol 360 was so over-engineered — monocoque body, four-wheel independent suspension, a five-bearing crank — that the extra cost and weight worked against it, and the comfy ride came with a cramped cabin.
Mazda gave the bigger-engined Carol 600 a four-door sedan body before the cheaper, smaller Carol 360 ever got one — the premium model leading for once.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.
Nissan hired former BMW engineers to help develop the 510's suspension, which is why period reviewers frequently compared its handling to the BMW 1600/2002.
A Trabant 601 won its class at the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally, with a second 601 right behind it in second.
The 600 was a stopgap: the P50's body over the 601's mechanicals, and for a while its estate was built alongside the new 601 saloon.
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This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.