This car swept the top four spots in its class at the 1962 Macau Grand Prix, Mitsubishi's first ever homologation special.
Lead trim: 500 493 cc NE19A OHV air-cooled twin (21 PS) · up to 25 hp
Mitsubishi 500A10-A11 · 1960–1962
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mitsubishi 500 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.
FactThis car swept the top four spots in its class at the 1962 Macau Grand Prix, Mitsubishi's first ever homologation special.
The Mitsubishi 500 was the first passenger car produced after the Second World War by Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, one of the companies that became Mitsubishi Motors, and formed the basis for the Colt 600; it was built from 1960 until 1962 and exported in small numbers. First shown at the 1959 Tokyo Motor Show, it went on sale in 1960 at ¥390,000, powered by a rear-mounted, air-cooled 493 cc two-cylinder with a single downdraught carburettor producing 21 PS (15.4 kW) at 5,000 rpm, driving the rear wheels through a three-speed manual; the monocoque body was light and strong enough to seat four and reach 100 km/h with such a small engine, and the chassis code was A10, later A11. Designed by Masataka Nimura, Munetaro Shigehiro and Tsutomu Ieda. Buoyed by sales, it was given an enlarged 25 PS (18.4 kW) 594 cc engine (NE35A) in August 1961 as the 500 Super DeLuxe, whose underpinnings, engine and layout the succeeding Colt 600 used. It was never a kei car: kei rules then limited engines to 360 cc, a limit raised to 550 cc on 1 January 1976. Mitsubishi's first "homologation special", a Super DeLuxe-based touring car, took class honours (Kazuo Togawa) in the 1962 Macau Grand Prix, sweeping the top four places in the "Under 750 cc" category. Wheelbase 2,065 mm (81.3 in), length 3,140–3,160 mm, width 1,390 mm, height 1,380 mm, curb weight 490 kg (1,080 lb).
Collectors Spotted in the Mitsubishi 500 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Mitsubishi 500 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 493 cc NE19A OHV air-cooled twin (21 PS) | 1960–1961 | 0.5 L Inline-2 | 21 hp | 25 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 500 Super DeLuxe 594 cc NE35A OHV twin (25 PS) | 1961–1962 | 0.6 L Inline-2 | 25 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
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Photographs
Rivals
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