Every other kei car maker had gone front-wheel drive by 1969 — the Minica 70 was the lone holdout, sticking with a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout.
Median 44 hp across 31 similar cars
Lead trim: 359 cc ME24E air-cooled two-stroke · up to 37 hp
Mitsubishi Minica 70 / 71 A100–A106A100/A101/A102 · 1969–1973
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mitsubishi Minica 70 / 71 A100–A106 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.
FactEvery other kei car maker had gone front-wheel drive by 1969 — the Minica 70 was the lone holdout, sticking with a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout.
The second-generation Minica 70, introduced in July 1969 with a three-door hatchback body called a "sedan" by Mitsubishi, a Kei class first. Alone in its class it retained the traditional front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, with coil springs front and rear, MacPherson struts up front and a five-link rigid rear axle. The Gold-engine twin-SU SS and GSS sport models arrived in December 1969.
Collectors Spotted in the Mitsubishi Minica Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Mitsubishi Minica 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 359 cc 2G10 Gold twin-SU (SS / GSS) | 1969–1973 | 0.4 L Inline-2 | 37 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| 359 cc ME24E air-cooled two-stroke | 1969–1973 | 0.4 L Inline-2 | 26 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
In December 1999 a run of 50 Mitsubishi Pistachios with a 1,094 cc direct-injection engine was sold only to organisations working to protect the environment.
The three-door had a shorter door on the driver's side than on the passenger's, and 677,325 of this generation were built.
Its Walk-Through Van stood 1,990 mm tall, just under the kei limit, but was a hasty cut-and-shut job that sold too poorly to continue.
Mitsubishi pitched it against much larger one-litre cars, and in its first month passenger Minica sales tripled year on year.
The 1983 Minica Ami L Turbo was the first kei car ever sold with a turbocharger.
Its new four-stroke twin, tagged MCA for Mitsubishi Clean Air, ran much cleaner than the old two-strokes, though not as smoothly.
Every other kei car maker had gone front-wheel drive by 1969 — the Minica 70 was the lone holdout, sticking with a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout.
The 1964 Minica facelift's real upgrade wasn't styling — it was "Auto Mix," which finally spared owners from hand-mixing oil into the tank of their two-stroke kei car.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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