Daihatsu Fellow Buggy

Daihatsu made only 100 units of the “Fellow Buggy”, which was a recreational vehicle that appealed to youth and a rebellious spirit.

Since the mid-1960s, dune buggies have appeared one after another, led by the Meyer’s Manx, which was based on the VW Beetle.

One of the automakers that responded to the trends of the time was the Japanese company Daihatsu. At the 15th Tokyo Motor Show in 1968, the company exhibited a prototype called the Fellow Buggy. It became a hot topic at the shows, was actually released in 1970 with a limited production of 100 units.

The Fellow Buggy was based on the Fellow – the Daihatsu’s first light passenger car, which debuted in 1966. The basic layout was a conventional 3-box FR model with a solid design typical for Daihatsu.

The Fellow lineup also includes the sedan-based Fellow van and pickup, and this Fellow buggy is a derivative of that model, positioned as a light pickup. Although it was called a buggy, it was registered as a commercial vehicle with a maximum payload of 150 kg.

The Fellow Buggy had an open top and weighed 440kg, which is more than 50kg lighter than the base model, but since it was originally a light vehicle with a 360cc FR (26 PS or 19 kW) and 10-inch tires, it still lacked serious off-road mobility. Top speed was 95 km/h (59 mph).

While highly prized by collectors today, the Buggy only sold about 100 examples and was only available for a single model year.