Kurogane Type 95
Type 95 "Yonki" | ||
---|---|---|
Curb weight | 1,100 kg (2,425.1 lb) |
The Type 95 was a Japanese scout car built by Tokyu Kurogane Industries (東急くろがね工業, Tōkyū Kurogane Kōgyō), and was used during the war with China and World War II in the East. Between 1936 and 1944 approximately 4,700 were built. It was the only completely Japanese designed reconnaissance car ever used by the Imperial Japanese Army, which tended to use civilian cars. Its nickname is the "Yonki" (よんき) which in Japanese means "all-wheel drive".[1] In the field, soldiers often called it the "daruma" after the Buddhist symbol for good luck.
It is one of the world's first four-wheel drive passenger vehicle placed into mass production, prior to the Laffly V15 (1937-1938), the GAZ-61 (1938) and Willys MB "jeep" (1941).
The Type 95 accommodated three people - two in the front and one in the back. The two-cylinder,
History
It was conceived in 1934 by the Japanese Imperial Army as a small rough terrain vehicle to do
The United States Willys MB offered off-road ability and increased ground clearance, combined with a light truck approach to construction. The German Army had the
In the 1930s, Japan's manufacturing infrastructure was less advanced than those of the US and Europe, and military manufacturing focused on ships and aircraft by Japan's premiere industrial manufacturer Mitsubishi, and armament and tank production by Mitsubishi's zaibatsu partners. Aircraft were largely built by Mitsubishi, Tachikawa Aircraft Company, and the Nakajima Aircraft Company which built most of the aircraft. Limited raw materials were also devoted to higher priorities. The goal was to build 5,000 Type 95 in a supporting role, largely by hand and without an assembly line.
This car was first used in the
Development
The inventor of the four wheel drive and the engine used in the Type 95 is also the founder of the Japanese Internal Combustion Engine Company, Tetsuji Makita.
The width of the vehicles was originally set at 1,300 mm (51.2 in), but to better cope with the center of gravity compared to the
During development, a
In the prototype development stage, it was originally an air-cooled single-cylinder, borrowing from their current motorcycle products, but a V-twin engine proved more practical. To aid in cooling, a forced air-cooling system used a propeller fan to further direct airflow across the cylinders without an encased cooling shroud, and it used a
Versions
Some vehicles were modified in the field by front seat passengers opening the top hinged passenger side windshield up and using a light machine gun such as the Type 11 light machine gun, the Type 96 light machine gun, or the Type 99 light machine gun similar to a motorcycle sidecar. Because of its small size and weight, it was able to fit inside Japanese manufactured Kokusai Ku-8 airplane and deploying glider Airborne troops, specifically the Teishin gliding infantry regiment, and some cars also used an Autocannon machine gun.
There were several significant upgrades and design changes from the prototype to the final models build in 1944.
- 1935 prototype: Engine displacement 1200cc; Body styles: roadster and enclosed 2-door sedan; Rectangular front grille allows airflow to cool the engine; No bumper; Body on chassis frame.
- Production type A: produced 1937-1938. Engine displacement 1300cc; 3-person roadster type; Oval grille; Bumper.
- Production type B: produced 1939-1943; Engine displacement 1400cc; 4-person Phaeton type; Production volume most models; Square grille.
- Four-door prototype: 4-door that has been only one trial in 1939 Phaeton type. Wheelbase has an extended door of the original 2-door type; it is supposed that it was water-cooled to increase durability and engine efficiency. Square grille.
- Production type C: produced in 1944; engine displacement 1400cc; air-cooled; 2-person pickup truck.
Extant examples
Between four and seven examples are known to exist:
- 1939 model discovered in 2013 in a repair shop in NHK World website.[9]
- 1941 model displayed at the Motorcar Museum of Japan[10]
- Unknown vintage at Retro Auto Museum in Moscow, Russia[11]
- Unknown vintage model located in private hands in Pennsylvania, USA
- Unknown vintage model, in advance stages of decay on Babelthuap Island (Babeldaob) Palau (Republic of Palau, Belau, Pelew) [12]
See also
References
- ^ "Japanese Motor Vehicles can be Operated on United States Fuels". Tactical and Technical Trends (51). October 1944. Retrieved 8 December 2016 – via Lone Sentry.
- ^ "Type 95 Kurogane 4WD Military Personnel Carrier". 240 Landmarks of Japanese Automotive Technology. Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Okamoto Bicycle Company". Vintage Japanese Bicycles. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "「日本軍の兵器1-13」試製九八式小型乗用車(陸王軽四起), 岡本軽四起, ダイハツ軽四起, 四式小型貨物車(トヨタAK-10)" ["Japanese Army Weapons 1-13" Trial Type 98 Small Passenger Car (Rikuo Light 4 Ki), Okamoto Light 4 Ki, Daihatsu Light 4 Ki, Type 4 Small Car (Toyota AK-10)] (in Japanese). Japan. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- ^ "Makita Tetsushi Kurogane". Ameblo (Japanese). CyberAgent. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
- ^ "Japan's first four-wheel drive passenger car "Kurogane four jumps" Photo review of the body before restoration". GIGAZINE. 9 March 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ "Worlds first 4WD car". Japanese Nostalgic Car. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ^ "World's 1st mass-produced compact 4WD fully restored". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ "Kurogane Type 95 restored". NHK World. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ "Motorcar Museum of Japan". Motorcar Museum of Japan. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ "Retro Auto Museum". Retro cars museum. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ PacificWrecks.com. "Pacific Wrecks - Allan Kelly with Type 95 Korogane abandoned on Babelthuap Island". pacificwrecks.com. Retrieved 10 August 2020.