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Daihatsu Fellow

Also known as ダイハツ・フェロー, L37, Daihatsu 360 (export), Fellow SS, Fellow Buggy

Daihatsu came to the small car by way of trucks. It had sold three-wheeled trucks and the Daihatsu Hijet for years before the Fellow of 1966, its first kei passenger car, and the first Japanese car with rectangular headlamps.

White boxy saloon with a chrome grille, rectangular headlamps and wing mirrors, a small van behind.
The white Fellow Super Deluxe from the front at Daihatsu Humobility World in 2025.Photo: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

The spec plate

Daihatsu Fellow

L37 · 1966

Built
1966–⁠1970Introduced on 9 November 1966; the saloon was replaced by the Fellow Max in April 1970
Country
Japan
Maker
Daihatsu KōgyōAlready strong in light commercials with the Midget and the Hijet
Engine
356 cc water-cooled two-stroke twin (ZM)Lengthwise in front; Oil-Matic separate lubrication; the Fellow Van EV of 1969 electric
Power
23 PSAt launch; 26 PS from July 1969, 32 PS in the SS of 1968
Seats
4A three-box saloon, meant to seat four adults
Wheels
4Engine in front, mounted lengthwise, driving the rear wheels
Production
309,918Every first-generation Fellow, by Japanese Wikipedia; about 100 Fellow Buggies
Top speed
115km/h115 km/h71 mph; no figure found for the 23 PS car

Not yet recordedlength and weight.

How big is it?

True proportion

Length unknown

No reliable length has been found. The Fiat 500, the Peel P50 and the adult stay, so the gap is shown, not hidden.

  • A three-box saloon, with a boot behind the four seats
Drawn at true proportion. The track is 3.6 metres long; the adult stands at the same scale. The Peel P50 is the smallest production car, on every page for comparison.

Beside its contemporaries

The Japanese microcars on the road in 1966, on the same 3.5 m scale. Lengths of cars without a page yet come from the census and are unverified.

  1. Daihatsu Midget1957–⁠1972 · Japan

    2.54 m

  2. Mazda K3601959–⁠1969 · Japan

    2.98 m

  3. Mazda Carol1962–⁠1970 · Japan

    2.98 m

  4. Mazda R360 Coupe1960–⁠1966 · Japan

    2.98 m

  5. Daihatsu Hijet1960– · Japan

    2.99 m

  6. Subaru 3601958–⁠1970 · Japan

    2.99 m

  7. Subaru Sambar1961–⁠2012 · Japan

    2.99 m

  8. Suzuki Suzulight1955–⁠1968 · Japan

    2.99 m

  9. Mitsubishi Minica1962–⁠1989 · Japan

    3.00 m

  10. Daihatsu Fellow1966–⁠1970 · Japan

The story

History

The Daihatsu Midget three-wheeler and the Hijet had made Daihatsu strong in light commercial vehicles, and the Fellow was its long-planned entry into the passenger-car side of the class.12 It was introduced on 9 November 1966, in Super DeLuxe and DeLuxe trim.13 (Japanese Wikipedia’s opening lines say April 1966, but its own history, and English Wikipedia, say November.) No price has been found.

Daihatsu built it in the conventional way, with the engine in front, mounted lengthwise, driving the rear wheels, though that cost space inside.1 The engine was the ZM, a water-cooled two-stroke twin of 356 cc and 23 PS, with Daihatsu’s Oil-Matic separate lubrication.32 Japanese Wikipedia says it was developed by water-cooling the Hijet’s air-cooled ZL; English Wikipedia says the ZM had already been seen in the Hijet.13 Underneath, every wheel had its own coil spring: wishbones at the front and, at the back, a diagonal swing axle that in Japan only the Isuzu Bellett had used before, and no maker used after.1

The body was square-cut, a so-called prism cut, with a large boot lid on hinges outside the panel, and the aim was a feel of quality and room for four adults.1 Its rectangular headlamps were a first for any Japanese car.132 Motor Fan says the independent suspension gave a good ride, and that the car was easy to drive and roomy, which helped its early sales.2 Then in March 1967 came the Honda N360, cheaper and more powerful, and it took the market.12

The first kei SS

Daihatsu kept changing the car. A Standard trim came in February 1967, a panel van and a pickup in June, and in October a new dashboard and steering wheel.3 At the Tokyo Motor Show that October it showed the Fellow SS and the P‑5, a prototype in the style of a Le Mans racer with the SS engine.3 The SS went on sale in June 1968 with 32 PS, 115 km/h (71 mph) and a standing 400 m in 21.2 seconds.3 It was the first kei car to wear an SS badge.4

In July 1969 a facelift raised the front bumper, enlarged the tail lamps, took the base engine to 26 PS and added a top trim, the Custom; Japanese Wikipedia puts the bumper change a year earlier.13 That September Daihatsu put an electric version on sale, the Fellow Van EV, of which no technical data have been found.3 The Fellow raised Daihatsu’s share of the class, but even the sporting versions never put it at the top.12

The Buggy

The last Fellow was the oddest. Announced on 1 April 1970, the Fellow Buggy put a doorless glass-fibre tub, a big roll bar and a guard over the grille on the underpinnings of the Hijet pickup. Only 100 were to be made, they were not sold in snowy Hokkaidō and Tōhoku, and the price was low for so short a run.1 English Wikipedia gives the Hijet’s S37 chassis and 26 PS engine, 440 kg (970 lb) and 95 km/h (59 mph), and says it was sold for a single model year.3

In April 1970 the saloon gave way to the Daihatsu Fellow Max, with front-wheel drive.132 Japanese Wikipedia counts 309,918 first-generation Fellows.1

Pickup in red, white and blue with Japanese lettering on the bed side, parked among other cars indoors.
A 1970 Fellow Pickup in the red, white and blue livery of National colour televisions, in 2021.Photo: TTTNIS, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rear three-quarter of a black boxy estate van behind a yellow rope, on a dark museum floor.
A black 1967 Fellow Van from behind, photographed in 2015.Photo: Muyo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Yellow and white buggy with round headlamps and a grille guard, behind a black rope barrier.
A yellow Fellow Buggy of 1970, doorless and roll-barred on the Hijet’s chassis, at Daihatsu Humobility World, Ikeda, in 2025.Photo: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pictures

More photographs, old and new

The car 5

  • Pale grey boxy saloon behind a steel rail, a yellow small car to its left. Opens a larger view

    1 A grey 1967 Daihatsu Fellow Deluxe (L37S) in the Motorcar Museum of Japan in 2023.

  • Red boxy saloon with a chrome grille and rectangular headlamps, a grey truck and blue sign behind. Opens a larger view

    2 A red 1967 Daihatsu Fellow Super Deluxe (L37SU) in the Motorcar Museum of Japan in 2023.

  • Rear three-quarter of a white boxy saloon with wide rectangular tail lamps and a chrome bumper. Opens a larger view

    3 A white Daihatsu Fellow Custom from behind at a meeting in 2013.

  • Rear three-quarter of a white boxy saloon with amber-and-red tail lamps and a plate reading Fellow. Opens a larger view

    4 A white Daihatsu Fellow Super Deluxe from behind at Daihatsu Humobility World, Ikeda, in 2025.

  • White boxy small saloon with rectangular headlamps and a chrome grille, beside a museum placard. Opens a larger view

    5 A white 1967 Daihatsu Fellow in the Motorcar Museum of Japan, Komatsu, in 2009.

The car: Fellow Buggy 5

  • Yellow and white buggy on red carpet with a FELLOW BUGGY plate, shoppers walking past behind. Opens a larger view

    6 A yellow and white Fellow Buggy on display in a shopping centre in 2017.

  • Rear three-quarter of a red doorless buggy with a white roll bar and dashboard, white saloons behind. Opens a larger view

    7 A red and white 1970 Daihatsu Fellow Buggy at a classic meeting in Japan in 2013.

  • Rear three-quarter of a yellow open buggy with a roll bar, on red carpet behind a rope barrier. Opens a larger view

    8 A yellow Daihatsu Fellow Buggy from behind at a shopping-centre display in 2017.

  • Rear view of a yellow open buggy with a chrome roll bar, a spare wheel and a BUGGY plate. Opens a larger view

    9 A yellow Daihatsu Fellow Buggy from behind, showing its roll bar and Buggy badge, at Daihatsu Humobility World in 2025.

  • Looking into an open buggy: a thin black wheel, a white dashboard with round dials and tan seats. Opens a larger view

    10 The cockpit of a red 1970 Daihatsu Fellow Buggy in 2013: steering wheel, painted dashboard and seats.

Variants and relatives 2

  • Orange and white doorless buggy with a white canvas top and a grille guard, on a mock beach with a palm tree. Opens a larger view

    11 A 1970 Daihatsu Fellow Buggy in orange and white with its canvas top, in the Toyota Automobile Museum’s beach display in 2008.

  • Rear three-quarter of an orange buggy with a white canvas top, inside a blue rope ring. Opens a larger view

    12 The Toyota Automobile Museum’s Fellow Buggy from behind in 2008.

Picture credits (12)
  1. 1 先従隗始, CC0
  2. 2 先従隗始, CC0
  3. 3 TTTNIS, CC0
  4. 4 Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC0
  5. 5 Kzaral, CC BY 2.0
  6. 6 Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC BY-SA 4.0
  7. 7 TTTNIS, CC0
  8. 8 Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC BY-SA 4.0
  9. 9 Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC0
  10. 10 TTTNIS, CC0
  11. 11 Mytho88, CC BY-SA 3.0
  12. 12 Mytho88, CC BY-SA 3.0

Variants

Saloon, vans, SS and buggy

The Fellow range, 1966–⁠70
VariantYearsWhat differsHow many
Super DeLuxe, DeLuxe1966–⁠70The two-door saloon at launch, 23 PSPart of 309,918
Standard1967–The base saloon, from February 1967Part of 309,918
Van, pickup, panel van1966–⁠70Commercial bodies; the panel van and pickup from June 1967Part of 309,918
P‑51967A Le Mans-style prototype with the SS engine, shown in TokyoA prototype
SS1968–⁠70The first kei car badged SS: 32 PS, 115 km/hNot found
Custom1969–⁠70The top trim of the July 1969 facelift, 26 PSPart of 309,918
Fellow Van EV1969–An electric van, on sale from September 1969Not found
Fellow Buggy1970A doorless glass-fibre body on the Hijet pickup’s chassis; 440 kg, 95 km/hAbout 100

Specification

The saloon of 1966 unless noted

Engine and drive

EngineZM water-cooled two-stroke in-line twin, mounted lengthwise in front13
Capacity356 cc32
Power23 PS; 26 PS from July 196932The SS 32 PS
LubricationOil-Matic separate lubrication3
Engine weight58 kg3
GearboxFour-speed manual3
DriveRear wheels13

Body and chassis

BodyTwo-door three-box saloon with an externally hinged boot lid1
Front suspensionIndependent, wishbones and coil springs1
Rear suspensionIndependent, a diagonal swing axle on coil springs1
HeadlampsRectangular, a first for a Japanese car13

Performance

SS top speed115 km/h (71 mph)3
SS 0–400 m21.2 seconds3
Buggy440 kg (970 lb), 95 km/h (59 mph), with the Hijet’s 26 PS engine3

How many were built?

The figures found

309,918 builtJapanese Wikipedia’s total for every first-generation Fellow, saloons and commercials together, and the figure we state. No Daihatsu figure and no year-by-year breakdown has been found.

  1. 309,918all Fellows of the first generation, 1966–⁠70One source

    Japanese Wikipedia1

  2. about 100Fellow Buggies, a limited seriesTwo sources agree

    Japanese and English Wikipedia13

  • Two sources agreetwo good sources give the figure
  • One sourcea good source, alone
  • Unconfirmeda lead only, not yet checked

Famous for

Three points

  1. Square headlamps

    The first Japanese car with rectangular headlamps.132

  2. The first kei SS

    The Fellow SS of 1968 was the first kei car to carry the badge.4

  3. A beach buggy

    About 100 doorless glass-fibre Fellow Buggies in 1970.13

Survivors and collecting

Today

English Wikipedia says the Buggy is much prized by collectors today.3 Beyond that, no count of survivors and no sale has been found. The pictures here include saloons at Komatsu and at Daihatsu’s own Humobility World in Ikeda, and a Buggy on a mock beach at the Toyota museum in 2008.

White boxy two-door saloon with a black grille, rectangular headlamps and a wing mirror on the front wing.
A white Fellow Custom of 1969–⁠70, the late facelift with its higher bumper, at a meeting in Japan in 2013.Photo: TTTNIS, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

Numbered as in the text

No Daihatsu history and no period road test was read; the story rests on the two Wikipedias and two Japanese magazine articles. The price, dimensions and weight were not found. Sources are given as plain text; the links are on the Credits page.

  1. Japanese Wikipedia, ダイハツ・フェロー, read in full.
  2. Motor Fan, “Daihatsu’s strongest 40 PS sports model, the Fellow MAX SS, debuted in 1970 at ¥398,000” (in Japanese), read in full.
  3. English Wikipedia, Daihatsu Fellow Max, which covers the Fellow too, read in full.
  4. webCG, “No. 285: the Alto Turbo RS has a history: tracing Suzuki’s high-performance kei cars (part 1)” (in Japanese), read in full.