Hope Motor Company

HopeStar SM.

Hope Motor Company was a Japanese car company bought by Suzuki in 1968. In December 1967, they released the HopeStar ON360, which is affectionately referred to in Japanese as the sanrin (三輪)" or "three wheels", with a Mitsubishi 360-cc two-stroke, straight-two ME24 engine producing 21 bhp. The ON360 had a four-wheel drive layout. While 100 engines were purchased from Mitsubishi, most sources state that only 15 ONs were finished, all in 1968.

HopeStar ON360[]

The HopeStar ON360 was originally developed in 1967 and was available from April 1968. It used a Mitsubishi 359 cc (21.9 cu in) air-cooled two-stroke ME24 engine, which produced 21 PS (15.4 kW). The rear axle was sourced from the Mitsubishi Colt 1000 and wheels were sourced from the Mitsubishi Jeep. It was a very basic two-seater vehicle with no doors, but a sturdy four-wheel drive system allowed it to go off-road. Top speed was 70 km/h (43 mph), 30 km/h in 4WD mode. The company sold very few ON360s, possibly as few as 15, although 100 ME24 engines were purchased.^[1]^[2] Hope sold the design to Suzuki, as the Suzuki Jimny, in 1968, after Mitsubishi declined to take over production.

References[]

^ 360cc Light Commercial Truck 1950-1975 (360cc 軽商用貨物自動車 1950-1975). Tokyo: Yaesu Publishing. 2009. p. 34. ISBN 978-4-86144-139-4.
^ Ozeki, Kazuo (2007). Suzuki Story: Small Cars, Big Ambitions (in Japanese). Tokyo: Miki Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-4-89522-503-8.

External links[]

[1] video (YouTube)

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[1] 360cc Light Commercial Truck 1950-1975 (360cc 軽商用貨物自動車 1950-1975). Tokyo: Yaesu Publishing. 2009. p. 34. ISBN 978-4-86144-139-4.

[SuzStory-2] Ozeki, Kazuo (2007). Suzuki Story: Small Cars, Big Ambitions (in Japanese). Tokyo: Miki Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-4-89522-503-8.

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