Japanese Car Spotters Guide - 1976 |
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The pursuit of profitability, a perfectly natural process after all, had higher priority than ever. In this respect 1976 was notable for the adoption of clear-cut policies on the development of cost-cutting production methods carried through with intense concentration. Many manufacturers in Europe and America lost money in 1976; even those blessed with tight managerial control made very little (around 2 percent on turnover) and all of them would have been happy to achieve the 6 percent made by Toyota which set a new record for productivity; 2.4 million vehicles with 45,000 employees, 34,000 of them engaged on actual production.
But 1976 was not only the year of the campaign for new production methods. It also brought its quota of technical innovations, even if they were less numerrous than in preceding years. The effects of the slow-down in technical development which followed the energy crisis had become apparent. Now that legal requirements on passive safety were established, the experimental departments could work in more settled conditions. Those with only a casual interest in the automobile were witnessing a drive for aerodynamic efficiency in which the "two box" school of Pininfarina (e.g. the Lancia Gamma with diag coefficient of 0.37) competed with the "three box" school (e.g. the Audi 100 with a figure of 0.41). The former permitted a reduction of the order of 10 percent in the drag coefficient.
The carburetter retained its commanding lead as a source of the fuel-air mixture. Injection, and in particular continuous injection (Bosch K-Jetronic) had achieved wonderful results in reducing consumption but it remained expensive. Finally, electronic ignition had started to make inroads, however production costs prevented its general adoption.
Rack and Pinion Steering
By 1976
rack and pinion steering had become the general rule, only the Japanese remaining faithful to the old-style steering gear. To make the driver's life more comfortable, power-assistance was gaining converts and even began to appear on small cars like the Honda Accord 1600. Systems which reduced the amount of assistance as the speed rose were attracting interest. They outclassed the American types which continued to be excessively light in action. On the other hand, progress towards smaller turning circles was practically zero. Among the braking systems, the mixed layout (discs in front, drums at the rear) was most often adequate, especially with front-wheel drive where more than 80 percent of the effort was concentrated on the front wheels. Once again, price entered into it, with widespread adoption of the floating calliper which needed only one piston for each brake.
Split circuits, which had become obligatory for safety reasons, certainly made the brakes spongy. In those conditions servo assistance became imperative, but not all cars had it. Many automotive road testers felt short-changed in the braking department, the general opinion being that there were far too few cars with a really high quality braking system, such as that on the Lancia Gamma which used four discs, those in front ventilated, and genuine double circuits ("Superduplex") which guaranted brakking on the front wheels whatever happened.
Tyres and Equipment
Thanks to the considerable economies achieved in making the basic car, it was becoming possible to improve the standard equipment. Thus there were more and more cars with power-assisted steering, adjustable steering wheels, electrically operated windows and electrical devices to adjust door mirrors or to indicate the oil engine level on the instrument panel. Other features which were gaining ground were built-in radio as standard equipment, centralised door locking, hot air ducts for the rear passengers and the centralised monitor system on the instrument panel to check fluid levels and the functioning of the electrical system. It was this tendency above all, in which for once the Europeans were following the lead of the Japanese, which characterised the 1976 vintage; a sound one but with nothing specially remarkable about it. |
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Datsun 200/220 C Diesel |
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Also see: Datsun Car Reviews |
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The year 1976 was marked by yet another manufacturer, Nissan Motors, to involve themselves in diesel power for passenger cars. The Cedric model was chosen, renamed the 200/220 C, and equipped with a four-cylinder compression-ignition motor. The large saloon, 15.38 ft (4.69 m) long, of conventional design - front engine, rear-drive, live rear axle, and leaf spring suspension - came equipped with the option of a four-cylinder diesel of 1991 cc, or a slightly larger-capacity unit of 2164 cc, developing respectiively 54 (40 kW) and 59 bhp (44 kW) (estimated). Performance was predictably modest with respective maximums of 68 mph (110 km/h) and 74.5 mph (120 km/h). |
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Honda Accord |
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Also see: Honda Car Reviews |
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Few will argue with the fact that Honda had always been somewhat in advance of the rather conservative Japanese automotive industry, with its modern and original technical progress. The Accord coupe, a 2-door hatchback, continued the trend. Like the Civic, the Accord was low, but lengthened by some four inches (10 cm), and the width was increased by the same amount. The 1599 cc engine transversely mounted drove the front wheels. According to countries and market conditions, its induction was through a conventional carburetter (Europe), or was equipped with low-pollution stratified charge cylinder head. In the latter case, the engine developed 72 bhp (54 kW). Honda's options were normally confined to luxury cars and included air-conditioning, power steering, and automatic (two-speed) transmission. |
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Mitsubishi Celeste |
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Also see: Mitsubishi Car Reviews |
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Mitsubishi of Japan was linked to the American Chrysler Group, and the hatchback Celeste was sold in the USA as the Plymouth Arrow. In Britain and Australia Mitsubishis were marketed as Colts. As introduced, the two-liter Celeste had a 'Silent Shaft' engine which featured twin contra-rotating shafts (Lanchester 'vibration-dampers') to minimise the inherent vibrations of an in-line four-cylinder engine. Later in the year, the 1.6-liter Celeste was also equipped with a twin-shaft motor. The fitting of the British-inspired twin-shafts prompted the manufacturers to claim the engines as the smoothest four-cylinders in the industry. |
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Toyota Corolla Liftback |
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Also see: Toyota Car Reviews |
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The Toyota Corolla, with a 1975 production figure of 650,000 units, recorded the largest production of any car in the world for a period of two years. Obviously, to have had such a large share of the market, the range of cars offered had to be very wide. Toyota produced a new version, the Liftback, a 2 + 2 coupe equipped with a third rear door, reminiscent of the Lancia Beta HPE. The rear seats, which folded individually, gave a choice of between two, three or four seats. The boot capacity was variable between 320 and 780 liters in the two seat mode. A conventional design, the Corolla Liftback was supplied with a large choice of engines. |
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