Goo-Net: Two more years, and we can be in kei heaven.

"PanchoVilleneuve ST" (PanchoVilleneuve) 07/13/2014 at 13:23 • Filed to: goo-net, minica dangan zz-4

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Ask most Jalops what the best kei car of all time is, and they'll probably say the Autozam AZ-1 or Suzuki Cappuccino or if they want to sound all super-cool and alternative, the Honda Beat. All these people are wrong. Dead wrong. The best kei car of all time (old 2-stroke rear-engine Guigiaro-bodied Suzuki Cervo notwithstanding) is the Mitsubishi Minica Dangan ZZ-4.

Why the ZZ-4? You may have heard of that obscure rally-derived car Mitsubishi makes called the Lancer Evolution. The AWD system in that debuted here in the ZZ-4. What the Evo did not have is 5 valves per cylinder. This was the first production car to ever have that layout, and it enabled the turbocharged 3-pot in this to rev to 9500 rpm.

Look at that instrument cluster. Look at all those numbers before the tach turns red. Realize that these gauges are not on a motorcycle. Go holy shit.

Other desirable features, a short novel describing the engine written on the side:

And an exhaust outlet with 3 holes in it for some reason. I'm not questioning it. It's an odd choice. But it sure is awesome:

Another awesome thing about this car? It's cheap. Like real, real cheap. The one for sale here on Goo has a mere 30,000 km on the clock, appears to be completely stock (find a used car on the Japanese market that is. Good luck bro, because you won't) and they're only asking $5,820 for it. That's well under 10 grand after shipping costs to be the surprise god of your local Cars and Coffee in two years.

http://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/MITSU…

jkm7680 > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 13:33

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NEEDS MORE HOOD MOUNTED MIRRORS.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > jkm7680 07/13/2014 at 13:35

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Sadly, this is after the Japanese government stopped requiring them. I totally agree though. All cars need them. They're just better.

Too bad pedestrian safety means we'll never see them again.

jkm7680 > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 13:40

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Damn, They looked so awesome and JDM YO. I'm bookmarking that site though, it's interesting looking through the world of Kei. Now I want a Pajero Mini.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > jkm7680 07/13/2014 at 13:42

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BE WARNED: Goo-Net is a rabbit hole. It's a bad one, too. Worse than Wikipedia or TV Tropes. It's like a massive version of Autotrader filled with nothing but the sweetest of JDM forbidden fruit.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > jkm7680 07/13/2014 at 13:44

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Also, the best fender-mounted mirrors are on the Autech Stelvio:

The fenders are the mirrors! THE FENDERS ARE THE MIRRORS!

jkm7680 > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 13:45

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Haha, Well. My entire day is now goingto be spent on Goo-Net.

jkm7680 > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 13:47

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God damn, that looks awesome! I'm going to need an Az-1 or something to bring back to Murica on the cheap.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > jkm7680 07/13/2014 at 13:52

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http://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/JAPAN…

Next year, you can get a Stelvio of your very own! Don't worry about the slushbox, though. They all had them. The Stelvio is bascially a Zagato-bodied Infiniti M30. With backwards NACA ducts on the wheels, because awesome.

I love the Stelvio. It's the most undiluted bit of Zagato weirdness money can buy. You can tell with their other designs, the company they were designing for told them to tone it down a bit, keep it sane. But it's clear with the Stelvio that they showed the design to Nissan, expecting them to say "ok, just make it a bit less hoo-hah nutzo and we'll build it" but instead Nissan said "LOOKS GOOD THANK YOU!"

TheRallyStache > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 13:52

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Revs high, has awd, is turbocharged, and is smaller than an Asian's boobs?

SIGN ME UP.

jkm7680 > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 13:53

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It looks pretty damn awesome, and considering what it is worth the price. There is just one problem.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > TheRallyStache 07/13/2014 at 14:00

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I'm also willing to bet there's a huge mountain of power locked up in that engine. The restrictions on kei cars limit the output to 63 horsepower, but the Suzuki Cappuccino of similar vintage can be made to put out between 100-120 horses with nothing more than an ECU reflash, new intake and new exhaust. They're all detuned from the factory to make regulations, and you don't make a 15 valve 3-pot that revs like that and expect it to only put out 63 horses. The Suzuki K6A (the engine in the Cappuccino) is an awesome little micro-motor, to be sure, but it is not as nutzo as the 3G83 in this. I can only imagine how much this thing would put out if uncorked.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > jkm7680 07/13/2014 at 14:03

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It's not that cheap for what is, when you get down to it, an early 90's Nissan Leopard, but it is very, very cheap for a car that would allow you to say "yeah, I drive a coachbuilt grand tourer with a Zagato body. Look at how many Zs are on it. See? It says "Zagato Milano" on it like everywhere."

jkm7680 > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 14:05

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Yeah, it does come from the same coach builders that have made some of the most beautiful and amazing cars out there. I'm just wondering how much it would cost to have one shipped over.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 14:08

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Clarkson agrees

I'm also a kei fanatic I trully think the japanese were on to something with these cars. WHY ON EARTH is this not a global thing? I know I know safety this,pedestrian that, you'll get crushed, blah blah blah. here we are in the world of wasteful trucks when a suzuki carry would meet the need of 80% of truck buyers.

and a Mitsu Dangan would be more fun than any mustang on the road. Japan is my favorite country because they just seem to get it that you don't need to waste fuel to have a good time or to get the job done.(I know the government is trying to get rid of kei cars but the general public gets it).

My personal favorite the Suzuki Alto Works

PanchoVilleneuve ST > jkm7680 07/13/2014 at 14:12

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Depending on your nearest coast, the people I've seen do it have spent between 3 and 5 grand, 3 to the west coast, 5 to the east.

The Stelvio is some serious underrated awesome. Combine the Zagato body (Zagato themselves built the bodies, Nissan did the mechanicals), the fact that they only made 200 of them with the rock-solid VQ30 engine and the ability to get this thing serviced at your local Nissan dealership makes them one of the only exotic cars (and I would, without hesitation, call this an exotic) that you really can live with every day. And why couldn't you? It's just a bonkers-looking Infiniti M30.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 07/13/2014 at 14:18

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I love kei cars because they're a combination of super-strict government mandated specifications and huge demand from all kinds of drivers with all kinds of needs. They took pretty much every conceivable type of car, shrunk it down and put it on sale.They're going to look at those restrictions and just go nuts with them. Every kei car is an absolute masterpiece of packaging. Sure, the early-90s bubble economy kei sports are all long gone (with the Copen being the only one currently doing it), but there is such amazing smart thinking in maximizing interior space with minimal exterior footprint going on. I really hope the rumors that the kei segment is about to die aren't true. They're such awesome cars.

Also, I could have gone my whole life without knowing that someone even taller than me can fit in a Honda Beat.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 14:34

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If Jeremy at 6'5" can be comfortable in a Kei car that the rest of the world can shut the fuck up that they are to small. "the japanese are small people that's why they fit but americans are big so we wont fit" that's a heaping pile of bullshit.

I'm fairly short 5'5" but I'm a really heavy boy @ 250lbs and this is me in a Suzuki Alto 800(not much bigger than a Kei car) and I fit perfectly fine I had more than enough hip,shoulder & knee room and I drive with the seat pretty far back usually, my friend is 6' tall and we share the same driving position. so any body this side of Shaq should be able to fit no problem.

TheRallyStache > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 14:44

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Good God, 120hp in this would destroy a stock GTI. And probably sound better too...

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 14:50

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your damn right that there is a huge mountain of power in there. This Suzuki Alto has 100WHP (~130hp at the crank). The owner took me for a spin in it a few years ago and it's a fucking rocket

you can read a bit more about it here:

http://www.speedhunters.com/2010/02/guest_…

TheRallyStache > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 15:04

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PanchoVilleneuve ST > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 07/13/2014 at 15:05

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Goddamn. Holy fucking goddamn.

Also, throughout the 70s, 80s and early 90s, the Japanese sure knew how to design an awesome aftermarket wheel.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > TheRallyStache 07/13/2014 at 15:08

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I'm so glad I've been able to convert a few more people to the cult of Dangan ZZ.

jkm7680 > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 15:29

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Sounds pretty good!

The thing is, I'm saving up for a 911 Carerra from around 2001 which would cost less in general, and I'd feel comfortable with daily driving.

Bodywork and the availability of parts would be a big concern, because I probably couldn't afford a DD and something fun at the same time.

xxstich666xx > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 15:31

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Unfortunately most states will not let you register this car. Anything with a displacement under 1L is considered an ATV in New York and must be registered as such.

Jonee > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/13/2014 at 15:39

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I'm an early, 360cc kei-car guy myself, but this car is truly wonderful. What I really want, though, is a Suzuki Fronte Coupe. Not the same performance as the ZZ-4, but who cares when it looks like this:

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Jonee 07/13/2014 at 15:43

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That's the Cervo! Two stroke! Two stroke!

CpnCarl > PanchoVilleneuve ST 09/07/2015 at 18:08

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Still for sale, price dropped to $3910 as of today. Want to know why? Japan has some very strong anti-lemon laws. A dealer can not sell you a defective car UNLESS YOU WAIVE YOUR RIGHT to an inspection and/or repairs. Now see, on the right, in the vehicle description where it says REPAIRED: NONE? That means the buyer waives all the rights to inspection and repairs. Considering the scarcity of major parts for this car I’d back away and not look back!