DOTS Tokyo: What Is This Thing?

"RPM esq." (rpm3) 05/01/2019 at 17:20 • Filed to: dots, tokyo

1

4

Took this on my first night in Tokyo back in March and forgot to post it...what is this awkward little sub-sub-sub-compact?

Truly it is impossible to convey how tiny this conveyance is. It strongly reminded me of one of these:

EDIT: Apparently, it’s a Toyota! Purpose-built for a ride-sharing service.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

404 - User No Longer Available > RPM esq. 05/01/2019 at 17:31

1

Toyota Ha:mo COMS:

Snuze: Needs another Swede > RPM esq. 05/01/2019 at 17:32

1

Looks like a GEM

Global Electric Motorcars. They are basically fancy golf carts. They were an independent startup, then Chrysler bought them out, and now I think Polaris owns them. I don’t know much more about them, but I do know the US Military was buying them for a while to use as run-abouts on bases.

We had a 4 seater when I worked in the torpedo shop. A GEM tech came out to service it one day and he taught us how to defeat the governor. We’d take it to lunch at the galley, which was on top of this huge hill, and on the way back we’d turn the governor off and blast down hill and get that rickety plastic piece of shit up over 45 MPH. I think 48 as the record.  It’s a wonder we never stuffed it and got hurt or killed. I think it was governed at 25 MPH, and that was probably already a questionable speed for that POS.

RPM esq. > 404 - User No Longer Available 05/01/2019 at 17:42

0

Nice, thanks!

RPM esq. > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/01/2019 at 17:43

1

This is not the right answer, but I’m glad, because that story is tremendous.