suzuki cappuccino review

The Suzuki Cappuccino is a small 2-door, 2-seater demountable hardtop roadster produced by Suzuki Motor Corporation. The vehicle was designed to meet Kei car specifications for lower tax and insurance in Japan. Weighing just 725 kg (1,598 lb), the Cappuccino is powered by a turbocharged, three-cylinder, 657cc DOHC engine (just under the 660cc maximum displacement allowed for a Kei car).

Front-rear weight distribution is claimed to be 50/50% when both seats are occupied. Layout is front mid-engined and rear-wheel drive. The hood, roof, roll bar and lower front guard panels are aluminium.

Roof panels stow in the trunk (though it must be said that they will occupy 90 percent of the already modest space), and the rear window/rollcage assembly retracts into the body behind the seats. Unlike many convertibles of the time, the rear window is glass and wraparound, with demisting elements.

It was originally equipped with the F6A engine: later models were fitted with a K6A engine which was lighter and had chain-driven, rather than belt-driven camshafts and more torque. Both are DOHC 12-valve, inline 3-cylinder engines that were turbocharged and intercooled. Power output was a claimed 63 hp (47 kW; 64 PS) @ 6500 rpm to fit under the maximum power allowed for Kei cars.

The early days
The dream of re-creating a sporting image for Suzuki began in 1987 and within two years the "project car" was shown for the first time at the Tokyo Motor Show. Suzuki intentionally designed the Cappuccino just for the Japanese market, meeting the tax needs of the Kei-class: body length less than 3.3 metres (129.9 in), body width not exceeding 1.4 metres (55.1 in) and engine size less than 0.66 litre. There was never any intention to export the Cappuccino. Production of the Cappuccino started in October 1991 at the Kosai Plant.

The revised Cappuccino - EA21R
In 1995 tougher emission controls were set by the European Commission, which led to the unsold cars being registered by 30 September 1995; any unregistered after that date would have had to be re-homologated. Discussions took place between SMC and Suzuki distributors in Europe to assess and "value" the necessary changes for the Cappuccino to meet these new emission levels. The corporate decision was made not to proceed with a revised European version due to the vast expense involved and lack of economy of scale due to the limited production run