Mazda Carol 360

Production	1962 to 1970
designer	Heiji Kobayashi
Class	Motor car
body type	2/4 door sedan
Drive system	rear engine rear drive
engine	358cc in-line 4-cylinder OHV
Maximum output	18PS/6,800rpm
Maximum torque	2.1kgf m/5,000rpm
Wheelbase	1,930mm
full length	2,980mm
Width	1,295mm
Height	1,340mm
vehicle weight	525kg

The Mazda Carol 360 was a small motor car built from 1962 to 1970 by Mazda in Japan.

History

The Carol was developed and planned as a main car, and although the prototype was announced at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1961 as a 700cc sedan, it was marketed as a 360cc minicar.

Although it is a mini passenger car, it uses a notchback style that separates the hood , cabin, and engine room at the rear of the vehicle body, and the rear window behind the rear seats has vertical glass. A cut type, adopted a method to increase the opening area of ​​the head clearance and the engine hood . 

As for the power train, it is a rear-engine rear - wheel drive car with a water- cooled 4-stroke in- line 4-cylinder OHV aluminum cylinder engine installed horizontally in the rear for the first time in an unusual case , even though it is a light standard 360cc . Since the radiator is installed in contact with the engine and cannot use the wind pressure generated by driving, cooling air is introduced from the side by a forced cooling fan driven by the engine. The sound of this fan is also one of the characteristics of the original Carol. Compared to the "Cliff Cut" mentioned above, it was also advantageous in terms of noise reduction and vehicle maintenance. 

The water-cooled 4-cylinder, 4-stroke OHV engine was extremely expensive compared to small passenger cars of the time, with features such as light alloy materials, a highly rigid 5-bearing crankshaft, a hemispherical combustion chamber and cross-flow intake and exhaust valves . With a standard design, it was very luxurious as a light car of this era, along with the DOHC 4-cylinder engine diverted from the Honda T360 sports car . While sharing the same engine block design, this was done with the idea of ​​expanding the displacement and mounting it on the next high-end small car Familia to be released to reduce development costs.

The adoption of a water-cooled 4-cylinder engine, along with the 4-wheel independent suspension with a soft Neidhardt mechanism that uses rubber springs , was extremely effective in suppressing vibrations and ensuring quietness. Unfortunately, the block design, which was designed to accommodate the class, was too large for a 360cc engine in terms of both volume and weight. In addition , consideration was given to increasing the rigidity of the body of the full monocoque structure. Compared to the Subaru 360, it was 150kg heavier when empty.Originally, it had a narrow overall width of around 1,300 mm, which was the mini vehicle standard of the time.

The Carol 360 made a spectacular debut with the convenience of being the first 4-door model of a mini passenger car and deluxe equipment . Minor changes were made as early as September 1963, and the first 4-door minicar model was added. Although it temporarily threatened the superiority of the Subaru 360, it was pointed out from the beginning that the power performance was insufficient due to the weight of the vehicle. Competing Subaru, in addition to the original high power performance due to its lightweight body, recaptured the top position in the fourth year with the enhancement of deluxe specifications and price reductions, and Carol did not reach the point of taking the initiative in the market. I didn't. Furthermore , since 1966, new entries into the mini passenger car market and new models by existing manufacturers other than Subaru have been announced one after another, especially when the Honda N360 , which has higher performance than Subaru, appears, which is disadvantageous in terms of power performance and space efficiency. Carroll's weakening was significant.

 The Mazda R360 was complemented by the more grown-up 2-door sedan Mazda P360 Carol in February 1962, the company's first 4-passenger car. It was more substantial than the R360: although its total length of 2,980 mm (117.3 in) was the same, its 1,930 mm (76.0 in) wheelbase was considerably longer. The Carol weighed in at 525 kg (1,157 lb), versus 380 kg (838 lb) for the diminutive R360. It used the DA, a 18 PS (13 kW), rear-mounted water-cooled 358 cc 4-cylinder OHV engine. This is one of the smallest four-cylinder automobile engines in history, only Honda's 356 cc DOHC alloy inline-four unit (used in the T360 truck) was smaller. The four-speed gearbox was synchronized only on the top three gears.

PERFORMANCE: P360

• Engine Capacity: 21.89 cu in, 358 cu cm
• Fuel Consumption: 70.6 m imp gal, 58.8 m US gal
• Max Speed: 55.9 mph, 90 km h
• max power (SAE): 18 hp at 6800 rpm
• max torque (SAE): 15 1b ft, 2.1 kgm at 5000 rpm
• max number of engine rpm: 6800
• specific power: 50.3 hp/l
• power-weight ratio: 64.4 lb/hp, 29.2 kg/hp
• acceleration: standing 1/4 mile 17.8 sec

At that time , Toyo Kogyo, which was focusing on development of rotary engines and small cars, could not spare enough energy for a fundamental model change of the Carol, and in 1966, they made a minor change while missing the opportunity. The engine output was improved, the obsolete dummy grille and rear design were modernized, and the spare tire was relocated to the engine room (expanding the trunk space), but the narrowness of the interior due to the fundamental poor packaging and the It was difficult to solve the problem of low power performance due to the original excessive vehicle weight and insufficient power, and at the end of the period, it became the lowest in the mini passenger car market in terms of specifications and sales performance.

At the end of the model, there was also a plan to install a single-rotor rotary engine as a breakthrough, but it fell through. Due to the special structure and high output of the rotary engine, it is necessary to convert the nominal engine displacement to the reciprocating engine standard from the standpoint of taxation and regulations. Because it realized a powerful engine with a much larger displacement than the reciprocating 360cc, it was viewed as a problem by other mini passenger car manufacturers, and complaints were raised within the industry. In the end, the decision by the Ministry of Transport at the time did not allow it to be used as an engine for light vehicles. A prototype was built on an actual vehicle, but the single-rotor engine had disadvantages such as large engine vibration and poor fuel efficiency. Other troubles also occurred. Although the problem was overcome to some extent, the plan was not realized because the road to approval as a commercial vehicle did not open. Approximately 260,000 360s built