IN post-war Japan, there were a great many Rabbits on the road – but no wasps.
Production of the Rabbit Scooter began in 1946, six months before the Vespa (Italian for wasp) saw the light of day in Italy.
Scooters and small motorbikes were the transport of the day because most of the car-making plants had been destroyed.
Hitachi, which built engines for Japan’s military training aircraft, was not allowed to develop new aviation technology, so it changed its name and direction and began producing engines for the burgeoning two-wheeler market.
It soon merged with Fuji Automobile and they built their own motorbikes under the names of Fuji Motor and Gasuden FMC.
It was enormously successful and revolutionised the nation’s vehicle industry.
The stylish Fuji Rabbits evolved into some of the most technologically sophisticated scooters of their era, featuring electric starters, automatic transmissions and pneumatic suspension systems.
However, no matter how fast a Rabbit could run (it was the first scooter to reach more than 100km/h) it still left its rider open to the elements. And Japan can be pretty damp.
Enter Ryuichi Tomiya, not for nothing known as the ‘Leonardo da Vinci of Japan’.
The pre-World War II designer of Nissan Motors was the man who created the Fuji Cabin, a streamlined minicar that many considered to be the cutest thing on wheels.
But it was meant to be a scooter with full weather protection.
Tomiya was also responsible for the design of the Suminoe Flying Feather, a lightweight vehicle of which 150 examples were built in the mid-1950s.
His masterpiece was the Fuji Cabin, which made its debut at the 1955 Tokyo Motor Show.
The low-slung two-seater three-wheeled coupe was powered by a 122cc single-cylinder two-stroke Gasuden engine – with kick start.
It featured monocoque construction, strengthened by a full-length tunnel that directed cooling air to the engine and a central headlight in the nose.
There were two rounded lids providing access to the motor and allowing warm air to exit.
The rack-and-pinion steering was controlled by a set of handlebars and the three-speed transmission included a reverse gear.
The front wheels were independently sprung on rubber, and the rear was on a swing arm with a coil strut, which provided a comfortable ride.
It was a high-quality product and had a coat of dense insulation material inside the cabin roof, dashboard and sides.
However, Fuji didn’t have any experience working with fibreglass and the quality of the Cabin’s bodyshells led to quite rapid deterioration.
They were priced at US$650 (about AU$960) while a Rabbit Scooter was a comparatively pricey US$450 (AU$670).
Initial plans were for up to 500 Fuji Cabins to be built per month, but a combination of poor marketing, a cramped interior and dodgy cabin structure resulted in only 85 being made in a 1957/58 production run.
With single rear-wheel drive, they were also prone to tipping over.
Only three Fuji Cabins are known to have survived. In 2013 one of them was sold by RM Sotheby’s for US$126,500 (AU$185,000).
Despite their style, the Cabins did not match the appeal of the motor scooters, which were so important to the nation’s vehicle industry that in 1948 both a Silver Pigeon and a Rabbit were presented to the Emperor of Japan.
1955 Fuji Cabin (Fuji Toshuda Motors, Tokyo)
| Model: Cabin | Motor: Gasuden 2-stroke | Body: Fibreglass |
| Years Built: 1955 – 1958 | No. Cylinders: 1 | Chassis: None |
| No. Produced: 85 | Displacement: 121.7 cc |
Suspension Front: Rubber
|
| No. Surviving: 3 | Power: 4.1kW | Suspension Rear: Coil |
| Length: 2.92m | Gears: 3 + reverse |
Steering: Rack & Pinion
|
| Width: 125cm | Starter: Kick | Brakes: Cable |
| Weight: 250kg | Electrical: 6 volt | 3 x wheels: 4.00 x 8″ |
| Interior: 2 seats | Ignition: Magneto | Top Speed: 45 km/h |
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