Classified in the Kei-car class, a category that attracted the leanest of insurance and road tax costs in Japan, early cars in this genre were generally restricted to domestic sales, although the car was seen in markets as diverse as Australia and Holland. A more purposeful but somewhat ornate upgrade over the Fellow, the Fellow Max was still powered by the same front-mounted 2-stroke 356cc engine.
The hardtop coupe version was released in 1971 and underwent a succession of minor facelifts, which helped identify each model year a little easier. The Fellow continued until 1980 when it was replaced by the Cuore, which did make it into the UK. The owner, Ed Ratley, imported the car into the UK from Japan during lockdown and presented it at last year’s Festival of the Unexceptional. He admitted the Fellow Max didn’t quite fit into the remit of the show, but it went down very well with visitors and offers an appealing legacy of Daihatsu’s fascinating output.
