Daihatsu Midget

The Midget badge first appeared on Daihatsu's drawing boards in the late 1950s, aiming to give small shopkeepers and delivery firms an ultra-compact workhorse that could thread through narrow city streets and even passageways too tight for conventional light trucks. Early drawings show a three-wheeled cargo bed where the driver sits ahead of the rear engine, putting steering feedback and load security in one lightweight package.

Over the decades the Midget family splintered into distinct models: from the original three-wheeler of 1957 through second- and third-generation iterations that added a fourth wheel, a wider track, and eventually a two-seat microvan silhouette. Each revision reflected shifts in Japan’s kei-car regulations, stretching wheelbase and engine capacity while keeping overall length under the mandated 3.4-metre cap.

Neighborhood ramen stands, construction sites, and even neighborhood florist vans have deployed the Midget as a rolling dollhouse of cargo efficiency. Its upright windshield and toy-like proportions made it a favorite in Tokyo alleyways, where drivers learned to fold themselves into the tiny cab with one hand on the column-shift and a crate of goods in the back.

Though production eventually wound down as safety requirements toughened, surviving Midgets now appear in Japan’s hobbyist circles and low-speed private campuses rather than main roads. Owners prize the J-series engines for simplicity and the original dual-range gearbox that still lets the little hauler crawl up loading ramps without complaint.