I definitely have a favorite automotive layout/packaging setup – perhaps even a fetish – and I don’t care who knows it. The layout/packaging setup that is most exciting to me is a rear-engined car that has luggage areas at both ends. Sure, many modern EVs pull this off, but that’s the easy way. Making this layout work with an internal combustion engine is a bigger, more thrilling challenge, so I tend to be drawn to those cars. And, recently, a car with such a layout has come to my attention, and I want to share it with you, because I’m quite smitten. It’s the Suzuki Fronte.
The Fronte, despite what its name suggests, was a rear-engine/rear drive machine, at least through its second to fourth generations, and the packaging of this Kei class car was really stellar. Mostly I’m going to be showing you examples of the fourth generation here, which had one major redesign, but I like both versions.
This is the earlier version, which was a pleasingly rounded design:
It feels a bit like a Honda Civic of the era, doesn’t it, just more curvy and egg-like. I love the jaunty side window graphic and the chubby, friendly face. The four-door version was appealing as well:
The Fronte of this era was powered by a liquid-cooled two-stroke 360cc engine, fitting with the Kei class rules, and that engine was stuffed under the floor at the rear; you can see the large vent panels above the rear wheels used to draw air into the engine compartment for the intake system, as the radiator was mounted in front.
The rear window opens like a hatch, and there’s a trunk up front, fulfilling my dreams.
You can get a better idea of the scale of the thing from this commercial:
As tiny as it is, it really is a packaging triumph.
Kei-class rules were updated in 1976, allowing for slightly larger body dimensions and, in 1977, increased displacement that came along with new four-stroke engines, which could now be up to 550cc. The two-stroke was still available as a 450cc engine, and even included a catalytic converter, something many didn’t think would work with a two-stroke at all.
The new look was a little more serious than the earlier more rounded version, and came with a new name: Fronte 7-S. The “7-s” name was said to actually refer to seven S-words, which were Space, Safety, Sense, Save (money), Silent, Stamina, and Suzuki TC, though I think Suzuki was kind of cheating on that last one.
Even with the more squared-off front end, the overall design still had a pleasing ovoid shape, and the new dimensions and shape did allow for a bit more luggage room.
Look at that! Sure, that spare tire commands a lot of room in the front trunk, but there’s still a decent amount of room in there, and the rear cargo area is pretty decent, too. I’m impressed! Remember, this is a tiny, Kei-class car.
I’m really taken by these things. I would happily, gleefully putter around in one of these as my daily driver, even if that meant my highway jaunts would be butt-clenching exercises in terror at speeds of maybe 55 or 60.
These aren’t well-known in America, and I’m not even sure any exist here, at all. They did seem to get sold in South American markets, especially Chile, but I suspect that’s the closest these came to America in any quantity. I’m also not sure why just one headlight is on in that little picture up there, either.
(thanks to Addict Car for the scan!)
I’d love to see one of these in person one day, as they feel like the sort of car that’s best appreciated up close and in detail; its benefits are humble and clever and not the sort of thing that shouts its presence. It’s something I suspect that is gradually discovered and respected, bit by bit.
Also, pretty good color selection, too!
People in my street (early 80s) had 2 Frontes which I loved but I really coveted their SC100. So cool
Killer throwback – love this little Suzuki.
Now, maybe on your radar should exist the unsung hero that is the Peugeot 504, so you can write an article and singlehandedly raise its value world wide?
The red and green 2 door cars look like a pastiche of the Honda 600Z . The grille is similar, but the quarter windows are bigger
The François White #2 reminds me that, when my wife lived in Japan in the early ’90s, the vast majority of cards were white. When she asked why, she was told that it made it easier to find your car in a parking lot, which makes no sense whatsoever, but it was conventional wisdom.
The first gen ones are absolutely adorable. They look like friendly cartoon insects. I want one.
The yellow version is what I would want.
The rounder one looks like the designer was given a Suzuki 360 and told to make a version for a SciFi TV show.
It truly is a packaging triumph, considering this car was just a bit bigger than Goggomobil, that had no luggage room if I’m correct.
Another example of a small rear engined car, having two rows of seats and front and rear trunk is Polski Fiat 126 BIS, it was produced shortly from 1987 to 1991.
The rounded shape and taillights conforming so closely to the body shape reminds me so much of 1990s subcompacts. Just update the trim a bit and it’s reminiscent of small Kias and the Ford Aspire.
So I’m not the only one! I was just thinking it looks a lot more modern than it is. Probably helps that it resembles some of the Japanese retro designs of the 90s and 2000s.
The spare doesn’t have a rim.
They took the concept of ‘spare tire’ very literally. Did they include tire irons? I wonder if any car actually did this in the modern era? Your customers would have to be pretty hardcore.
The wheels and tires look rather similar in size to motorcycle-sized ones. Probably not surprising, given Suzuki’s market share in the motorcycle market. So anyway, it’s probably no worse than working with a motorcycle tire. A couple of tire spoons would likely do the job.
But you’d still be stuck at the side of the road with a flat tire. Maybe there’s a bicycle pump stashed in there too?
I think it’s the kind of rim that mounts to the outside of the brake drum rather than the same studs the brake drum is mounted to. Kind of like a Pontiac 8-lug wheel, but tiny. Lots of compact cars used wheels like that from the 50s-70s.
Still better than today’s land yachts that don’t have a spare at all.
Paul B, nope, looking closely at the photograph you’ll see that the spare tire does indeed have a rim. Try enlarging the image so you can get a better look.
It was common back then for cars, especially Japanese and European ones, to have lug patterns so wide as to almost seem like the tires didn’t have wheels. Many such cars had wheels that mounted to the perimeter of the brake drums themselves. That made for a bit of weight savings plus it didn’t hurt that it resulted in the reduction of unsprung weight which is one of the reasons why many such cars actually had surprisingly good road handling considering they were usually economy cars.
So if the FRONTE’s driven wheels and powerplant reside at the stern, shouldn’t this be called a BACKE?!?
The 2 door looks a lot like a lemon yellow Honda coupe I saw in the Ford dealers showroom in early 1973 or so. Before we had real Honda dealers in Alabama.
It was tiny as hell.
Make mine a four-door to maximize rear cargo area access (and ventilation). If only one of the blues was a little less pale and more intense.
The racecar version is *tiny chef kiss
This car is truly the nugget to rule all nuggets (besides the maluch of course.)
Looks more like a Honda 600Z “Coupe” to me.
A strange design to copy, to say the least.
The lamb chops on that guy in the second ad! Wow!
That is indeed a nice color palette!
Unfortunately the name of the red reminds me of this:
https://www.midnight-trains.com/post/the-railway-disaster-at-the-gare-montparnasse
I would describe this car as “happy”. I don’t think I want one, but I appreciate how pleased it looks. Just motoring down the road, having a good time.
For Me, I like the older, Suzuki SC100/Whizzkid/Cervo.
Cool little RR sports coupe
What is that!? And where can I get one!?
The reason for one headlamp being on in the brochure is a fascinatingly odd one, with the caption below saying: ‘Dual circuit headlamps keep you going even if one side blows a fuse’-
This is bizarre, I can’t imagine headlight fuses blowing to be that common a problem, and I’m not sure if there was any other reason to have separate headlamp circuits…
oh wow– thank you!
Interesting. I thought that, perhaps, it was a version of the European parking lights application where the driver’s side headlight and taillight remain illuminated at low power to make parked cars more visible at night or in inclement weather. Saw this in Germany all the time. I hadn’t considered a dual circuit solution to guard against complete system failure. This is kind of like the dual brake systems in use today.
I’ve had that happen before. I’ve also had the high beam switch start to fail in my 77′ Cherokee, which would just shut the headlights off. At night. At speed. Tap the side of the switch with your foot and they’d come back.
It’s a fairly common feature in cars that use fuses instead of resettable breakers for protecting the headlight circuits. A couple of days ago I noticed the left tail light wasn’t working in my ’76 Volvo 66 GL, only then to notice that the right headlight also wasn’t working. At that point I realized it was probably the fuse. The car uses European-style torpedo fuses, so rotating the fuse back and forth a bit took care of the bad contact. For now.
This is off topic, but looking at this car brought a question to my mind: why are some cars designed with fender mounted side mirrors as opposed to A pillar mounted mirrors?
Is it an effort to keep the total width down? A design aesthetic? Do they provide a wider viewing area?
Fender mirrors were a requirement in Japan until 1983, which is why they’re associated with Japanese classics; the purported advantage of them was that they are easier to keep in your field of vision while looking forward, and that they give an indicator of vehicle width when navigating narrow streets or alleyways.