Japanese Car Auction Find – 1992 Suzuki Cappuccino

Earlier this week, we got really excited about the new Honda S660 Kei car that’s making its debut in Japan even as we speak. The Kei sports car is a rare thing with barely a handful on the market today. That spurt of reminiscing got us thinking about some of our old favorites from years past. Behold today’s Japanese car auction find – a 1992 Suzuki Cappuccino:

This classic Japanese roadster is an extremely agile piece of machinery, weighing in at barely 725 kg, or 1,598 pounds. There were only about 28,000 Suzuki Cappuccinos ever produced during its single-generation existence from 1991 to 1997, and there are only two of those models currently up for auction in Japan (at the time of this writing). This one is from 1992, so only the second year of production.

Since the Suzuki Cappuccino was made to fit Japan’s strict key car regulations, the powertrain is very small – a three-cylinder 660cc engine that outputs 63 horsepower. Doesn’t sound very much, does it? But, because of the roadster’s extremely light curb weight, it can still pull off a 0 to 60 mph time of just 8 seconds.

The Suzuki Cappuccino has earned cult status for a couple key features that distinguish it from many other roadsters of the time.

First, it has an extremely impressive rev range. Peak power output doesn’t come until 6,400 rpm, and the car redlines at 8,500 rpm. Suzuki did an extremely impressive job of delivering sports car performance in such a small, low-power roadster. It has powerful brakes and a perfect 50:50 weight distribution when both seats are occupied. It’s known to have extremely responsive steering and that 660cc engine is paired to a smooth-as-butter five-speed transmission.

The other really cool feature in the Suzuki cappuccino is its customizable three-part roof. It doesn’t have the fancy automatic retraction of today’s convertibles, but it makes up for it by offering four modes of configuration. You can have a hardtop coupe with all panels in place, a T-top by removing the two side panels, a targa top by removing the middle bar, or a full open-top cabriolet by removing the roll bar and rear window.

This 1992 Suzuki cappuccino is particularly well-kept. Only a few minor dings mar the car’s exterior, and the odometer has a mere 13,020 km on it. If you’d like to learn more, keep reading below for a full translation of the auction sheet:

“Grade 4, interior B, first registered 1992 (month not stated), 5-speed manual gearbox, power windows, one owner, 13020KM, black seats, AM steering wheel, original 14 inch alloy wheels, service book, fuel pump replaced, possibly has artifical leather seats, steering wheel worn, seats worn, paint marks and rust underneath vehicle, scratches and dents, front windscreen stone scratches, marks as per map”