Type 95 reconnaissance car

Type 95

Russian soldiers posing with a captured Type 95 following the Battle of Khalkin-Gol
Overview
Manufacturer Tokyu Kurogane Kogyo
Production 1936–1944
Assembly Japan
Designer Tetsushi Makita
Body and chassis
Class All-terrain vehicle
Body style 2-door roadster
2-door pickup truck
4-door phaeton
Layout Front-engine, four-wheel-drive layout
Powertrain
Engine 1.2 L (prototype)
1.3 L
1.4 L
air-cooled, OHV V-twin 2 cylinder engine
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,000 mm (78.7 in)
Length 3,600 mm (141.7 in)
Width 1,300 mm (51.2 in)
Curb weight 1,100 kg (2,425.1 lb)

The Type 95 reconnaissance car was a Japanese scout car built by Tokyu Kurogane Manufacturing Industry (東急くろがね加工産業, 工業 Tokyu Kurogane Kōgyō Kabushiki-gaisha), and was used during the war with China and World War II in the East. Between 1936 and 1944 approximately 4,700 were built. It was the only completely Japanese designed reconnaissance car ever used by the Imperial Japanese Army, which tended to use civilian cars.

It was the first four-wheel-drive vehicle placed into mass production before the Willys MB (Jeep), which was introduced in 1941, the Volkswagen Schwimmwagen introduced in 1942, and the GAZ-61 in 1938. Its nickname is the "Yonki" (よんき) which in Japanese means "woodpecker".

The Type 95 could accommodate only 3 persons - two in the front and one in the back. The two-cylinder, four-stroke, air-cooled gasoline engine, which developed 33 PS (24 kW; 33 hp) @ 3,300rpm, was an advantage in cold climates encountered in China and it had 4-wheel drive, using a gearshift activated transfer case to engage the front wheels. It was unarmed and unarmored. It had advantages that the Type 97 motorcycle used by the Japanese Army, which was limited by not being able to negotiate off-road conditions, and limited troop mobility capabilities. It had tall, narrow wheels which helped it to travel over rough terrain, mud and snow.

In 2013, an example built in 1938 was found in a repair shop in Kyoto, having fallen into disrepair. It underwent an extensive restoration process that was crowd-funded for restoration costs amounting to ¥13.24 million, and having been added to a Japanese military museum.[1] A video was made of the car's unveiling, showing the restored vehicle and engine running, which can be seen at the NHK World website.[2]

See also

External links

  1. ↑ "Worlds first 4WD car". Japanese Nostalgic Car. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "Kurogane Type 95 restored". NHK World. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
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