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Daihatsu Fellow X90

1989

The Daihatsu Fellow 90, known in Japan as the Daihatsu Fellow 90 (ダイハツフエロー90), was a small three-door, four-seat car built by Daihatsu.

Its styling was unconventional, with a rounded rear treatment that recalled much older cars and drew criticism for looking out of step with contemporary design. Its appeal lay instead in its engineering and equipment. It featured four-wheel steering, doors with double hinges, a T-roof arrangement, an electrically retractable rear window, and a flat interior floor. Frameless door windows combined with removable glass roof panels above the doors allowed the car to be partially converted into an open-top configuration. Additional comfort features included four individual seats, large digital instrument displays, fully automatic climate control, an audio system with a CD changer, remote central locking, ABS, and an airbag.

Despite its compact length of 350 cm, built on a 240 cm wheelbase, the Fellow 90 was fitted with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder, 16-valve OHC engine producing 120 hp at 6300 rpm and 140 Nm of torque at 4800 rpm. Power reached the wheels through a three-speed automatic transmission, with titanium disc wheels shod in comparatively wide 185/70 R15 tyres. Thanks to its four-wheel steering system, the car achieved a turning radius of just 3.9 metres. It weighed 850 kg, with a width of 163 cm and a height of 141.5 cm.

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