Rescued unit that had been sleeping in a warehouse for 18 years
“I have admired this car since it was first announced, but due to its price and rarity, I was never able to acquire it. But I couldn’t give up on the idea, and I kept searching for 18 years.”
The current owner of QVOLT, Mr. Yuki Mizuguchi, is a “small car collector” who also owns many mopeds and other vehicles, and is a veterinarian who runs a veterinary clinic in Saitama.
Mr. Mizuguchi’s enthusiasm in pursuit of the QVOLT may have been a match made in heaven, as he discovered that one of the nine cars produced was sitting in a warehouse in almost new condition. After continued negotiations with the relevant parties, Mr. Mizuguchi’s enthusiasm as a “small car collector” was recognised and the actual car was transferred to him.
Mizuguchi-san came to us with chassis number “1”. It was the same chassis that was used for the QVOLT catalogue photo shoot, and on the bonnet was a handwritten signature with the words “Akira Toriyama”.
The first car used for the catalogue shoot successfully obtained a number
“The battery was all but unusable and every part of the car was damaged after 18 years of neglect, but we restored it painstakingly and successfully obtained the number in 2023. Apart from the addition of LED lights, a voltmeter and an anti-theft system, it is exactly as it appeared in the catalogue at the time.”
The engine is currently in good condition and participates in neighbourhood events. Of the nine vehicles produced in total, Mr Mizuguchi is aware of only six at the moment.
“We know the whereabouts of up to six of them each for Mr Toriyama and Shueisha, three in the Kanto and Chūbu regions, and my car the remaining three are unknown. Perhaps they have been scrapped.”
Although the challenging business of Choro-Q motors itself did not make it big, the limited edition QVOLT model left a solid mark on the margins of Japanese automobile history, and will continue to shine brightly in Mr. Mizuguchi’s “small car collection”.
translated by DeepL
