A famous collector in the classic car world
At a classic car event, we found a Daihatsu Midget with a huge collection of miniature cars and other goods lined up inside. We thought this collection was something out of the ordinary, so we approached the owner, Mr. Ryoichi Ohashi. He is a collector of Daihatsu Compagno Berlina and Compagno Spyder, and who is well-known in the classic car world.
Daihatsu is his business and his hobby
A Daihatsu Midget was found at the 8th Old Car Festival in Misumi 2023, held on 19 November 2023 in Kumamoto Prefecture. Although it had been used, scratched, and rusted, it was easy to imagine that it must have been carefully stored. However, when we actually spoke to Mr Ohashi, he was a Daihatsu enthusiast of a level far beyond our expectations.
“I have been a service adviser at Daihatsu since I was 18 years old. I first drove a Consorte, then a Charade Turbo (G11), Compano Berlina and its Spyder, and in any case, I’ve only driven Daihatsu cars.”
Saying this, he showed me a certain classic car magazine in which he had been interviewed more than ten years ago. In the picture was a smiling Mr Ohashi with many Compagno Berlina and Compagno Spyder cars. At that time, he owned more than 20 cars. He is currently in possession of more than 30 cars, including those he collects for parts, and is said to be a collector of the level of “these two models must be the most owned in Japan”.
Mr. Ohashi had never owned a Midget before. If we look at the history of Daihatsu, it is not an exaggeration to say that it was the three-wheeled cars that supported the transitional period before Daihatsu specialized in the four-wheel business, starting with the first car, the HA-type, which was introduced in 1930, and the Midget, which was a big hit when it was introduced in 1957, was an important car model that set the course for the rest of Daihatsu’s future.
He discovered that a total of three such Midgets, together with a parts collection car, were being sold together in the buy/sell section of a certain magazine. Moreover, they happened to be from the same prefecture, Kumamoto, so he decided to take over the vehicles.
