The Daihatsu ‘Fellow MAX’, a commercial cargo van

Daihatsu produced and sold the Midget during the post-war reconstruction period, and together with the then Toyo Kogyo (now Mazda) was a major supporter of the Japanese economy. Later, the Fellow was the first car to enter the market as a kei-car rather than a cargo vehicle. Mr. Shigeru Besshi, an owner of the second-generation Fellow MAX, is an old car enthusiast. We asked him to tell us about his old car and the appeal of this event.

Total of four in the vintage car collection

Mr. Shigeru Besshi’s car at the 12th U-550 Old Light Car Meeting held in Ehime Prefecture, on 5 November 2023 was a 1972 Daihatsu Fellow MAX (L38V model) with an impressive body in beautiful condition.

He has always loved old cars and has driven a variety of them. As a result, he currently owns four other cars: an Isuzu 117 Coupe (PA95 model), a Nissan Silvia (first generation CSP311 model), and a Mazda Carol (first generation KPDA model).

“I originally loved the first-generation Silvia and got it about 15 years ago. I’ve had a lot of other cars, acquired and given away, and now I have these four cars left with me.”

This Fellow MAX he got from an acquaintance about 2 1/2 years ago.

“I knew the person had owned the car for about eight years but had only had it inspected once. It was just perfect timing as I also wanted to attend this U-550 old light car meeting and I wanted an old light car.”