The Suzuki Cappuccino is a great little 2 seater sports car. It was only built from 1991 to 1997 in Kosai, Japan when it was replaced with the C2. Exports to Europe and the UK were limited, so it is a really special car to own if you can find one.
The car was designed to meet strict size and weight restrictions so that it qualified for lower taxes and insurance in Japan. This resulted in a very light car, which weighed just 725kg. This means that the car feels much faster than it actually is. It has a turbocharged and inter-cooled DOHC, in-line three-cylinder, 657cc, 63 hp engine.
The hard top is removable, it is made up of 3 panels you can drive the car as a full convertible, a T-top or a hardtop. All 3 of the panels can be stored in the boot, but they take up 90% of the space available leaving very little room for much else.
The plant at Kosai produced 15,113 cars in the first 2 years, but 88% of these were sold in Japan and the rest in Asia. From 1993 the car was sold in the UK for 11,995. Only 1,182 were available to the UK, and they all sold within 2 years. 1,110 were registered in the UK, the other 72 were registered in other European countries. To meet UK regulations the car underwent 23 major changes.
In September 1995 new emissions standards lead to the car being withdrawn from the UK market. Suzuki had realised that the modifications needed to meet the new standards for cars sold after 1995 was too high. The last few cars that were registered prior to September 1995 had a new lighter engine with chain-driven camshafts, which helped improve the torque. There was also an option to add an automatic gearbox and power steering. If you are looking to buy one try to find one that was registered in 1995.
Although not many Cappuccinos were sold in the UK there are still quite a few around. You can buy them in reasonable condition for 1,500-4,500. They can be costly to maintain, but are still good fun to own and drive as a second car. There is also an owners club that will help with finding spares and give you lots of helpful advice.
For the best deal on Used Suzukis in Manchester, visit www.rrg-group.com where you can also find great offers onSuzukis in Manchester.
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