Daihatsu Fellow Max - 550cc Era

550cc Era

In May 1976, responding to a change in the Kei car regulations, Daihatsu increased the Fellow Max' engine size to 547 cc and gave it a new chassis code (L40/L40V). The name remained, although the "Fellow" portion received less prominence and some marketing material simply referred to the car as the "Max 550". The new "AB10" four-stroke two-cylinder engine replaced the old two-cycle "ZM". This, developed with help from Toyota, was an overhead camshaft design (belt-driven) which also featured balance axles to smoothen the inherently imbalanced two-cylinder design. The AB10 engine was also briefly sold to Suzuki for use in the four-stroke version of their Fronte 7-S. The cleaner four-stroke offered less power than the revvy 360, down to 28 PS (21 kW) at 6,000 rpm. Torque increased somewhat, to 3.9 kg·m (38 N·m) at a significantly lower 3,500 rpm.

New bumpers meant length and width were up marginally to 3,120 mm (122.8 in) and 1,305 mm (51.4 in). Claimed top speed was 110 km/h (68 mph), somewhat lower than that of the 360. With Honda withdrawing from the Kei market segment, Daihatsu became the only maker to offer a Kei car featuring front-wheel drive. The Van used the front end and front doors from the two-door Max, but with a more square-rigged rear end featuring a split tailgate (divided horizontally) and a folding rear seat which allowed for a flat loading floor.