Mitsubishi
Model A

Why it matters

The Model A is regarded by Mitsubishi as Japan's first series-produced passenger car and the starting point of the company's car business. Only 22 were assembled, prototypes included, making it one of the rarest Japanese production cars.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Mitsubishi began production of the Model A in 1917 at its Kobe shipyard; sales were handled by the Ote Company. By 1921 a total of 22 cars, including prototypes, had been assembled, after which production ended.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The car was built with a cast-iron engine, a chassis of beaten sheet metal and a body of lacquered steel panels fixed to a wooden frame. The sources consulted do not record chassis numbers or surviving originals.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Mitsubishi Motors – Car History Level A

   • 22 cars assembled at the Kobe shipyard 1917–1921, including prototypes

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Car History Level A Mitsubishi Motors Corporation

   • chassis of beaten sheet metal
   • lacquered steel panels stuck to a wooden frame

   Accessed 2026-11-12