The R360 was Mazda's first real car - a two-door, two-seat coupe. Introduced in 1960, it featured a short 69 inch (1753 mm) wheelbase and weighed just 838 lb (380 kg). It was powered by a rear-mounted air-cooled 356 cc V-twin engine putting out about 16 hp (12 kW) and 16 ft·lbf (22 Nm) of torque. The car was capable of about 52 mph (84 km/h). It had a 4-speed manual or two-speed automatic transmission. The suspension, front and rear, was rubber "springs" and torsion bars.
Within a few years of introducting the R360, Mazda had captured much of the lightweight (keicar) market in Japan. It was augmented by the Mazda P360 "Carol" 2+2 in 1962, as well as a convertible version in 1964. Production of the R360 lasted for six years.
