The Toyota Publica was a small car manufactured by Toyota from 1961 to 1978, designed to meet the Japanese Government’s “national car concept”. It was the smallest Toyota car during that period, with a range of body styles including sedan, station wagon, convertible, coupé, and a coupe utility version. The coupe utility model outlived the others by a decade and inspired other Toyota models like the Sports 800 and MiniAce.

The Publica’s development can be traced back to the Ministry of International Trade and Industry’s (MITI) “national car” concept announced in 1955. This concept set specific requirements for the vehicle, including a maximum speed over 100 km/h, weight below 400 kg, and fuel consumption not exceeding 30 km/L at an average speed of 60 km/h on a level road. An interesting requirement was for the car to not break down or require significant repairs for at least 100,000 kilometres.

Key Points:
– The Toyota Publica was a small car manufactured from 1961 to 1978 to meet the Japanese Government’s “national car concept”.
– It was the smallest Toyota car of its time and was available in various body styles, including sedan, station wagon, convertible, coupé, and a coupe utility version.
– The coupe utility model outlived the other variants by a decade and inspired other Toyota models like the Sports 800 and MiniAce.
– The Publica’s development was influenced by

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