The Daihatsu V series (Japanese: ダイハツ・Vシリーズ) is a series of cab over trucks, manufactured from 1958 to 1970. The V series was Daihatsu first four-wheeled vehicle since the Hatsudoki FA truck in 1937 (Daihatsu's former company name).[1] The V series' main rivals in the medium-weight four-wheel truck segment were Toyota Dyna, Nissan Caball, Isuzu Elf, Prince Homer and Mazda D-Series.
| Daihatsu V series | |
| Manufacturer: | Daihatsu |
| Production: | 1958–1970 |
| Assembly: | Ikeda, Osaka, Japan |
| Successor: | Daihatsu Delta |
| Class: | Medium truck |
| Body Style: | 2-door cab over pickup truck |
| Transmission: | 4-speed manual |
| Wheelbase: | 25001NaN1 (V100)[2] |
| Length: | 42501NaN1 (V100) 46601NaN1 (Vesta/V200)[3] |
| Width: | 16901NaN1 (Vesta/V100/200) |
| Height: | 19751NaN1 (Vesta/V100/200) |
| Weight: | 13150NaN0 (V100) |
| Related: | Daihatsu Light Bus |
The first Daihatsu V series truck was known as the Daihatsu Vesta.[4] This 2-ton class truck was released in 1958, competing in the same weight class as Daihatsu's own RKO three-wheeler truck. The engine was a 530NaN0 1.5 L v-twin engine shared with the Daihatsu RKO. In 1960, the engine was replaced with a new 680NaN0 1.5 L FA inline-four engine and renamed to Daihatsu V200.[4] In 1962, the displacement was increased to 1.9 L FB, the power also increased to 800NaN0 and a new 630NaN0 2.3 L DE diesel engine was added; this diesel model was marketed as the Daihatsu D200[4]
In 1964, a smaller 1.25-ton class was added with the 1.5 L FA engine, known as Daihatsu V100.[2] [5] This was followed by the 3-ton class Daihatsu V300 with the 950NaN0 2.4 L FD petrol engine and the Daihatsu D300 with the 720NaN0 2.5 L DG diesel engine.
In 1968, two new models were available, 1-ton and 1.5-ton class. This new 1-ton model also used the V100 name as did the 1.25-tonner, which caused some confusion in the market. The 1.5-ton was known as Daihatsu V150 and was also powered by the 1.5 L FA engine.[5]
There was also medium-sized bus series based from V series truck chassis, known as the Daihatsu Light Bus.
In October 1970, as a result of the business agreement with Toyota in 1967, the V series was replaced by the Toyota Dyna-based Daihatsu Delta.