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Suzume 10S / 13G (Gen 1)
1975-1978

In early 1975, the Higashi Corporation was looking to expand from its core business of motorcycles. They were testing to see if the jump to manufacturing cars was viable. Putting out a call to other manufacturers, they made their 990cc sport bike motor available for examination and adaptation.

Having received a crate H-100 motor from the Higashi Corporation, Ardent's engineers went to work analyzing its strengths and weaknesses. While it had a phenomenal broad torque curve, there were improvements to be made to adapt the power plant to the preferences of Ardent's buyers.

The first result was little changed from the original, save for switching the intake and carb for a more familiar downdraft style. While not improving power, it did give a minor boost to the engine's bench efficiency.

Ardent's performance division also got involved in the redesign. They decided to change from a single carburetor to dual, but kept the sidedraft configuration originally penned by Higashi. A special crank and connecting rods were devised as a stroker kit for the existing design, compression was raised, and the camshaft was made less aggressive to bring power up in the lower band. This brought the rev limit down somewhat so the new conrods weren't stressed too much. Power for this new 1302cc configuration rose to 79.5 HP and 72.1 ft-lb of torque. The original torque curve was preserved for the most part, and development of horsepower was very smooth.

With Ardent giving platform information back to Higashi, in the form of their recently designed Piper subcompact sedan, it was only natural for this series to be the test bed. Ardent diverted two test bodies for the yet-unreleased hatchback version of the Piper, and the hybrid Higashi motors were installed.

Thus started Ardent's captive import brand: Suzume. The 10 S and 13G were the first models borne of that collaboration.



Despite the small motor, performance was still quite respectable. The Suzume 13G could reach 100km/h in 10.4 seconds, had a top speed of 115 MPH, and still managed 37.9 miles to the gallon. Seating for 5 was standard, as was power steering and a 5-speed manual transmission. Ardent applied the same safety features on the Suzume that were found across their entire small-car lineup, including 3-point safety belts with pretensioners up front, tempered glass, 5MPH bumpers, and more.

A smaller, less expensive option was offered as well, dubbed the 10S. It was only available with a 4 speed manual, had narrower tires, and could barely make 100 MPH. Performance wasn't thrilling, but despite the underpowered engine it still managed 37 MPG.

While there were initial concerns that the motors required a lot more labor and attention to detail than Ardent's typical small cars entailed, they did manage to get a foothold within the company's strategic plan. This grew over time. Little more than a decade later, Suzume's parent company all but ended the use of pushrods in passenger vehicle engines, replacing them with overhead cam technology gained from these early imports.

(Source: Manche's "2 doors good 4 doors better" Community Challenge)

Numeric stats for comparison (10S/13G)...
Tameness: 49.6/44.1
Sportiness: 13.9/22.8
Comfort: 17.2/16.3
Prestige: 9.0/10.6
Safety: 16.4/16.7
MSRP (In Automation Dollars): 10999/12999

Suzume Kaminari G (Gen 1)
1979-1983

The Suzume product engineering team had longed to create a sports coupe ever since they had split from Ardent. The Ardent Marathon had been struggling through the 70's, and Suzume didn't want their parent company to go without a sporty two-door. They put pen to paper starting in 1976, and the resulting prototype was ready in early '78. It was presented to Ardent's headquarters as a possible replacement for the large pony car.

It was rejected out of hand. Ardent's engineers had just come up with their own turbo power to refresh the Marathon, and they didn't want their customers to be confused by a sudden body (and significant size) change.

Suzume was greenlighted to produce limited numbers of the coupe under their own marque, and production began in time for the 1979 year.



The Kaminari (available in base S and turbocharged G trims) were not as powerful as their Ardent stablemates, but their light, compact bodies made up for it. As a sports coupe for the world market, Kaminari delivered. It was, however, met with some skepticism in the US. Suzume hoped to shatter the remaining resistance to their brain child with a redesign...

Suzume Kaminari GS-R (Gen 2)
1984-1988

Though the market for gas-guzzling sports cars had taken a second hit during the early to mid 80's Suzume was determined not to let its sports coupe become a historical footnote. Instead, they upped the ante with its new GS-R trim, doubling the number of carburetors and upping the displacement from 2.0 to a shy 2.9 liters. Power was up to a tire-scorching 258 horsepower. Suzume also raised eyebrows by letting it be known that this was "just the street version", and that they would participate in Group B rally.



Creature comforts were applied a little more liberally on the 2nd gen Kaminari than its predecessor, moving the car a bit upscale not only in performance, but in luxury as well. It was no longer just a poor man's sport option.

Though they never officially published specifications for the Rally version, it is known that Suzume ditched the carbs for a high end fuel injection system, and replaced the already respectable turbo with one that was described as "just a little unhinged".