Welcome to the Kirk Lift!
Originally designed and built in 1986 to be sold to the military of third world countries, the Kirk Lift has been adapted to fit lifestyles around the world!
The version we are looking at today is the 1991 LX V6 trim.
Design
The 1991 Kirk Lift LX V6 was designed to bring a unique economy car to the masses in countries such as Austrailia, the US, Europe, and parts of Asia. To this end, it was designed to compete with the cheapest cars in those respective markets, running in the $8500 to $12,600 range. The body style is quite unique in it's segment. Effectively, it's a micro pickup truck. The "1.4L" V6 is kept up front and transverse mounted. (The engine was downsized to 1.3L when it was recently adapted to Multi-Port Fuel Injection. However, marketing kept the 1.4L name.) This is the FWD model, but AWD is available.
The chassis is shared with Kirk's other small cars, running MacPherson Struts up front and a Torsion Beam in the back, it drives more like an economy car than a pickup. It has been jacked up to 10.7 inches, however, which makes it far taller than it's car siblings. Drivability and Practicality are primary focuses here. This is an economy truck. And when we say economy truck, we mean it. The torsion beam in the rear has been reinforced over the car version, giving it a 3/4 ton capacity and 2000 pound towing limit. Not much compared to an F150, but great for it's size. That's all considering the micro truck itself weighs around 1400 pounds.
Overview
The Little Lift that could wants to be in your garage. It's easy to buy, easy to drive, easy to fix, easy to love. With good reliability, low maintenance costs, and great fuel economy, the Lift is highly accessible. But we didn't cheap out as much as you might think. Oh no. The interior rivals that of compacts costing twice as much, though it is half the size. 2 people will get to share this wondrous interior, all 10 cubic feet of it. The high durability fabrics are pleasant to the touch and easy clean up makes these great work horses.
Enjoy the the nice speedometer that proudly shows the 120MPH mark you may reach while going down hill all out. Enjoy a Tachometer that happily guides you through the 5 speed manual transmission. Enjoy a fuel gauge. Another gauge with a little sail boat symbol... Oh that's the coolant temperature gauge! Neat! That's about it. The cassette player's pretty cool! It's not just the run of the mill cassette deck. We're talking Dolby Hiss Reduction. Dedicated Tweeters Make this 4 speaker Pyle sound system work. Yeah it works. Usually. When it does it sounds pretty acceptable, too.
There's also a cigarette lighter and an ash tray, those are cool!
Since this isn't a trim for deployed militia, we have a few extra safety items. The side doors are reinforced, kind of. The steering wheel won't impair you in a collision. And it probably won't be totaled in a 5MPH fender bender. Oh, and it's made of metal. Not much of it, but it's metal!
Edit: Due to updated 1993 safety regulations, crumple zones and 5MPH bumpers were required to be added. That means you are slightly less likely to die when a Semi-Truck merges into you on the highway.
Engine
The engine is quite a beast. Almost 1.4L of pure fury! Multi-Port injection was added to make 40MPG possible! The little V6 is actually quite reliable. All the parts have been extensively battle tested, and are meant to withstand swamp, desert, tundra, etc. Between 2k & 5k RPM, you have a flat 70-75ft-lb of torque. It also happens to be where your engine is at it's best, so plan on running it there most of the time. The 24v SOHC allows the engine to rev smoothly all the way to 6.5k RPM.
Since this isn't a great deal of power, weight is a huge factor. Luckily, at around 1400 pounds, this guy is pretty quick with a light load.:
0-60 in 9.7 seconds will beat most economy cars (I mean, It's 1993), and pulling 0.88g in a turn is doable! To top it off, the 5 speed manual is a hoot, with easy & relatively short shifts. And it does have disk brakes, at least in the front! This means it will actually stop. And it might still stop with stuff in the back. There's no LSD or Power Steering & it's FWD, but does any of this matter when you only weight 1408lb and have 73HP?
The owner's manual does state that whenever towing, do not try to exceed 50MPH, and if towing over 1000 pounds, do not exceed 40MPH. Off-roading is also a blast in this car! While the AWD or 4x4 model work better for this, the ultra light FWD tends to float over obstacles anyhow. Loose sand, small rock and object, none of it stands a chance. This guy is HAPPY to take on a challenge.
The best part is Kirk can sell these cars at $12600, and still be make over $4000! That means they can be sold even less!
1991 FWD Kirk Lift LX V6: $10,3951991 AWD Kirk Lift LX V6: $11,695
Base models start at $7,995
Goodbye for now!
Edited on 1/30: Updated images to contain revised model updated for safety requirements. Updated write-up slightly to reflect the changes, while also fixing many 4AM typos.