Have you ever seen one of these in the United States?
The car I found in the Japanese market is a Daihatsu Storia 1.3 CZ with a 5-speed manual transmission.
It has about 45,000 miles on the odometer, and it appears to have been carefully maintained and kept in largely original, unmodified condition.
The Storia was introduced in 1998 as Daihatsu’s compact hatchback. It was also sold by Toyota in Japan as the Duet through an OEM partnership.
At just about 12 feet long, the Storia is small even by modern compact-car standards. It also weighs only around 1,875 pounds.
But this is not a car you should judge by its appearance.
Under the hood is a 1.3-liter K3-VE2 DOHC inline-four. Despite being naturally aspirated, it produces about 108 hp, with peak power arriving at 7,000 rpm.
Around 1,875 pounds.
About 108 hp.
A 5-speed manual.
Even on paper, you can tell this is more than an ordinary economy hatchback.
This is not the kind of engine that relies on a huge wave of low-end torque. Instead, the fun comes from taking advantage of the lightweight chassis, revving the engine out, and working the manual transmission.
It is a combination that has become increasingly rare in modern cars.
Of course, there was an even more extreme version of the Storia called the X4, a purpose-built turbocharged model known for rallying and dirt-trial competition.
But this 1.3 CZ is something different.
It is not turbocharged, and it is not a special competition model.
It is simply a naturally aspirated, front-wheel-drive 1.3-liter car dressed up as an ordinary five-door hatchback.
And that is exactly what makes it so interesting.
From the outside, it looks like a typical small Japanese hatchback from the early 2000s.
Rounded headlights. A tall five-door body. Almost nothing about it suggests that it was designed to be particularly sporty.
But underneath that innocent appearance is a roughly 1,875-pound car with about 108 hp and a 5-speed manual transmission.
Even better, there is a good chance this car could be imported to the United States for a total cost of around $10K.
In the U.S., the Daihatsu Storia is virtually nonexistent. You are unlikely to see another one at a local cars and coffee, let alone on your daily commute.
It may look friendly and almost cute, but underneath, it is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
And in Japan, clean, unmodified examples like this will only become harder to find.
So why not bring a small Japanese car like this to America and enjoy something you may never have another chance to own?
