Portable mazda suitcase car for airports and travel
Back in the early 1990s, Mazda built a suitcase, a portable three-wheeled vehicle for airports that fits inside hard-shell luggage. A project originating from an internal competition called Fantasyard between 1989 and 1991, the sense The car was built by seven engineers from the company’s manual transmission test and research unit. They wanted a vehicle to get around airports faster, so the team bought a pocket bike and the largest Samsonite hard-shell suitcase, measuring 57cm by 75cm. They used components from the pocket bike, including the 33.6cc two-stroke engine that produces 1.7PS. The steering wheel went inside the case, the rear wheels were attached to the outside of the case and the front wheel went through a removable hatch in the front.
The Mazda Portable Suitcase Car can take about a minute to assemble. Workers turned the front wheel upright through the removable section and inserted the rear wheels. Then they attached the seat over the rear axle. Ultimately, the vehicle weighed 32 kilograms while the engine propelled it to a top speed of 30 km/h, or 19 mph. The concept car shared features with earlier Mazda vehicles in that it had three wheels, such as the 1931 Mazda-Go, which was a mechanical rickshaw sold in Japan. Then there’s the low center of gravity found on the previous MX-5 roadster. So far, the Mazda portable suitcase has never made it to production.
all images courtesy of Mazda UK
Two built-in versions, with the American one still available
The early 1990s marked changes at Mazda, as the company faced high demand for the MX-5 roadster. In 1991, Mazda became the first Japanese brand to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a rotary-engined car, the 787B. In the same year, Mazda introduced a rotary hydrogen concept called the HR-X. The company ran Fantasyard, where teams from different departments competed to create mobility ideas and engineers were given small budgets for their projects. From this event the Mazda portable suitcase became a reality as a concept car.
During its time, it received so much media attention that the company even built two versions (US and Europe). The European model was shown at the 1991 Frankfurt International Motor Show alongside the 787B racer, but the original prototype was destroyed in an accident months after the Fantasyard event. The American model still exists (probably owned by a collector), while the European one is missing. While the company never produced it, the Mazda pannier showcased a design direction for the company, one that focused on small, practical mobility.
the concept car could fit inside a hard Samsonite suitcase
the steering wheel went inside the case and the rear wheels were fitted to the outside of the case
the front wheel went through a removable hatch in the front
rear view of original vehicle
project information:
name: Suitcase car
