Mitsubishi 500 Review: Generations and Which Version to Buy
Overview of the Mitsubishi 500 two-door sedan (1960–1962): its single generation, the 21 hp 0.5 MT version, and buying advice.
The Mitsubishi 500 is a two-door sedan produced from 1960 to 1962, powered by a 21 hp engine across its lineup. It suits collectors and enthusiasts of early Japanese microcars who want a compact, mechanically simple rear-wheel-drive classic rather than a daily driver.
Mitsubishi 500 generations
1 generation (1960–1962)
The first and only generation of the Mitsubishi 500 was built from 1960 to 1962 exclusively as a two-door sedan. Every car in the range produced 21 hp, and the lineup counted a single modification. The Mitsubishi 500 0.5 MT (1 generation) pairs a 493 cc engine with a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive, and it stood as the mass version of the model.
The simplicity of the range is its defining trait: across 1960–1962 there was one body style (the two-door sedan), one engine displacement (493 cc), one gearbox type (manual), and one drive layout (rear-wheel drive). The power spread of the generation runs from 21 hp to 21 hp — a single figure — so there is no automatic option and no alternative body to weigh, and the choice within the generation comes down to condition rather than specification.
Which Mitsubishi 500 to buy
- 0.5 MT (1 generation): the mass version of the model, with a 493 cc engine producing 21 hp through a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive.
Buying used means buying a car that is over sixty years old, since production ended in 1962. The upside of the single-modification range is that any Mitsubishi 500 you find is mechanically the same 0.5 MT specification — 493 cc, 21 hp, manual, rear-wheel drive — which makes comparing candidate cars straightforward: differences between examples come down to condition and completeness, not trim or drivetrain.
Summary
The Mitsubishi 500 (1960–1962) is a short-lived, single-generation two-door sedan with one modification: the 0.5 MT with a 493 cc engine, 21 hp, a manual gearbox, and rear-wheel drive. With no automatic, no alternative bodies, and no power spread across the range — 21 hp from the first car to the last — there are no dominated versions to avoid and no configuration decisions to make. The model is best approached as a piece of early Mitsubishi passenger-car history: pick the best-preserved example rather than hunting for a particular specification, because there is only one.