"The front-engine, rear-wheel drive open-top that started a 2-seater Kei car trend in Japan."

The Cappuccino, the kei car released by Suzuki in November 1991, was a car that demonstrated these efficient mini automobiles could be stylish and sporty, joining the ranks of the now legendary Honda Beat and Mazda Autozam AZ-1.

The Cappuccino's front-engine/rear-wheel drive layout helped differentiate it from the mid-engine configuration of the previously mentioned Beat and AZ-1. But what really set this Suzuki apart from the others was the fact that while most of them shared major components with other kei cars to help keep costs down, the Cappuccino featured an all-original body designed exclusively for this application.

Its stylized body was defined by a round form with a long nose section, accompanied by an innovative panelized roof that could be easily removed in three sections. Starting as a hardtop, it transformed into a T-bar roof, a targa top or, with the rear window lowered, a full open-top car. Powering the Cappuccino was a turbocharged 657 cc DOHC 12-valve inline-3 that produced 63 BHP. Beginning with the 1995 model, the engine became an all-aluminum unit, and the car's weight distribution was improved to a nearly perfect...