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The Type A engine was a straight-6 engine produced from 1935 through 1947 by Toyota.

The Type B was a technically more advanced version of the Type A.

The Type C was a straight-4 engine derived from the Type A.

Many parts were interchangeable between the Type A, Type B and Type C engines (eg pistons, valves, rods). Many of the same parts were also interchangeable with the Chevrolet Stovebolt engine, from which it was derived.

The Type E was a copy of a DKW engine.

The Type S was a straight-4 engine that replaced the Type A, B and C in Toyota's passenger cars.

[edit] Type A

The Type A engine was Toyota's first production engine, being produced from 1935 through 1947.

This engine was a 3.4 L (3389 cc, 206.8 cu in) pushrod, overhead valve, 6-cylinder, 3 bearing engine copied from the Chevrolet 3 bearing Stovebolt engine. It produced 62 HP (the Chevrolet engine produced only 60HP) by virtue of a modified intake manifold. GM used a number of local Japanese suppliers for the smaller engine parts (eg carburettors). Toyota was able to use the same suppliers for its cars. The parts were identical enough that pistons, rods, valves, etc could be used in both the Chevrolet and Toyota engines interchangeably. There are several recorded instances of Toyota parts being used to fixed second hand Chevrolets. ^[1]

Toyota had initially considered copying the Ford flathead V8 because it was the most popular engine in Japan at the time. However, the machining of 2 separate banks of cylinders would add too much to the production cost, so the Chevrolet engine was copied instead.^[1]

Other references to the Chevy engine claim different power figures. It must be remembered that different manufactures used different measuring techniques (eg with or without the generator/alternator connected), engines differed from year to year and that some manufacturers simply lied. In this case, Toyota did back to back comparisons using the same techniques, so it is likely that the Toyota engine did in fact produce slightly more power than the Chevy engine on which it was based. It must also be remembered that the Chevy engine was likely to be a year or two old, so the current Chevy engine may have produced even more power.

[edit] Applications

• A1 prototype car,
• AA sedan
• AB cabriolet
• G1 truck
• GA truck

[edit] Type B

The 3.4 L (3389 cc, 206.8 cu in) Type B was produced from 1937 through 1955 as a more technically advanced version of the Type A. It had a 4 bearing crank (same as the 1937 version of the Chevrolet Stovebolt engine).

The Type B was succeeded by the similar 3.9 L Type F in 1955. The Type F is rumoured to have been based on the Chevrolet 235 engine in the same way that the Type A and Type B were based on the Chevrolet engines of their times.

An unrelated 6 cylinder diesel engine introduced in the 1970's was also called the Type B.

[edit] Applications

• AC sedan,
• GB truck
• BJ Jeep (later renamed the Land Cruiser)
• BH26 Police Patrol Car
• BH28 Ambulance

[edit] Type C

The 2.3 L (2259 cc, 137.9 cu in) Type C was produced from 1939 through 1941. It was formed by removing 2 cylinders from a Type A engine.

[edit] Applications

• AE sedan,
• AK 4WD,

[edit] Type E

The 0.6 L (585 cc, 35.7 cu in) Type E was produced in 1938 only for the prototype EA sedan. It was a copy of the engine used in the DKW F-7.

[edit] Applications

• EA FWD sedan (a copy of the DKW F-7).
• EB RWD sedan.

[edit] Type S

The 1 L (995 cc, 60.7 cu in) Type S was produced from 1947^[4] through 1959. It was a completely new design that was not based on any other engine.

[edit] Applications

• SA sedan,
• SB light truck,
• SC sedan,
• SD sedan,
• SF sedan,
• SG light truck,
• SKB medium size truck,
• ST10 Corona,

[edit] See also

• List of Toyota engines
• Toyota AA passenger car
• Toyota G1 truck

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Japan's Toyota with Stovebolts", Bob Hall, in "Special-Interest Autos", Mar-Apr 1977
2. ^ ^{a b c} Toyota Land Cruiser Data Library
3. ^ ^{a b c} "The Japanese Automobile Industry: Technology and Management at Nissan & Toyota", Michael Cusumano, Cambridge (Mass.) & London: The Harvard Univ. Press, 1985, ISBN 067447256X
4. ^ "Fifty Years of Toyota Concept Cars", in "the wheel extended", vol 17, no.3, 1987, Toyota Motor Corporation, ISSN 0049-755X