Front styling

The friendly looking front mask features a trapezoidal grille and round projector headlamps. It's a unique design that's also paired up with the rear-end design.

Rear styling

With the lamps sporting the same image as that of their front-end equivalents, the equally unique rear styling is almost identical to the front. The rear combination lamp is a new 100% indirect lighting type employing a geometric-patterned reflector inside a clear lens.

Interior

Metallic trims add a dash of brilliance to the sporty black tone of the interior. The instrument panel parts are joined with only the smallest possible intermediate gaps to produce instrument panel with an integrated feel. The result is a high-quality and sports-minded interior.

Active Top

One of the most attention-grabbing features of the Copen, the Active Top (electrically operated folding roof) folds into the boot, or covers the cabin from the folded position, in approximately 20 seconds. This means you can enjoy the wide-open feel of the open sports car and the comfort of the coupe without having to panic at a sudden change in the weather. Compared with the conventional soft top, the hard top excels in weatherability and is much quieter.

Engine

The JB-DET engine, designed exclusively for the Copen, generates sufficient torque from the low rev range. The driver feels the torque increase linearly from startup and the engine responds directly to pressure on the throttle pedal.

(1) Dual flow turbo

Two pipes are used to funnel the exhaust gas into the turbine, improving the boost efficiency in the low rev range, and delivering a powerful and high-torque run from the low to high rev ranges.

(2) Small diameter turbo

Small-diameter impellers are used for the turbine. By optimizing their size, a direct acceleration response is realized.

(3) Abradable seal structure

The compressor housing incorporates a resin material which minimizes the clearance between the compressing wheel and the case to further raise turbo-charging efficiency. Powerful torque from the low rev range drives the car with indefatigable acceleration.

Highly rigid body and sporty suspension

Including the double cross beams in the centre of the body, a total of five braces are employed in addition to the effective use of reinforcements and an increased wall thickness for the centre tunnel. This results in a highly rigid, firm body, while the short wheelbase contributes to the vehicle's magnificent manoeuvrability and agility. Thanks also to the optimally tuned suspension, the Copen provides a smooth and compliant ride with great stability.

Special tuned suspension

Special tuned front and rear springs and dampers further increase the Copen's driving performance. The rear dampers, in particular, are of a separate-pressure type with an independent tank. (OPT for EU only)

Light weight body

Aluminium materials are used unsparingly for the main body parts to realize a comfortable ride in a super lightweight body.

by Daihatsu

A two-door roadster, the Copen was constructed by the Japanese car company Daihatsu and debuted at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show as the Copen concept. Based on Daihatsu's front-wheel-drive light-car platform, the Copen featured an aluminium retractable hardtop. Originally, the Copen was designed with a 660 cc turbocharged engine to stay within Japanese kei car regulations. Unfortunately it no longer meets environmental emissions standards in various countries, so to run in these countries, it was fitted with a more powerful 1.3 L powerplant. The top speed of the Copen was 106 mph and could ac

hieve 0-62 mph in 11.7 seconds.

To meet the Kei class guidelines, the Copen is one of a strange breed of vehicles, the 'K' class cars being small in proportions in also in their engine sizes in a bid to reduce congestion in Japanese cities. Most of these vehicles are boxy with tall shapes to maximize the space on the road. Though tiny, the Copen is an impressive little machine with a folding hardtop.

Two new models of the Copen were introduced at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show, a 1.31 and ‘ZZ'. The Daihatsu Copen was featured in Gran Turismo 4 and Gran Turismo 5 prologu. The Copen's nearest competitor is the Smart Roadster-Coupe. 'Cute' and fun, the Copen is aimed more at the female market, due to its small interior, while taller and larger men would probably find the cabin to be cramped. Considered by some to be a ‘frivolous' machine, the Copen is a stand-alone convertible model in the Daihatsu range, but in the UK it's the only Kei class sporting car available.

by Jessican Donaldson