Yamada Rhythm

1998 Yamada Rhythm RS-GT

### Layout

Transverse front-engine, front-wheel-drive (1977-1986), (1993-2002)Longitudinal front-engine, front-wheel-drive (1987-1993)

## Chronology

### Successor

Yamada Grazia Coupe

The Yamada Rhythm is a sports car produced by Japanese automaker Yamada from 1977 to 2002. The coupe for a time was loosely based off of the Grazia's platform, but later moved to a platform shared by cars like the [placeholder] for its third generation, before moving towards a platform shared with cars like the ASR-4.

The Rhythm concluded production in 2002, citing declining sales and a new company direction as Yamada shifted its business strategy towards MPVs and crossovers.

Like many of Yamada's cars, it is named after a musical term.

## Powertrain

### Engine

1999cc FZ20S 20-valve inline-51999cc FZ20S-T 20-valve inline-5 turbo

## Dimensions

### Weight

1,049 kg - 1,100 kg

The third generation Rhythm was released to the Japanese Domestic Market on May 20th, 1987. For the third generation, the styling moved away from the preceding car and back towards its roots, opting for fixed headlights and a more rounded shape. This was part of a bid for Yamada to move more upmarket, attempting to compete with its other Japanese rivals in establishing a luxurious image.

Unusual for a Japanese car, the Rhythm now featured Yamada's all-new 5-cylinder single-overhead-cam FZ20S engine. This was the only engine available with the car, and was mated to either a 4-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual. The all-aluminum engine made 155 PS (152.8 hp) at 6,300 RPM, and 190 N-m (141.5lb-ft) at 4,800 RPM, and had a 6800 RPM redline. It was Innovative for its time with features like a variable length intake manifold, and specially-formed headers that focused on extracting as much power and efficiency out of the engine as possible.

The size of the engine meant that it wouldn't be able to fit transversely like other Yamadas, meaning that the Rhythm, along with its platform-sharing brethren, had its engine mounted longitudinally, with the transmission at the bottom of the engine, which raised the hoodline and forced the cabin more rearwards. To counteract this, engineers opted to include double wishbone suspension on the front, as well as tilting the engine twelve degrees to the right to allow them to retain a hoodline almost as low as the previous generation.

It was available in multiple trim levels, ranging from the base "X" model, all the way up to the more luxurious "RX". Differences usually were interior upholstery as well as some minor exterior changes like differing grille patterns. Anti-lock braking remained optional on all models until 1989 when it became standard, and in 1990 Traction Control became available as an option. Engine and engine power levels remained all the same throughout, with the exception of 1990's Active Turbo trim. All trims featured a sunroof as standard.

The Rhythm in its third generation was now much larger than its predecessors, matching with Yamada's desired image during the latter part of the 1980s of being more premium than its rivals. However, the new engine configuration seemed largely unpopular with buyers, and for the fourth generation, Yamada would return the Rhythm to its roots with a more traditional 4-cylinder engine.

#### Rhythm Active Turbo (1990)

In 1990, Yamada released a version of the Rhythm equipped with a variable geometry turbocharger exclusively for the Japanese market. The compressor featured reinforced air vanes that moved according to the throttle levels, engine load, and transmission gearing above 2,100 RPM and were controlled by a 32-kilobyte computer that was shared with the fuel injection system. The turbocharger created about 0.8 bar of boost at full load, and allowed the engine to produce 195 PS (193 hp) at 6,000 RPM, and 275 N-m (205 lb-ft) at 3,700 RPM. Because of the additional torque, none of Yamada's automatic transmissions at the time were able to handle the strain, and as such only a manual was offered with this trim.

The name "Active Turbo" was never an official name for the vehicle. Yamada simply called it the Rhythm Turbo, but the "Active" came following a magazine article about the vehicle that later became popularly adopted. Despite the popularity however, sales were slow, and less than half a thousand of these turbocharged variants would be made, making them exceedingly rare.

The Active Turbo variant can be distinguished by a series of white-and-red "TURBO" badge on the grille, door pillars, and trunklid. Additional vents were placed around the front to allow more air to enter the turbocharger. Melody Pearlescent White with body colour trim was the only option available to buyers, and so were its matching colour 16-inch alloy wheels on P205/55R tyres.