Oppid

## Fukorami Oppid

Latest generation Oppid, model shown in R trim

The Fukorami Oppid is a compact hatchback produced by Fukorami since 1966.

The name is derived from the Latin word "Oppidium" meaning town or city.

Since the introduction of the "R-Sport" back in 1987, the lightweight, front-wheel drive hatchback has attracted mountain racers in the Kanto and Hokkaido regions due to its peppy engine range, light weight, near-perfect balance and price.

## 1st gen, EH-64 platform

The 1st gen released back in 1966 immediately struck a cord with city-goers that needed a cheap and cheerful way to move around. The car only had a choice of two asthmatic engines, but it didn't matter, since almost all of the driving in Japan at that time was at low speeds. This platform lasted up until 1973.

## 2nd gen, EH-74 platform

Fukorami improved upon the 1st gen massively with their second gen released in 1974. The car now had peppier engines, and a more sophisticated suspension system. The EH-74 sold by the thousands in the USA, since it had the unique capability of running both on Unleaded and the cheaper Leaded fuel. The engines were so clean and economical that the car didn't need a catalytic-converter at all. Sales were brought to an end in 1981.

## 3rd gen, EH-84 platform

Released in 1982, the 3rd gen had a bad reputation. The car wasn't unreliable, quite the opposite, actually. The R-Sport variant released in 1987 was cheap to buy, which means it attracted younger, inexperienced street racers. Tragically, poor weather and inexperience behind the wheel cost over 300 R-Sport drivers their lives, Fukorami tried to recover by fitting a more sophisticated rear suspension system to the Rev 1, but the bad press kept on coming. Eventually sales came to and end in 1990

## 4th gen, EH-94, and EH-104 platform

Following the bad press of the EH-84, reviewers were skeptical at the newly released EH-94. In 1992 came Fukorami's new Oppid platform. Fukorami had done away with the crude torsion beam rear suspension, and instead fitted a much safer and controllable semi-trailing-arm setup. After a few years on the market, the Oppid had finally regained its reputation. The R-Sport was released in 1995, this time fitted with a 16L-GRI that revved to 8200rpm, and made 156hp out of its 1.6 litre capacity. In June of 1996, a motor review company released a report on the new R-Sport. They claimed that the car was prone to dangerous snap oversteer and that it was unsafe to drive. Sales of the R-Sport suffered once more, though this time, investigation into the testing methodology of the motor review company brought to light what had truly been going on. The motor review company had submitted a fraudulent review of the EH-94. Black suits could be heard in the video clip of the EH-94's test saying "If you don't make it snap, I will!". Fukorami and the motor review company settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. The platform received a revision and facelift in 1997. The horsepower of the R-Sport was raised to 162 and so was the rev limiter. The engine now screamed out until 8600rpm. Sales of the EH-94/104 came to an end in 2004.

## 5th gen, EH-114 platform

The EH-114 released in 2005 was a disappointment in many people's eyes. There was no hot version this time around, only a series of weedy engines ranging from a 1.6 litre naturally aspirated i4, to a 2.0 turbocharged i4. Even the 2.0 turbo made less than 160 horsepower, leaving much to be desired. Sales of the EH-114 were discontinued in 2008.

## 6th gen, EH-124 platform

The EH-124 released in 2009 was a comeback in some people's eyes. Fukorami had done away with their now decades old engine families and instead fitted the brand-new Oppid with the new G1 and G2 engine families. Also to make a comeback this time around was the R-Sport. The R-Sport now featured the G2-PTFI engine, which developed 210 horsepower. The new R-Sport also had a multi-link rear suspension system, and active dampers. The R-Sport set a hatchback world record around the Nurburgring with a time of 7:44.12. However, diehard R-Sport fans found the car bloated and heavy, which it was. The weight had gone from 1350kg in the EH-104 R-Sport, to over 1500kg in the EH-124 R-Sport. The car also had a tendency to understeer if pushed too hard into corners, not good. Another controversial move Fukorami made was putting a 6-speed twin-clutch gearbox in the EH-124 R-Sport. That would've been fine if it weren't for the fact that you couldn't opt for a manual. Many drivers hated this generation, and that reflected in its sale figures. the EH-124 R-Sport sold less than half of what the EH-94 did alone. Sales ended in 2014.

## 7th gen, EH-134 platform

The EH-134 came onto the market in 2015. It had kept the advanced suspension setup and strong engine range of the previous gen, but Fukorami engineers made the car ever so slightly smaller. the wheelbase was shortened by 20mm. this made the car snappier and chuckable. They had also fitted the car with aluminium body panels. The bonnet, bootlid and front doors were all aluminium, and it showed. The EH-134 was over 150kg lighter than the EH-124. The R-Sport kept the engine of its predecessor, only this time the engine was tuned to rev up to 8900rpm and produce over 250hp. They called this variant the G2-PTFRI. Many drivers and driving magazines praised the car's handling and straight-line speed. Autoworld Magazine was quoted saying - "Definitely one of the best cars we've ever driven, this has the capability to rival Grifones and Di Infernis". Sales ended in 2020. They had sold over 400,000 R-Sports alone.

## 8th gen, EH-144 platform

Fukorami released the brand-new EH-144 Oppid through a live unveil in January 2021. The regular Oppids now came with active AWD as an option, they were more spacious. A hybrid has been rumoured to be released later this year, with over 360 horsepower. The R-Sport was only sold as a 3-door this time, which meant it was lighter and more sporty. The G2-PTFRI was now tuned to a mind-boggling 320 horsepower. The R-Sport came with Fukorami's proprietary AWD system. The car had put on a bit of weight, another 50 kilograms or so, but it didn't matter. The newest generation of the R-Sport set a Nurburgring record of 7:39.65, reclaiming the Nurburgring track record for hot hatchbacks. Car magazines praised the car's AWD system. 0-60 was over within just 4.6 seconds. Sales are still riding high, and there have yet to be any controvercies as of now.