8 Car Manufacturers That Started Out Making Something Entirely Different
Some of the biggest companies of the automotive world started out in life making completely different products. Here are 8 of them.
1. Mazda
The famous Japanese automaker Mazda was founded in 1920 as Toyo Cork Kogyo, a company that made artificial cork, drilling equipment, lamps, small machinery, and briefly, motorcycles. However, business wasn't great, and in the 30's, after Jujiro Matsuda took over, the company started producing motor vehicles. They changed their name to Mazda, and proceeded to become one of the world's biggest car manufacturers.
2. Jaguar
Swallow Sidecar Company was founded in 1922 in Blackpool by Sir William Lyons. The company, as the name suggests, was into the booming business of building and selling motorcycle sidecars. Over time, the company became more and more succesful, and had a go at building cars, changing their name to SS Cars Limited. But at the end of the war, a more unfortunate combination of letters was nearly unthinkable, so they very quickly changed it to Jaguar. The SS E-Type doesn't have quite the same friendly ring to it, does it?
Swallow Sidecar By ...some guy (1935 Norton Model 18) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
I swear I haven't made this logo up... via Motorcar.net - https://motor-car.net/ss/item/10303-ss-cars-history
3. Toyota
Long before Toyota made Priuses, the worlds biggest car manufacturer was known as Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, and they produced looms that stopped automatically if the thread snapped, allowing one man to operate multiple looms. An English company bought the license to build Toyoda's loom in Europe, and with that money the son of Toyoda, Kiichiro Toyoda, founded his own car making divison of his fathers company. The car manufacturing division of Kiichiro over time grew to overshadow the loom making division, but Toyota still sells looms.
Toyoda Looms, via 2000GT.net - http://2000gt.net/Histoire/Toyota1.php
4. Suzuki
Suzuki, much like Toyota, started out in life in the textile industry. The company produced automated looms, but Michio Suzuki soon realised that he would have to diversify if he wanted to stay in business. So, in 1937, he turned to cars. Sadly, this adventure didn't last long, because the war effort required his factories. Once the war was over, Suzuki briefly returned to producing looms, but after the cotton market crashed, he dropped loom making in favour of motorcycles, and then expanded its efforts to cars.
A Suzuki Loom, via - http://hamamatsu-daisuki.net/lan/en/greatmen/greatmen04.html
5. Lamborghini
One of the car worlds fiercest rivalries started when Ferruccio Lamborghini, a wealthy tractor builder who owned a Ferrari 250 GT, complained to Enzo about the clutch. Enzo allegedly told Lamborghini that he should stick to building tractors because he 'knew nothing of sports cars'. This infuriated Ferruccio, who went and built a sports car of his own. Lamborghini remained the name of his tractor building company, but the two Lamborghinis are no longer connected.
Ferruccio with his two creations, via Wikipedia - See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
6. Peugeot
Peugeot is a family company that is older than the car itself, so naturally, they weren't always in the automobile business. In fact Peugeot, founded in 1810, sold everything from coffee mills, pepper grinders, and bicycles to umbrella frames and saw blades, and much in between. But one member of the Peugeot family, Armand Peugeot, took a particular interest in cars, which led to a Peugeot automobile company being founded in 1896. But until recently, Peugeot were still producing bicyles as well. You can't lose if you bet on every horse in the race.
via Says.com - http://says.com/my/lifestyle/surprising-original-products-of-the-world-s-most-famous-brands-today
7. Saab
Svenska Aeroplan AB, or Saab, is originally, as the name suggests, a fighter aircraft manufacturer. In order to diversify, they started making cars in 1949. They never fully transitioned to producing only cars, and when their car making division went bankrupt in 2012, Saab itself wasn't in much trouble. They still produce fighter aircraft and even rocket lauchers. You wouldn't think that the company behind the friendly looking Swedish family cars make rocket lauchers capable of taking out tanks, but they do.
Saab B17B, via - https://www.rc-europe.eu/vliegtuigen/jerry-bates-plans/kits/tekening-saab-b17-dive-bomber-1-5-schaal
8. Mitsubishi
Japans oldest car manufacturer, Mitsubishi, was founded in 1870 as a shipping firm, but it quickly branched out into coal mining, banking, paper and glass, just to name a few. In 1917, Mitsubishi also tried their hand at manufacturing cars, producing Japan's first series-production automobile. Mitsubishi are still one of the worlds largest conglomerates, having a market share in virtually every branch imaginable.
Mitsubishi Shipyard via - https://shipbuild.exblog.jp/7064984/
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Comments (16)
You forgot the Mitsubishi Zero. One of the most devastating fighter aircraft of WW2. 🛩🛩
True, one of Mitsubishis many successes. Great dogfighter, but no self sealing fuel tanks, so irc it became known as the flying torch.
True. No armour plating either. But, they argued it did not need it. So fast and nimble, hard to get a beat on it.
Rover started out with bicycles before cars
Volvo was tractors then cars then trucks
BMW was plane engines hence that most people think the badge is a propeller in the sky not part of the Bayern cost of Arms
You forgot Studebaker. They are out of the transportation business today, but the stereotype Conestoga wagon of the American West was a Studebaker.
this should come in handy at Trivia Night! Shared to the D_TRB USA facebook page!
Thanks man, glad you liked it!
Great stuff. Really enjoyed that. Never knew the story about Jaguar's original name! And that logo - sheesh...
I had to double check that to make sure I wasn't being spoofed. Thanks!
I bet. You don't want to get that wrong!