Daihatsu’s jeep: the Taft of August 1974, a Jimny-sized ladder-frame 4x4 on a 2,025 mm wheelbase with leaf springs and a two-speed transfer case, the 958 cc FE four (F10), Toyota’s 1.6-litre 12R (F20, 1977), the 2.5 DG diesel (F50, 1977) and the 2.8 DL diesel (F60, 1983), in soft-top, hard-top and pick-up bodies; sold as the Wildcat in Australia, the Scat in Germany and the Pionier in Austria, and rebadged by Toyota as the Blizzard LD10 in 1981–84.
MODEL LINETaftBUILT BYDaihatsu, Ikeda, OsakaPRODUCED1974–84PRODUCTIONNot publishedLAYOUT4 wheels · 79.7″
The record
Daihatsu, part-owned by Toyota since 1967, built the Taft for farmers, foresters and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces’ light vehicle requirement and for export; the Toyota engines and the Blizzard rebadge came with the group tie. The F70 Rugger replaced it in April 1984.
ENGINE958 cc FE petrol four; 1.6-litre Toyota 12R-J; 2.5-litre DG diesel; 2.8-litre DL diesel
PRODUCTION RUNNot published
COUNTRY OF ORIGINJapan
STATUSreplaced by the Rugger F70 in 1984
RECORD KINDBase model
MODEL LINETaft
FAMILYTaft
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE79.7″
BODY STYLESoft top
VARIANTS3
Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.
Body styles & colours
Body style
Factory colours
Beige (Taft / Rugger)
Codes on hover. Hex values are representative approximations of period paint unless a source states a measured value.