Daihatsu Midget II: the Gran Turismo Oddball Hits the US Auction Block

A Daihatsu Midget II has surfaced at auction in the US — one of those cars that became famous not through sales, but through video games. For a whole generation of Gran Turismo fans, this tiny kei truck was less a vehicle than a joke on wheels: slow, strange and somehow unforgettable.

The car on offer is a 1996 example imported from Japan in 2022, with around 95,000 km on the clock. Under the hood sits a 659cc three-cylinder engine producing just 31 hp, paired with a 4-speed manual and rear-wheel drive. At the time of writing the bid stood at only $2,500, but for a car like this the final price could easily climb higher: buyers here pay for rarity and emotion, not speed.

The Midget II looks as if Daihatsu set out to prove that a pickup could be smaller than an ordinary hatchback. A single central seat, a spare tire on the nose, a tiny cargo bed, tubular bumpers, auxiliary lights, a floor-mounted air conditioner and a radio that only picks up AM. MacPherson struts up front, leaf springs in the rear, drums all around. With 31 hp on tap that’s plenty: there isn’t much accelerating to be done.

The practical case for buying one is limited. This isn’t a proper work truck, it isn’t a full-blown retro pickup, and it isn’t a comfortable city car. What the Midget II does fit perfectly is the new wave of US interest in kei vehicles: tiny Japanese trucks, vans and microvans have become a cheap alternative to traditional classics.

And then there’s the Gran Turismo factor. For an entire generation the game served as an automotive encyclopedia, where supercars and racing prototypes sat alongside oddities like this one. As a result the Midget II is recognized even by people who have never seen one in real life — a rare case where digital fame lifts the value of an actual car.

The Daihatsu Midget II promises nothing to its buyer but a smile. And that’s its strength: sometimes 31 hp is enough for a car to stick in your memory longer than a supercar.