There is no doubt that the Vitara (launched in 1988) was the car that helped Suzuki make the biggest impression on the global stage. It was one of the first models to combine the compact SUV format with streetwear appeal, and while previous generations remained rugged off-roaders, the Vitara also foreshadowed the crossover revolution sparked by the Toyota RAV4 and the ‘Honda CR-V.
However, Vitara was not Suzuki’s first innovative export model. The car that turned the brand from a Japanese curiosity into a global name came much earlier (and was much smaller/dumpier): the Cervo (meaning “stag” or “stag”) SC100.
In 1955, Suzuki was the first Japanese manufacturer to sell a conventional ‘kei jidosha’ car – a special domestic tax class with strict limits on dimensions and engine size that still exists today (currently 3.4m long , 660 cc or less). One of Suzuki’s most interesting kei-cars was the 1971 Fronte coupe, a Giugiaro-designed mini-GT based on the rear-engined Fronte sedan. This in turn evolved into the Cervo SS220, which was unfortunately heavier and slower than the original, despite going from a 360cc to a 550cc engine. And it’s all still Japanese market stuff.
But in 1978, Suzuki created a version of the Cervo specifically for export: the SC100 (above). With a 1.0-litre/35kW four-cylinder engine, it was much more for international tastes than the small Japanese-engined model and was enthusiastically received in Europe, Hong Kong, South Africa, Latin America. .. and New Zealand. Not a big seller, but desired by connoisseurs.
In the UK, it even got a marketing moniker that stuck – “Whizzkid” – and the cult appeal was cemented by a celebrity owner.
LJK Setright, the world’s most famous and idiosyncratic motoring journalist in an era before Jeremy Clarkson and the ‘new’ Top Gear, owned an SC100 and was a keen promoter.
The car itself was short-lived – production only lasted from 1978 to 1982. Suzuki acknowledged the SC100’s heritage status in 2016 with the Ignis city car (above), which reintroduced some key Cervo styling: the grille that framed the headlights and wrapped the front fenders, the chunky rear C-pillar with a trio of fakes. -coding (for an engine that isn’t there, it’s up front in the Ignis) and tall, rectangular taillights.
As it happens, the Ignis also references the Swift’s “floating roof” and the Vitara’s hood/vent detail. So let’s go back to where we started, shall we?
