Production of the Honda Super Cub motorbike has passed the 50-million-units milestone.
No other manufacturer - car or motorcycle - has had such a high degree of success with one model over so many years.
The Super Cub - the name was said to be the acronym of Cheap Urban
Bike - aimed to provide a kind of cheap urban transportation in busy cities.
Since its launch in 1958, the Super Cub has become the first engine-powered vehicle to achieve total worldwide production of this magnitude. In the past four years alone, 15 million units have been produced. It was designed as a versatile scooter anyone could manage.
When 2-stroke engines were the norm, the Super Cub was fitted with a revolutionary, high-performance 50cc 4-stroke engine that offered superb economy and durability.
The creative design also featured a low-floor backbone frame for easy mounting.
It was first exported to the United States in 1959 under the slogan: "You meet the nicest people on a Honda."
It changed the image of motorcycling in America and bikers were soon sharing the road with students, attorneys and housewives. Since then, the scooter has undergone many improvements, but the basic design is unchanged. The Super Cub, now being built in 13 countries, averages 2 litres/100km and is so reliable and economical that the Japanese postal service uses it to deliver the mail.
