It isn't often that we automobile journalists recognise Japanese makes when writing about vintage automobiles. Probably because most Japanese manufacturers grew from unspectacular beginnings. No great art deco classics, no muscle cars, little participation in motor racing (Honda aside). To appreciate vintage Japanese cars one must therefore be willing to recognise their significance in the home country and not from a narrow European or North American perspective.

Thus we honour Suzuki's 100-year celebration. The company didn't make motorised vehicles until 1952 but a century ago young Michio Suzuki, a loom-maker from Hamamatsu, Japan, decided to tackle the problem of producing fabrics with both vertical and horizontal stripes. From his efforts came the Suzuki Loom Company, which, in turn, began producing small engines for motorised bicycles. A few years later Suzuki's first automobile, the Suzilight, arrived with a 360cc two-stroke engine, front-wheel-drive, and four-wheel independent suspension. By 1989, Suzuki was overseeing the production of more than 10 million cars per year.

The company made little impression in the US and Canada until General Motors became a shareholder in order to produce a small car branded as Geo Metro and Geo Tracker. Remember Geo? You don't? Another GM blunder. Both makes were manufactured in a plant in Ingersoll, Canada. The Suzuki Swift was cousin to the Metro but had the advantage of four cylinders vs. three. The Suzuki Sidekick, nee Tracker, was the first small sport-ute in North America. I have a special affection for the Metro and Tracker because I once earned $800 in a day, driving them at speed in ad agency commercials.

I immediately spent the money on a classy leather coat. Six months later it was stolen from an overhead bin while I was a passenger on a trans-continental airline flight. Ironically, I was trapped in the window seat while the passengers deplaned because the flight attendant had asked me to assist an elderly Japanese passenger who spoke no English. I didn't ask if his name was Suzuki.