- 5,677
Here is what I have been able to find out about it from my research....
In this agreement, the automakers chose not to advertise any vehicle as over two hundred and eighty Pferdestärke. A Pferdestärke is the metric unit of horsepower and is commonly abbreviated as PS. One Pferdestärke is roughly equal to one horsepower.
To understand why such a bizarre agreement was adopted involves the history of the Japanese automobile industry. During World War II many Japanese factories were converted to produce goods for the war. One of the most important products being prepared was the Zero fighter manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Co. This was and still is a part of Mitsubishi motors.
The Zero was a fast and nimble fighter aircraft used to engage land based targets. Due to its size, it was easily carried aboard ships and was considered to be the best carrier based aircraft of its time. Another attribute that made the Zero fighter such a valuable aircraft was its exceptional attack range, which greatly aided the Japanese in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Since Mitsubishi manufactured the aircraft, this would later have a great impact on the automotive industry of Japan by forcing automobile manufacturers to abide by the Gentlemans Agreement.
The use of automotive companies to produce aircraft engines was not a new concept. This tactic was also employed by both the Germans and the United States during World War II. Germany used companies such as the Bavarian Motor Works, commonly known as BMW, and Mercedes to manufacture engines for planes that it used during the Blitzkrieg. The United States also chose this route by employing Rolls Royce to manufacture engines for the P-51 mustang which helped in the victory against Germany and eventually paved the way for American air superiority and ending the war.
At the end of the war, the Treaty of Versailles was adopted and prohibited the production of aircraft in Germany. After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, Japan's aircraft industry was likewise prohibited from manufacturing aircraft. The terms and restrictions set forth by the United States meant that the Japanese auto industry could not manufacture an engine that could potentially be used to power an aircraft. These limitations in turn lead to the formation of the gentlemans agreement but not directly to the two hundred and eighty horsepower figure.
While the prohibition set forth on the auto industry explains why the limitation was established, it does not explain how the two hundred and eighty figure was derived. Until recently, the only way to accurately measure horsepower was on a dynamometer, commonly referred to by automobile enthusiasts as a dyno. A dynamometer is an instrument that is used to measure mechanical power in automobiles. At the time, these restrictions were imposed only one type of dynamometer was available in Japan; was known as a Bosch type dyno. However, these dynos had one major defect; they could not measure more than two
hundred and eighty horsepower. Consequently, when high performance engines were tested they displayed no more than two hundred and eighty. Even though actual output could have been greater, there was no way to prove whether or not the vehicle was producing what the manufacturer claimed it did. Therefore, since two hundred and eighty was the most power that could be proven, that became the figure for restrictions.
No one is certain why manufacturers would willingly produce such an automobile only to advertise it as less powerful. It certainly does not make any economic sense. One of the reigning theories is that perhaps the manufacturers continue to uphold this agreement so that they will look good for the government. Another reason may be an environmental issue. No one is absolutely sure as to why such a ridiculous act is still being performed, after all BMW has been reproducing high output engines from the moment the restrictions were lifted. Japan seems to be the only country doing such a bizarre thing and none of the manufacturers or the government claims to know why.
Another theory as to why this continues is that the manufacturers do it so that they may participate in the Japanese Grand Touring Circuit also known as the JGTC. This event is very popular in Japan and the reasoning behind the theory was that if a manufacturer were to miss out on such a largely publicized event it would be a vastly missed opportunity for free advertising.
This led many people to believe that perhaps the JGTC was the force responsible for the continuation of the, now self-imposed, restrictions. However, it would not make economic sense for a company to alter an entire line of mass produced vehicles just to compete in an event. Instead, it would merely create special editions of its vehicles similar to the way American companies do for NASCAR. To think that a single competition could affect the entire industry is preposterous.
this is what I could gather from my interviews. I talked to people at TODA, HKS, TRUST, JUN and some other sources...
What do you guys think?
In this agreement, the automakers chose not to advertise any vehicle as over two hundred and eighty Pferdestärke. A Pferdestärke is the metric unit of horsepower and is commonly abbreviated as PS. One Pferdestärke is roughly equal to one horsepower.
To understand why such a bizarre agreement was adopted involves the history of the Japanese automobile industry. During World War II many Japanese factories were converted to produce goods for the war. One of the most important products being prepared was the Zero fighter manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Co. This was and still is a part of Mitsubishi motors.
The Zero was a fast and nimble fighter aircraft used to engage land based targets. Due to its size, it was easily carried aboard ships and was considered to be the best carrier based aircraft of its time. Another attribute that made the Zero fighter such a valuable aircraft was its exceptional attack range, which greatly aided the Japanese in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Since Mitsubishi manufactured the aircraft, this would later have a great impact on the automotive industry of Japan by forcing automobile manufacturers to abide by the Gentlemans Agreement.
The use of automotive companies to produce aircraft engines was not a new concept. This tactic was also employed by both the Germans and the United States during World War II. Germany used companies such as the Bavarian Motor Works, commonly known as BMW, and Mercedes to manufacture engines for planes that it used during the Blitzkrieg. The United States also chose this route by employing Rolls Royce to manufacture engines for the P-51 mustang which helped in the victory against Germany and eventually paved the way for American air superiority and ending the war.
At the end of the war, the Treaty of Versailles was adopted and prohibited the production of aircraft in Germany. After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, Japan's aircraft industry was likewise prohibited from manufacturing aircraft. The terms and restrictions set forth by the United States meant that the Japanese auto industry could not manufacture an engine that could potentially be used to power an aircraft. These limitations in turn lead to the formation of the gentlemans agreement but not directly to the two hundred and eighty horsepower figure.
While the prohibition set forth on the auto industry explains why the limitation was established, it does not explain how the two hundred and eighty figure was derived. Until recently, the only way to accurately measure horsepower was on a dynamometer, commonly referred to by automobile enthusiasts as a dyno. A dynamometer is an instrument that is used to measure mechanical power in automobiles. At the time, these restrictions were imposed only one type of dynamometer was available in Japan; was known as a Bosch type dyno. However, these dynos had one major defect; they could not measure more than two
hundred and eighty horsepower. Consequently, when high performance engines were tested they displayed no more than two hundred and eighty. Even though actual output could have been greater, there was no way to prove whether or not the vehicle was producing what the manufacturer claimed it did. Therefore, since two hundred and eighty was the most power that could be proven, that became the figure for restrictions.
No one is certain why manufacturers would willingly produce such an automobile only to advertise it as less powerful. It certainly does not make any economic sense. One of the reigning theories is that perhaps the manufacturers continue to uphold this agreement so that they will look good for the government. Another reason may be an environmental issue. No one is absolutely sure as to why such a ridiculous act is still being performed, after all BMW has been reproducing high output engines from the moment the restrictions were lifted. Japan seems to be the only country doing such a bizarre thing and none of the manufacturers or the government claims to know why.
Another theory as to why this continues is that the manufacturers do it so that they may participate in the Japanese Grand Touring Circuit also known as the JGTC. This event is very popular in Japan and the reasoning behind the theory was that if a manufacturer were to miss out on such a largely publicized event it would be a vastly missed opportunity for free advertising.
This led many people to believe that perhaps the JGTC was the force responsible for the continuation of the, now self-imposed, restrictions. However, it would not make economic sense for a company to alter an entire line of mass produced vehicles just to compete in an event. Instead, it would merely create special editions of its vehicles similar to the way American companies do for NASCAR. To think that a single competition could affect the entire industry is preposterous.
this is what I could gather from my interviews. I talked to people at TODA, HKS, TRUST, JUN and some other sources...
What do you guys think?
Belive me I checked about that.
