Sometimes you’ll see an image of a vehicle that’s so wildly appealing and enticing that its very image grabs you and launches your mind into imagining all of the possibilities such a vehicle could allow you. This 1991 Toyota LiteAce 4x4 van does just that, a fact I know to be true because I haven’t stopped daydreaming since I saw it.
This little plucky van came to me via a tweet from Top Gear’s own Tom “Wookie” Ford, who seemed equally smitten, probably imagining the fun he’d have on his native Kashyyyk:
Even if you’ve never considered a JDM little van before in your life, I don’t see how you can deny the appeal of this thing. It can go anywhere, it’s small enough to be an easy city car/daily driver, and the interior is positively cavernous, and this one is even the Skylite Roof model, which is what they call all those windows in the roof, which make this LiteAce the ideal thing for driving out to the middle of nowhere, in Fuckall County, and looking up at the stars as you recline on plush gray flame-stitch seats.
Maybe that dog will want to join you?
Also worth noting is the wrap on this thing; if you’ve been a doubter at the life-enhancing joy of multiple colors on a car and bold stripe kits, I hope this picture will do something to set you on the Right Path:
As a space-utilization fetishist, this thing falls into the highest, Previa-grade category: ideal. It’s a cab-over design, so you’re sitting on the engine (a 2-liter 2CT turbodiesel) as you drive, which means the entire length of the vehicle is available for your or your stuff’s use.
When you’re ready to begin your life of adventure and buy it, it’s just under $20,000. It’s a reminder of so many wonderful things that seem to be absent from the American car market: small vans, cabover designs, 4x4 vans, bold colors, stripe kits, and a general sense of fun.
This is good stuff. Daydream away.