A fashionable vehicle with an American taste
Kei-trucks trucks change shape according to their owners’ lifestyles and undergo major changes to suit various situations. A light truck, which serves as a partner for work and sometimes as a vehicle for enjoying hobbies, enriches lifestyles and carries ‘fun’ with it. Tomohiko Yoshinaga’s Honda Acty is a stylish vehicle with an American taste.
Turning a kei-truck into a monster truck
Tomohiko Yoshinaga is one of those who have fallen completely in love with the stylish, cool, and convenient use of kei-trucks. He owns a Honda Acty and considers cars to be a part of fashion daily. For this reason, when you look at Yoshinaga’s car, you will see that the cargo bed has been roughly stenciled and painted, creating a fashionable vehicle with an American taste.
Mr Yoshinaga originally used an old Volkswagen Type 3 Variant as his first car. However, this model was not equipped with air-conditioning, making it a bit difficult to drive in the summer. So he consulted Garage Bug, an old Volkswagen dealer in Hyogo Prefecture that he has been a customer of for a long time, to see if there was a better car for him. They happened to see an ‘Acty’ on the shop floor, fell in love with it at first sight, and bought it immediately.
In addition to Volkswagens, Garage Bug also builds and sells American-style cars as a hobby of the company president. Light trucks are particularly popular and are sold as soon as they are put on display in the shop. The secret of their popularity is that no two models have the same specifications, as they are built according to the president’s own flair and ideas at the time.
But there is a firm concept behind the production. That is to reproduce the motif of the monster trucks that exist in the USA, which are fitted with huge tires and are based on light trucks. Hence those models are named “Baby Monster Trucks” by Garage Bug.
The retro-inspired livery is the main feature
As for vehicle customization, the greatest feature of the Acty is its coloring, which creates a retro atmosphere. The appeal of this is that it dares to create a slightly faded impression, rather than a beautifully clean finish like a dress-up vehicle. Another key point is that it is equipped with extra-thick tires so that it can call itself a baby monster truck. In contrast to the tire size of a standard kei-truck, which is 145/80-12, the tires fitted on this Acty are 215/50-13 front and rear. The powerful fat tires add to the American mood.
The Daihatsu Hijet and Suzuki Carry are more popular as major light trucks, but the long-wheelbase Acty is a cooler choice in terms of style to bring out an American-style atmosphere. Also, the Honda engine is more powerful than anything else revs smoothly and can turn. The powerful and tough engine was also taken into consideration, as there was no need to worry about power being eaten up by larger tires.
Mr Yoshinaga uses this light truck for everyday transport and shopping. What he found was that the handling was even more nimble than the good feeling of the engine. He thought it was due to the thick tires installed, but when he later spoke to the representative of Garage Bug, he discovered that the suspension was transplanted from a Honda Vamos. A front tower bar was also fitted, giving the car a rigid feel, and it turned out that it had been tuned to be stable even in a series of corners.
“After hearing this story from the representative, I fell more and more in love with the Acty. I love everything about it, from the yare paint job on the body, the wood-decorated cargo bed doorways, and the roll bar, which is not only wild but can also be used to secure luggage, as well as the functionality.”
Says Yoshinaga. The Type 3 Variant is now his second car and the Acty is his first car.
translated by DeepL