CUSTOM

Beyond the Surface: Discovering the Depth of Love and Dedication in the Delica D:5 Owner’s Story

posted at：2024.05.16

TEXT: 酒寄俊幸（SAKAYORI Toshiyuki／gasgraphix） PHOTO: 酒寄俊幸（ガスグラフィックス）

Award-winning “Simple is Best” Delica at the TOYO TIRES FAN MEETING

This Mitsubishi Delica D:5 won the “BEST CAR OF OPEN COUNTRY” award at the “TOYO TIRES FAN MEETING IN FUKUOKA” held on December 9, 2023. The exterior is simple, but the rabbit ears and stuffed animals emphasize its cute style. The atmosphere was impressive, as it counteracted the Delica D:5’s unique wildness in a good way.

The depth of love for pets is expressed in the car

“I don’t know why I was chosen!” said “Inu”, owner of a Mitsubishi Delica D:5, who was surprised himself. He wears a hat with floppy ears and a dog mask. His car on display was decorated with bunny ears and many stuffed animals, and it was impressive to see them lined up in full cuteness among the vehicles equipped with TOYO TIRES tires and open country.

The bunny ears on the roof during the event display were inspired by his beloved pet rabbit, “Mi-kun”, whom he had protected and spent time with as a family member about three years ago, but who had passed away. To overcome this sadness, she drives around in her beloved Delica D:5 with a stuffed animal as a replacement for Mi-kun.

Simple specifications with quality and robustness

The vehicle was customized only by changing the suspension and adding a front bumper. The vehicle was handled by Auto Flags, a Delica specialist shop in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture. The suspension was left stock, but the lifted look is a testament to the shop’s sense of style. The front bumper is also an original product of the shop, GOQBUTO.

“When it comes to customizing the vehicle, I leave it to the shop. I just tell them what I want it to look like!　I just tell them what I want it to look like. But the staff at the shop recommended that I shouldn’t mess with it too much and that it should be like this, and as a result, I settled on this style.”

Hardy outdoorsman who loves winter camping

Mr and Mrs Inu are outdoor camping enthusiasts. And they “love to stay in tents in the middle of winter! They were a hard outdoorsy family. Before the Delica D:5, they drove a Nissan Serena, but a four-wheel drive vehicle was the best choice for going to the snowy mountains. That was their top priority, and they ended up with the Delica D:5.

“At the time of the Kumamoto earthquake, I was in the area from the day the disaster happened because of my work, and I was on the relief team. At that time, I met a person who had set up a tent in a park. He said that he used to enjoy camping as a hobby, and that his hobby helped him during the earthquake. I thought it would be nice if it was that kind of hobby, so I decided to try it myself.”