Step Van like a new car with comfortably updated inside
At the event site where many classic 360cc kei-cars were gathered, the Honda Life Step Van was a major force with the largest number of vehicles. Here is one of the cars that stood out from the crowd with its beautifully restored and clean body that looked like a brand new car.
One that stands out for the beauty of its body
A beautifully restored Honda ‘Life Step Van’ was spotted at the ‘360! All Together in OSAKA’s venue, which was held in Osaka.
The Life Step Van, a derivative of the Honda Life, was introduced in 1972, using components from the Life and mounting a tall bonnet van-type body. Based on the FWD Life, it had an unprecedentedly low floor for its time, and was used for delivery purposes and as a sales vehicle for driving around with luggage, while it was also used as what we would now call a leisure vehicle. It was a versatile vehicle.
Currently, the body is finally at the stage of completion
The owner, Mr. Yoshioka, acquired this 1974 Step Van Super Deluxe six months ago and started the restoration work without having driven it much. The bodywork was completed just before this event, and he made his event debut just in time.
“I aimed for a car that looks original and runs comfortably. Not everything is finished yet, but the body and interior are finally finished.”
The body was thoroughly restored and painted white. The interior was reupholstered in bright red fabric and the door panels were rebuilt from the corroded base and brought back to life. In addition, a wood steering wheel adapted from the Honda Z was installed, and Bluetooth was added to the radio so that the driver could enjoy music from their smartphone, among other customizations for comfort. Furthermore, the interior is not flashy, but is full of ideas for a comfortable ride, such as the installation of factory-installed air conditioning.
Plans to replace with 5-speed manual transmission in the future
The suspension has been lowered slightly and fitted with Z steel wheels with trim rings and red center caps to match the interior. And the ultimate touch is the engine. A 400cc engine with oversized pistons is installed. This is also said to be for a comfortable drive.
Now that the vehicle is finally complete, there is a lot of work to be done on the details. First of all, a five-speed transmission will be installed to match the increased power of the engine, and they are planning to install an electric air-conditioning system while leaving the air-conditioner vents as they are. There is still some work to be done on the interior, such as the installation of a headliner, and they are working hard to complete the project.
When completed, the vehicle will look like a new car and will be fully equipped with more comfortable features than the factory model. We look forward to its completion soon.
translated by DeepL