Mystery Car

Kamil Kaluski

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Comments

Welcome to another edition of Mystery Car. Today’s mystery is obviously very functional and perhaps not sufficiently cropped. Same rules as always, make and model. I can do without the engine specs this week, just because I don’t even know what they are. Get to it!

Congrats to last week’s winners. There were several, on multiple platforms (here, Facebook, twitter), and it’s impossible for me to tell who is the actual winner. In my book you’re all winners! I spotted this Dodge Lancer Shelby one lovely spring morning some years back. The driver seem to be truly enjoying it.

About

Kamil Kaluski

Kamil Kaluski

East Coast Editor. Races crappy cars and has an unhealthy obsession with Eastern Bloc cars. Current fleet: 4Runner, Integra, Regal, Lada

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15 responses to “Mystery Car”

  1. P161911 Avatar
    P161911

    I got one, I think this might be a first. A Kia Bongo!
    https://cdn-www.cardealpage.com/carimage/17104405/04.jpg
    https://www.cardealpage.com/mazda/bongo%20van/17104405/?seller=tomisho&refkey=80a98d25205d21bef8bce27ef6056504

    Reply
  2. fede Avatar
    fede

    I’d say Daihatsu Hijet, but the door handle isn’t right, and there is no pillar visible between the doors.

    But it’s something like it

    Reply
  3. outback_ute Avatar
    outback_ute

    Mazda E2000 van, or a rebadged version of it.

    Reply
    1. Rover 1 Avatar
      Rover 1

      3rd (more likely), or 4th generation Mazda Bongo, Mazda Traveller, Ford Econovan, Ford Spectron, Nissan Vannette, Mitsubishi Delica, Kia Bongo.As nice an example of ‘badge engineering’ as anything British Leyland or GM came up with, and indicative of some of the curious cross-linkage between otherwise unrelated Japanese brands.
      It was Mitsubishi’s production of Nissan’s Kei-car range in a deal, connected with the deal that gave us these vans, that gave Nissan early warning that Mitsubishi were cheating on their emissions and fuel economy testing. The early knowledge of this allowed Nissan-Renault to take advantage of the resulting scandal by buying out a controlling share in Mitsubsihi Motors as the share price collapsed when the scandal became public knowledge. An early sign of the Nissan-Renault conflict was further revealed at this point when Nissan Motors, itself, took on the Mitsubishi ownership, rather than it going to the combined Renault-Nissan alliance. The struggle for control between Renault and Nissan, and the digestion of Mitsubishi, is what led directly to Carlos Ghosn’s imprisonment and the current legal fight in Japan for control of what, on paper is the largest car producer on the planet.
      Of course Nissan also had/has joint venture agreements with Isuzu, which by dint of previous GM control/ownership means Nissan vans have also appeared with Chevrolet, Opel, and Vauxhall badging as well as that of partner Renault.
      In this case, Mazda under Ford control, was the original designer and manufacturer of this design, the Ford, Nissan, Kia, and Mitsubishi models being badging exercies only, all mechanical and bodywork parts coming from Mazda.

      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Mazda_Bongo_Brawny_101.JPG
      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Bongowagon.jpg
      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/1995_Ford_Econovan_Maxi_MWB_van_%282015-07-15%29.jpg/1280px-1995_Ford_Econovan_Maxi_MWB_van_%282015-07-15%29.jpg
      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/1999_Ford_Econovan_%28JG%29_SWB_van_%282016-01-04%29_01.jpg/1280px-1999_Ford_Econovan_%28JG%29_SWB_van_%282016-01-04%29_01.jpg
      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Nissan_Vanette_S20_001.JPG
      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/NISSAN_VANETTE_VAN_GL.jpg/1280px-NISSAN_VANETTE_VAN_GL.jpg
      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Mitsubishi_Delica_Van_001.JPG

      Reply
      1. outback_ute Avatar
        outback_ute

        The Mitsubishi L300 is not the same, they don’t have the vertical door handles on the front doors.

        Reply
        1. Rover 1 Avatar
          Rover 1

          The L300 might not, but the version of this Mazda van marketed as a Delica in Japan and a few other markets does. As seen in the picture above your comment. 🙂

          Reply
          1. outback_ute Avatar
            outback_ute

            Ok, didn’t note the badge on the last one on my phone, there is no accounting for what goes on in the JDM I suppose…

          2. Rover 1 Avatar
            Rover 1

            There are some really weird cross connections.

      2. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
        SlowJoeCrow

        sounds like Mazda actually good the best deal, making all those vans kept the factory running at a profit and subsidized RX-7s and Miatas. Sort like contract brewing the eminently hateable Zima Clear Malt kept Full Sail Brewing in the black during the 90s.

        Reply
  4. Fuhrman16 Avatar
    Fuhrman16

    Dang, beaten by 5 minutes…

    Reply
  5. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
    SlowJoeCrow

    It’s definitely a Kei van and based on b pillar I was thinking 1990s Mitsubishi Minicab, but that was last night and apparently I’m wrong

    Reply
    1. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      Kei’s are much smaller, this Mazda would be slightly narrower than the VW T3 van but pretty similar overall. It wasn’t easy to find a pic of a Kei van next to a ‘normal’ one.
      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fe89f8c536ccc50c3987a038232af22cefb49eadb58a4f8f63663447ce032b72.jpg

      Reply
    2. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      Kei’s are much smaller, this Mazda would be slightly narrower than the VW T3 van but pretty similar overall. It wasn’t easy to find a pic of a Kei van next to a ‘normal’ one.
      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fe89f8c536ccc50c3987a038232af22cefb49eadb58a4f8f63663447ce032b72.jpg

      Reply
      1. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
        SlowJoeCrow

        Yeah I was thrown off by the Daihatsu HiJet guess. My understanding is that a Bongo is similar to a Mitsu Delica or Toyota HiAce in size

        Reply
  6. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    Bongo!

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f1eee3c0d1a136a70fc651148facedaa5ba6824e1490381feaaaacb827fb76f6.png

    Reply