small world

914Driver wrote:

cwh wrote: Those little trucks are all over the Caribbean.. Is it possible to get them registered here?

No. Off-Road use only here.

I've seen a lot of these used as on-campus work vehicles at various colleges

cxhb wrote:

914Driver wrote:

cwh wrote: Those little trucks are all over the Caribbean.. Is it possible to get them registered here?

No. Off-Road use only here.

I've seen a lot of these used as on-campus work vehicles at various colleges

They're advertised as street-legal on CL down here. Dunno how accurate that is. 3 cyl. turbo diesel makes daddy happy.

We see them occasionally on farms here & there. Leith BMW in Raleigh has something similar that they use only on the premises.

What are they? Does anyone know? I've seen a little Honda truck that looks a bit like that.

I'm getting a Hino truck to play with for a week

Strike_Zero wrote:

pinchvalve wrote: Ummmmm....

That is AWESOME . . .In some of the Japanese Mountain racing games . . .there are a few vehicles like this give a new meaning to hoonage I delivery food during the day . . .and slide at night

But I didn't like it at first, since my dad forced me to do it..

friedgreencorrado wrote:

Strike_Zero wrote:

pinchvalve wrote: Ummmmm....

That is AWESOME . . .In some of the Japanese Mountain racing games . . .there are a few vehicles like this give a new meaning to hoonage I delivery food during the day . . .and slide at night

But I didn't like it at first, since my dad forced me to do it..

I know it's popular, and I've never seen it, but I just dont get the initial d thing.

Joey

joey48442 wrote: I know it's popular, and I've never seen it, but I just dont get the initial d thing. Joey

At the time, a "perfect storm" of alternative cultures. Road racers, Drifters & Anime. Legend holds that the whole "drift" craze in Japan started with street racers in the mountains..which means curvy roads instead of straight ones.

It's a soap opera for racers. Local street racing club is invaded by outsiders, only guy the locals have that can defend their honor is a kid who's been forced to run up and down the mountain (beginning when he was under-age for a drivers' licence) delivering his father's fresh home-made tofu to the tourist hotels at the top of it. He's learned to drive quickly (so he can get to school on time after the deliveries), but absolutely hates it, since he's been forced into it. The rest of the series (and the following ones) is about he slowly comes to love it, and expands his technique into higher powered cars/different drivelines/etc.

As an anime fan, I've got to admit the thing looks like it was originally drawn by a Japanese middle school class, and animated by Indonesian sweat-shop workers..but the writing's not bad. The thing that got me hooked on it were the little details that they got right. Referring to cars by chassis designation instead of by the "name", proper definitions of oversteer & understeer, etc. In one episode, there's even a scene where someone ridicules the hero's best friend for still having 70 series tires on a car. Of course, in true soap opera fashion, the hero then charges down the mountain in that car to embarass the clown that insulted it..

Maybe I'm just getting sentimental in my old age, but I like it. At the time, it was only thing I'd seen since McQueen's "Le Mans" that made any attempt at all to accurately portray people like us.

Lesley wrote: What are they? Does anyone know? I've seen a little Honda truck that looks a bit like that. I'm getting a Hino truck to play with for a week

http://www.minitruck.ca/

You can buy them everywhere now, and the prices are starting to get more reasonable.

friedgreencorrado wrote:

joey48442 wrote: I know it's popular, and I've never seen it, but I just dont get the initial d thing. Joey

At the time, a "perfect storm" of alternative cultures. Road racers, Drifters & Anime. Legend holds that the whole "drift" craze in Japan started with street racers in the mountains..which means curvy roads instead of straight ones. It's a soap opera for racers. Local street racing club is invaded by outsiders, only guy the locals have that can defend their honor is a kid who's been forced to run up and down the mountain (beginning when he was under-age for a drivers' licence) delivering his father's fresh home-made tofu to the tourist hotels at the top of it. He's learned to drive quickly (so he can get to school on time after the deliveries), but absolutely *hates* it, since he's been forced into it. The rest of the series (and the following ones) is about he slowly comes to love it, and expands his technique into higher powered cars/different drivelines/etc. As an anime fan, I've got to admit the thing looks like it was originally drawn by a Japanese middle school class, and animated by Indonesian sweat-shop workers..but the writing's not bad. The thing that got me hooked on it were the little details that they got right. Referring to cars by chassis designation instead of by the "name", proper definitions of oversteer & understeer, etc. In one episode, there's even a scene where someone ridicules the hero's best friend for still having 70 series tires on a car. Of course, in true soap opera fashion, the hero then charges down the mountain in that car to embarass the clown that insulted it.. Maybe I'm just getting sentimental in my old age, but I like it. At the time, it was only thing I'd seen since McQueen's "Le Mans" that made any attempt at all to accurately portray people like us.

Huh. Well that makes it sound kind of intresting. Thanks for the synopsis.

Joey

In reply to joey48442:

I'm sure there's a few episodes on youtube or veoh if you want to check it out without spending any money. Skip the dubbed versions, at the time the distributor was trying to get it on Toonami, and the dubs have Americanized names and replacement music.

zomby woof wrote:

Lesley wrote: What are they? Does anyone know? I've seen a little Honda truck that looks a bit like that. I'm getting a Hino truck to play with for a week

http://www.minitruck.ca/ You can buy them everywhere now, and the prices are starting to get more reasonable.

(sigh) Everywhere in Canada, it seems. Man, having a bunch of those in US city centers would reduce a lot of congestion. Most local deliveries are made with these:

http://trucksdaily.com/category/131/Van-Box-Trucks

Can't help but notice a lot of UDs and Hinos there, too. I guess they build for the market, just like their parent companies do...does anyone really think anyone but Japanese politicians/company CEOs drive something like a Pathfinder or Highlander in Japan?