The minivan. Purchasing one could be considered the equivalent of committing automotive suicide; you know when you go down this route that your life as an enthusiast is well and truly over. Or is it?
I came across this H22-swapped Odyssey at Track & Show and decided to grab a quick Random Snap as a reminder. Regular readers might remember that Mike put together a spotlight on the Honda at Wekfest Japan last year, but I didn’t realise just how cool and unique it was until I saw it for myself.
On that note, what would be your ideal JDM van? And more importantly, if you had one, how would you modify it?
Dino Dalle Carbonare
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dino@speedhunters.com
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Minivans definitely are not the end of the line. The first driveable car I bought was a town and country, then when it died I got a forester. Minivans are best for when you have kids then when the kids are old enough, you upgrade to something fun. Once I finish engineering school, I plan on getting a focus st or rs.
minivans i have a feeling have hit the end of the line in america. our family still has a minivan, but it was bought when they were still popular. and our minivan isn't really great either. it's a base model mazda mpv dx, with almost no power features, which sucks. i've been wanting to sell it and upgrade to something like a lexus rx 350 or nx200t, or even get the upcoming mazda cx-9. our family isn't even big, so a minivan is kinda pointless. this minivan isn't gonna cut it for our family tbh, though it does have a nice folding third row plus lots of headroom, i still think we need something a bit more classy for a family of 4.
Turbo Dodge Caravan/ Plymouth Voyager
VW Sharan 1.8T. Bigger turbo, intercooler, wheels and low.
Good question- minivans with the majority I think sign the end of fun and usher in practicality. However going back to 70's, the car culture had a rather large custom van following with side skylights and remarkable airbrush and metallic flake paint jobs the lowrider scenes still carry on to this day. It would not surprise me at all if this culture were to reappear using modern tech to make it highly attractive to enthusiasts. To me the answer to sport practicality is where the Avant/Estate/Touring platforms came in around the early 90's to satisfy our high performance need while still being practical for family use. But my enthusiast side cannot deny what that 1000HP Odyssey from SEMA or even this motor swapped version above would be like to drive!? I feel the only ones laughing are these owners who are already there and killing it with the fun factor rolling 8 deep in Recaros on your local twisty roads....
E51 Elgrand, V6 to start with and a proper luxury MPV
I'll just leave this here...
Not a minivan, but close... Another one of our cars..
The closest I will ever get to driving a mini-van is my SG Forester XT.
There is a guy in the UK that took a Espace van and a Lexus LS400 and combined the two and added nitrous...(Anyone remember the Espace F1 in Gran Turismo)..
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=47&t=1188309&i=0
It's a long ass forum build..."53 pages", but begin scrolling the pages to see pics of the build...Amazing!
I actually wish someone from Speedhunters could do a post on this guy. He performed all of his own fab and customization..Including the Mclaren F1 style cockpit with the driver positioned in the center and passenger seats on either side.
Its literally the most badass minivan i've ever seen...
I'll just leave this right here...
No, that's not a K-series. Yes, it's a reverse-head H22.
Belongs to my buddy Tommy out of Torrance, CA
awesomefearwave Ditto. It's been replaced with SUVs/CUVs. I say give it 10 years or so when all the kids will have hit their 20s. They'll tell stories of puking or riding in their parents' SUV. The soccer man stigma that we have now should pass onto SUVs by that year.
Having a SUV may be the uncool thing in the future.
[IMG]http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/jfinky/Crazymandrivingmyvan2-1.jpg/IMG]
This isn't mine, I'm just sharing...
If you enjoy watching videos of sleepers on Youtube than you’ve probably seen Leon Reitman’s 1993 Eagle Summit a few times. Leon has owned this wild wagon for many years and there are plenty of videos of it boxing above its weight. When he originally purchased the Summit it came with a NA 2.4 L inline-four and he only upgraded the suspension. But after the clutch blew he decided it was time for an engine swap.
http://www.engineswapdepot.com/?p=9597
I am definitely in the camp of engine-swapped vans. My parents owned a 1989 Dodge Caravan LE, and I loved it as a kid. I would have been really keen to get my hands on it when I was older, had it not been totalled by a red light runner. E-Series, Delicas, Vanduras, and let's not forget the Ramvans, especially those of the Youga Base variety. I've always been funny about my vans, and engine swaps in them are something I often think about when letting my future project mode run.
So, in short, keep the swapper vans coming!
JForan Obama approved this message.
JForan Honda should develop and sell upgrade packages available through HPD. It would get me interested in Honda/Acura again.
JForan As I said in my comment above, if Honda developed and released spring/damper/sway bar kits that were even half way between stock and the race van, I would sell my Mazda5 and get an Odyssey. Or, sell my new Outback for an RDX. Regardless, keep on keeping on, that looks like a lot of fun!
@Rick Fast Eddies Racing, did they ever get around to offering that? I know it took em ages to do
Toyota Estima. RWD minivan.
D1RGE I want to say they built one for a customer overseas, but I'm not 100% positive. They get a lot of inquiries, but many are reluctant to pull the trigger as it's quite expensive. Not to mention the additional parts necessary to make it work. Either way, such an incredible build!
@Xenoman This car was sold in the EU as a Mitsubishi Space Wagon. Would be my first choice for a soccer mum sleeper
HunterHunted or get the pre-facelift VR6 or the facelifted V6 model
Id rather a Mitsubishi Delica or Nissan Homy/Caravan. There have been some nice samples like this SR20 swapped Nissan (pictured) popping up on BAT.
dougbunge JForan Actually, a lot of the stuff on that van can be had fairly in-expensively. We work with a lot of different suppliers to develop parts for the Odyssey, MDX, Pilot, and Accord. We are Honda Motorsports Alabama and are based out of Honda Manufacturing of Alabama and are all Honda Associates that work at the plant doing anything from building the cars, to new model engineering, to parts quality, maintenance, and management.
I agree that it would be cool for HPD to offer some goodies for these vehicles. We actually worked with HPD to develop parts for the new Accord. We race an Accord in Pirelli World Challenge TC class and have developed a lot of parts now available to people wanting to race their Accord through HPD and other sources. For the Vans, a lot of the parts can be obtained through the supplier directly.
And you can see what HPD sells through their website. There is more, but the best way is to contact them. http://hpd.honda.com/racing-line/racing-line-store/?program=touring
We are glad you like the Odyssey and the MDX! Feel free to check out our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/hmaraceteam
if anything time and minivan swappers have proven this is one funny way to start conversations
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I'd go for a Ssang Yong Rodius. Swap it with something interesting, like an R34 GT-R drivetrain.