Running into this Japanese Domestic Market Toyota Hi-Ace in Eugene was about as unusual as the cold weather that week. It was a frosty December morning after an overnight low in the single digits; pretty uncommon hereabouts. Well, it did have British Columbia plates on it, so that helps explains it. But it’s right hand drive, and a long way from home.
This is a larger vehicle than the smaller Toyota vans that were sold here in the eighties and have all ended up in Eugene. A separate CC feature on old Japanese vans is overdue.
I couldn’t get a good shot, but this baby has a full transfer case and stout drivetrain that looks borrowed from an old Hi-Lux 4×4 pickup. If it had a diesel, this would really be something for a globe trotter.
