And they were looking to be re-homed…
For those not in the know, it might be easy to assume the car scene in Japan is just boring. After all, the weird, tiny Kei cars are downright clownish, but the reality is Japanese car culture is quite vibrant and diverse. Case in point: two 1980s 10-door Chevrolet Suburbans recently surfaced on Yahoo Auctions in Kyoto, Japan and people absolutely lost their minds.
Check out more Japanese car culture here.
First of all, even in the island nation where there’s an emphasis on efficient, small vehicles, there are still large cars. Sure, the Japanese aren’t just like Americans with full-size pickups, but it’s not like all the vehicles are absolutely tiny. These two Suburbans were apparently used as airport shuttles back in the day, so all those doors, the many seats, and all that storage space was put to good use.
Obviously, both of the Suburbans have long since retired from their airport duties. As is common to see with survivors in Japan, these Chevrolets have plants growing on and around them. Still, we bet with some elbow grease and determination they could be made great again.
What would you do with such large, long SUVs? They’re really like a limousine, only the seats aren’t configured for luxurious traveling but instead are crammed in there for fitting as many people as possible. Would you use them for unusual tour vehicles? Maybe start the most unusual Uber service ever? Convert them into limousines for those who want some 80s retro goodness? The possibilities are absolutely endless.
Even in the United States, these 10-door Chevrolet Suburbans are rare. Just how they ended up in Japan seems to be a complete mystery. However, if you were hoping to get your hands on them, the auction already ended, although it’s not clear if anyone actually bid on it, so perhaps there’s a chance they’ll pop up again.
