Most manufacturers also offer tiny trucks and vans that fit within the same regulations.
Richard Hammond drove one, the Suzuki Carry van, for the "man with a van challenge" in Season 8. He demonstrated that a micro-van is not a rally car.
Top Gear Van CRASH susuki super carry GMC GME... by benbmx
Subaru's version, the Sambar, looks very similar to the Carry in the video, but has a rear engine (you fold down the bumper to get at it) and is available in 4WD, making it exactly like a Porsche 911. Or not. But for the discerning customer, for a few years Subaru also offered an upgraded, non-compliant version, the Domingo. They crammed in a 1.2L, 3 cylinder, 54 horsepower engine (the same one in the Justy hatchback that Subaru sold in the 1990's. Powerrrrrr!!) and, since it now qualified as a full-sized vehicle, made a few body changes. Well, two changes: a front bumper and a rear bumper. The rest of the body is identical.
That's what I drive, in the High Arctic. The only changes I made to it was to install an engine block heater and battery charger. I have driven both branches of the Mackenzie Delta Ice Roads, the infamous Ice Highway featured in the second season of Ice Road Truckers and Jesse James Is A Dead Man.
Now I'm going to drive it out of here. The Dempster Highway stands between me and home. The Dempster eats tires. Advantage, Domingo: the tires are tiny and light, I can swap them easy.
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| Three men spent more than two hours changing one tire on that (very cool!) monster. I changed all four of mine, including jacking, alone, in 30 minutes. |
