The 25-year-long ban on Mitsubishi Delica imports is over in the USA, and cars are already trickling in. Since the Delica lineup is widely varied on its home market, there are all kinds of weirdly cute and cutely weird JDM variants to be found – including this 1997 Delica Space Gear Exceed. Call it a spud on wheels all you want, it’ll take that as a compliment.
It is not a stock vehicle, either – there is a 150mm (6-inch) suspension lift, PIAA anti-fog lights, 20-inch wheels in 33-inch mixed-terrain tires, skid plates and a sway stabilization system. Up until the fall of 2022, the minivan had been driven in Japan, so it should have no trouble passing emission tests in most states.
Speaking of which: the engine bay is inhabited by a 2.8-liter turbo diesel engine mated to a four-speed automatic transmission and a dual-range reduction gear. The condition is decent with visible wear on the paint inside and out and a missing back seat row. Perhaps this is why the bidding at Cars & Bids had not exceeded $14,000 the last time we checked.
