Hi I'm Chris from Team Drive-By and this is my Hi-Ace which I had imported in 2005 and I have to say I have never regretted it once.

I thought the Japanese vanning and Boso scenes have embodied everything about their unique and very kitch car culture. It seems the worse taste it is the cooler it is and this is probably alot to do with the younger Japanese having such a need to rebel and be westernised. But oddly it is the most outrageous Boso gangs that make such anti Giejin statements.

I fell in love with the whole Japanese underground car scene and the vans just blur the lines between real life and a Manga style alter reality. As crazy as they are you just can't hate them.

I spotted mine on eBay, a UK importer was advertising the Hi-Ace with pictures as it sat in the docks in Nagoya.









I was just mesmarised OMG how cool was that. I contacted the imported and within' 2 weeks she was on the boat and 6 weeks later I would be at southampton picking her up and driving her all the way back to Teesside.

A week later after some TLC and a damn good undersealing, I took the Hi-Ace to it's first show. Ultimate Street Car 2005 and she went down a storm. I walked away with the trophy for Most Radical, some serious sunburn and even an interview on the USC 2005 DVD.















Later that season at TRAX 2005 the Hi-Ace made her TV debeau on Th Used Car Roadshow which was quite a shock to me when I was sat watching Men & Motors.

The van just make anyone and everyone smile on the motorway and shows and it's given me, Livy and the rest of Drive-By some great memories throughout the show seasons past.









I have some plans for her and I'm hoping 2009 will mean alot of tidying up and some cool changes but I'm not going to mess with that JDM magic

Bet that turns heads !!!.. Looks smart

So that's what the inside of those wild machines look like. I've seen a few around here and thought to myself, that's a van just looking for a low tree limb. Of course mine could just as well be looking for a low bridge. lol.

its a corker of a bus.wouldnt like to take it to a drive through though .you not thinking of cashing in on this transformer film?i think i would be at the local cinema tellin the manager"stick this on yer front mate think of the publicity.oh yes and my fee is......"

JESUS DOES IT TAKE OFF???

I bet it's noisy in the Car Wash!

My boy wants one! thanks Driveby!! happy motoring

Dave Marsh

Pimp!!!

looks great but does it wash it's self. lol

We've had a pretty good start to the show season and I've had to bring the van out even though I was planning to make a start on changes this summer it's been the only show car I've had with tax and test, so it's been brought out again and so far we've attended;

ISTS at Donnington
YMS at Pickering
Ignition Extreme at Billing

and we're getting ready for MPNE at Croft Circuit

Had to do something quickly about the rust and cracked filler on the back door before we started showing her again so after Liv and I dug out the rust and filled it then a wrap of Ghost in the Shell fan art covered the impossible to match paint.

Damn, thats one mean machine...

My goodness, I thought mine was the Bee's Knees but crikey, yours really takes the biscuit for sure. Just as a matter of interest was it imported by Leadham Trading (Jap-link) in Folkstone? Mine was and I thought I had seen a picture of this in Gary's office. Brilliant!!!

Are you taking it to JAE?