The Suzuki Jimny (once sold in the US as the Samurai) is the kind of tiny offroader that has popularized Japan’s kei car recipe all over the world. But what happens if you try to upscale it by, say, welding (at least) two Jimnys side by side to create a Japanese Hummer tribute? We can now answer that question with the build sitting on our screens.
The Japanese “Hummer H1” debuted yesterday at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2024, having been put together by students at the Nihon Automotive College in Japan, aka NATS (Nihon Automotive Technology School).
The institution is famous for the quirky machines its students create, with past builds including the Toyota Alphard minivan gone pickup truck released at last year’s edition of the Tokyo Auto Salon. Even so, the double-Jimny (not the only is one of their most complex builds to date.
The build started with a slightly larger Suzuki Vitara (this generation was sold in the US as the Sidekick and Escudo in Japan), a second-gen model from the 1990s. However, the Vitara’s body was removed, while only parts of its chassis and its axles were kept for the project.
To replicate the somewhat unusual proportions of the Hummer H1 and then some, the double-Jimny build is slammed to the ground using air suspension. The Jimny bodies were also choppedโtheir lower halvesโand there wasn’t enough room for the engine up front. Of course, the project involves plenty of fabrication for the structure of the passenger cell.
Thus, the contraption uses a custom hood with a massive dome topped by a transparent panel, which makes for one of the most eccentric sides of the machine. Standard Suzuki wheels would look ridiculous (as seen in the paint booth image below), so the NATS build features massive negative offset chrome wheels.
Hey, here’s a slammed Humvee that can do the crab walk like the new GMC Hummer EV, built in the USA.
And while we can’t see much of the cabin, we can tell you the interior of the double-Jimny Hummer build features a massive twelve-speaker wooden “wall”, so you can expect the bass to style your hair while inside the vehicle.
Of course, if you’re looking for the more… official Japanese Hummer, that would be the Toyota Mega Cruiser that’s also know in the US these days.
NATS also built a mini Hakosuka GT-R and a slammed 1960s 1960s Toyota Corona (aka Tiara) for Tokyo Auto Salon 2024
The first clip below shows the double-Jimny Hummer tribute arriving at the event. Then there’s the second clip, which showcases the other two builds NATS has prepared for Tokyo Auto Salon 2024โthe event also welcomed what is probably the first widebody new Prius, built by Kuhl Racing.
For one, we have a mini version of the #73 Nissan Skyline GT-R (KPGC10, aka Hakosuka) racecar. And the students built this starting from a (ready for it?) Suzuki Mighty Boy, a UTE (coupe utility) kei car built in the 1980s, which was also exported to Australia.
Then we have a 1960s Toyota Corona (aka Tiara) that’s been slammed to the ground, maintaining its elegance in an unusual way.
And while we’re here, we’ll remind you that the current Suzuki Jimny got its fair share of customization on the Tokyo floor, with this kits turning the vehicle into a Lancia Delta Integrale and a Renault 5, all four rallying nostalgia.