Eight years ago, I drove a Mitsubishi Delica for the first time. (I even wrote a post about what it’s like to drive a Mitsubishi Delica.) My wife, Mercedes, and I were visiting New Zealand in 2016, and this Delica Star Wagon (L300) belonged to my wife’s cousin, Helga, who lives in NZ. The first time I drove it, I was hopelessly hooked.

The Kiwi Camper Van

Helga, Mercedes, and I took this van from Waiheke Island up to the tip-top of the North Island at Cape Reinga and back, nearly 1,000 km. I knew I had to have one someday. From its 1980s sci-fi shape and cab-over configuration to its diesel purr and capable 4WD system, the awesome oddball Delica spoke to me. You could see this one had stories to tell. It’d been on adventures. It’d seen things—as had its owners. It was a go-everywhere campervan with promises of adventure—and it was delivering.

It’s not that this particular kiwi camper van, a 5-speed manual, was particularly nice. It was actually rather rough. Despite this, it was versatile and had gobs of character. It took us on our northern New Zealand journey and returned us home safely. What more could you want?

Our Own Delica: The Space Tractor

After our time with the Delica, I knew I had to have one, at least someday. I didn’t expect that “someday” would be just six months later. Sure enough, before we knew it, we had a Delica of our own. Ours, nicknamed the Space Tractor, was a 1989 GLX low-roof with the same 2.5-liter 4D56 turbodiesel found in our New Zealand Delica, and was also backed by a five-speed manual. It wasn’t perfect, but it was our gateway into Delica vans, JDM vehicles, and really helped launch Crankshaft Culture.

Our van, like Helga’s kiwi camper, took us all over the place. From British Columbia all the way through Arizona; from Death Valley to the Overland Expo series, we did amazing things with this 4×4.

In 2020, we sold the Space Tractor, bought a 1994 Mitsubishi Delica L400 called the Travel Tractor, and even now run the MDOC: Mitsubishi Delica Owners Club USA on Facebook, complete with over 8,700 other Delica lunatics enthusiasts.

But I owe it all to my wife’s cousin, Helga, asking me if I wanted to take their van for a spin. It was the first right-hand-drive vehicle I’d piloted, the first time driving in New Zealand, and the first Delica I’d operate. It was also a life-changing vehicle for Mercedes and me, and it still holds a place in my gearhead heart.