Meet Scott from Scotland, one you won’t forget! He has lived in Australia since moving over in 2013 where he drives his awesome Bugeye Suzuki Carry 😍
How did you first encounter the Kei truck greatness?
Back in the UK, circa 1996 our neighbour had a Bedford Rascal van. It was bright Blue in colour, and the lady owner was a florist. As a 10yr old boy at the time, the seed was planted, and I loved being invited out to make deliveries in the van. It wasn’t much, just a base model and stripped back to house shelving in the back, but even at that age I could see the potential in them.
Tell us your Kei truck story, how did you acquire your badass ride?
How did I acquire the truck, or how did it acquire me? Well, after a long battle with Toyota Australia after they blew up the BCM and other electrics in my second A90 Supra (rendering it off the road for 5 months, then plaqued with ongoing issues) I was perusing Marketplace and had been seeing more and more Kei Trucks being advertised. Mariah (as I call her) was a clean well looked after Suzuki Carry Bugeye being advertised for sale only a few streets away from where we live on the Southside of Brisbane. She’d received a full service, fresh wheels and a newly rewound alternator.
Advertised for around $10kAUD it was pretty tempting. I went out, had a look at her and just like the Supras before her, I couldn’t stop thinking about this tiny truck being my own. For three days I pondered the idea of selling the Supra. Then one late Friday arvo, after sitting watching the Supra receive a 45 minute wash and detail, I drove to the closest dealership and said my goodbyes to the Silver Bullet in an instant. Friends and family said I was mad for doing it, but I have just as much fun in the Kei truck as I did in the Supra, albeit at a much slower pace.
Any mods or plans? Share the details!
Mods and plans for her include a recently ordered Pandem widebody kit freshly ordered from Import Monster down in Victoria. Since buying the truck in late August 22’ I’d been struggling to find anyone able to import this kit. In a last-ditch attempt, and without it being listed on their website for sale, the guys came to the rescue when I was about to give up and fabricate my own kit. Other plans include a Suzuki Hayabusa GSXR engine swap. Now every time I mention this to someone new, they always ask “Why not a rotary like what Hoonigan did?”. My reasons are simply that the truck is a Suzuki, the new motor would be Suzuki, and I feel it’s purer to its origins – just with an extra few cc’s inside. Lastly comes suspension mods- I’m in talks with a well know suspension company in the US and they’re in the final stages of designing a Carry specific kit that will be available to everyone in the near future. Can’t say too much for now, but it’s going to be a game changer!!!
What do you mainly use your Kei Truck for?
My Kei Truck is my daily driver. She’s used for tip runs for ourselves and neighbours, and she’s a grocery getter. I’ve lost count how many times she’s come in so handy for moving things around, and even with her 350kg load capacity, she’s gets going and hasn’t failed me.
Have any wild Kei Truck tales or fun facts about your ride?
Fun facts about my specific truck are that she’s been carbi tuned and throws down the whip even when fully loaded. She’s broken 4 alternator brackets (and I do not have 4 new spares just in case), and snapped over 20 bolts in the block that holds the alternator bracket on. Nobody understands why, but she’s got a new alternator on the way from Japan that can’t arrive soon enough. She’s also apparently one of only 5 of her specification from 1996. She’s 2WD, 4 speed, has locks on both doors, two Sun visors, two interior grip handles. Things you wouldn’t normally bad your eyelid at, but quirks that make her unique. She was also imported with a Japanese lottery ticket lost by a previous owner and hidden down the gap behind the drivers su visor and the head liner (I’ve not tried playing the numbers yet)
Favorite thing about owning a Kei truck?
Fuel economy is utterly ridiculous in these tiny trucks. I get anything between 350km’s to nearly 500km’s per tank. With only 25L capacity, she just keeps going. There’s been a few times I’ve nearly ran out of fuel because it takes so long to burn through a full tank.
Where can we follow you for your Kei truck action? Tell us your socials!
If you want to follow along and watch her build, you can find me at @atsui.carry on Insta and TikTok, and also on my business apparel, stickers and car accessories page @iFUkuWORX. Plans are to document the entire build, so if you’re reading this some time in the future, you should still be able to easily catch up.
If you’re based locally in Queensland Australia and own a Kei car, truck or van, or even if you’re not, consider dropping the @queenslandkeiclub page a follow on Insta and Facebook too. Set up only last December, the pages have a strong membership and some wicked examples from Mira’s, walkthrough vans, tippers, and some crazy cool paint jobs too. Also follow my friends @isasovehicle who import and sell all kinds of JDM vehicles in Southeast Queensland.
