[Author’s note: Sorry Ben, the above JNC company van is excluded from this QotW. I, too, think it is wonderful, but not in the summer with the exhaust heat coming through the floor ;)]
The way we conduct business is changing each and every day. Sitting at a desk with a comfy chair and bathrooms around the corner are being replaced with adequate A/C blowing while stopped in traffic or sitting at a parking area trying to send emails and munch on the latest drive-thru value set.
Sometimes work involves hauling gear, or having the ability to go the long distance worry-free. With so many jobs that take us out of the office, I want to ask:
What JNC would make a great mobile office?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC would represent the music of today?”
In our quest to seek out the answer to last week’s QotW, we discovered, nearly unanimously, that there are few fans of today’s music. Punto8 reminded us that even a car named after the essence of life can be no match for our high bar. (also it isn’t a JNC, so immediate DQ!)
But our regular commenter, Banpei, may have found the (record) needle in the haystack when he tapped into the Japanese bubble drive of the 80s to claim unearned prestige and admiration by throwing any technology they could at their flagship sleds. It didn’t matter if you needed it, you were getting it! It has to be good, it’s the latest and people want that, right? Fake is okay as long as it looks good, right? In some instances, they got it right. In many instances, they got it absolutely wrong (ugh, wood paneling and carpeted door cards…).
That is a trend we see with the new revival of manufactured nostalgia of the 80s. Funnily enough, those JNC sleds have ironically become nostalgia. Who knows, maybe one day in the future there will be a group of 30-somethings waxing on about the good ol’ days of Skillex and Miley Cyrus… Hopefully I will be long gone by then!
…the top of the line mid 80s Y30 Glorias/Cedrics and Crestas/chasers were actually modelled after Cadillacs. Toyota and Nissan weren’t trying to copy a Mercedes or BMW, a but actually the Japanese interpretation of a Cadillac. Plush velours pillow seats, (fake) wood paneling, gadgets and extravaganza galore! A simulacra of the ultimate Japanese Cadillac, as Mr. A Regular would call it. (Watch his FJ cruiser review)
Now a lot of today’s music follows that exact same category: fake 80s throwback synth-pop. Or at least heavily influenced by it. It imitates that people think as typical 80s pop music. There is so much more out there than Jan Hammer, Petshop boys or Madonna, but all they copy is this. So for this type of music I would name it Chasing the Glorious Cedresta XY73!
Omedetou! Your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop.
The first thought that entered my head was S-Cargo. But a better choice is probably the Homy Van.Dual sunroofs. Robotic curtains. Maybe swiveling captains chairs?
The Tomica Skyline Super Silhouette.
Just look at all those flat, level surfaces! Okay, you’d have to stand outside, but you could perch a full PC on one of the rear fenders and have room for a coffee machine and a water cooler on the other. Pictures of the family, pen pots, trinkets etc would live on the rear wing.
And let’s face it, it wouldn’t take long to get between business meetings.
A Mitsubishi Delica, full of room for computer equipment and because of it’s dimensions, it can be moved around like a mobile IT business shop. If you’re thinking an office for one person, not 2 or 3 people, then a Suzuki SuperCarry would be better if you’re not worried about accommodating a co-worker or 2. If you are more looking for a bigger and more functional mobile office for more employees and equipment, then an Isuzu bus would be a better vote.
Do you need a presentable, spacious vehicle to work from? Toyota Century
Do you have a business meeting at Wall Street? Toyota Century
Do you need go on a business lunch after the said meeting? Toyota Century
Do you need to continue the meeting after lunch? Toyota Century
Do you need to go on a date after the meeting? Toyota Century
Do you need to sleep somewhere but no money for a motel? Toyota Century
Do you need a unique vehicle, that truly encompasses the spirit of JNC? Toyota Century
P.S. According to wiki, the name of the car was derived from the name of Toyota’s founder, Sakichi Toyoda, this giving this car almost a historical meaning. Besides, what other JNC will let your business partner to stretch their legs from the back seat to the front?
P.S.S. Toyota Century
One could ponder which JNC might make the best mobile office. However, I’ve gone ahead and laid out my office to mimick the interior of a Toyota Century.
Complimenting the restrained use of hardwoods are delux seats (with pass-throughs that allow allow visitors in the rear of the office to pass their legs through); a mini-fridge (for those celebratory meetings); premium sound system, etc., etc.
While my Toyota Century inspired office reno truly does make me feel upwardly mobile, my secretary questions why she must now pass reports through the office window. But isn’t eccentricity a sign of success? Certainly.
This 1972 Nissan Caravan with a Tatami interior: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYSF6eH0Qb0
After negotiating down a few hundred thousand yen, I’d ditch the Japanese Scooby-Doo
paint scheme for a solid white color. The interior needs a drastic upgrade from 70’s Pre-Bubble Economy to more 2010’s fabrics and of course, a newer Tatami mat floor. Add a fridge and a cabinet to hold office gear. Plus maybe a small folding or retracting desk on one side.
“Who knows, maybe one day in the future there will be a group of 30-somethings waxing on about the good ol days of Skillex and Miley Cyrus…”
Don’t. Count. On. It.
here here!
🙂
I’m gonna disagree about the van.
There are wrap “tapes” for the exhaust that will significantly reduce the exhaust temps. NOTE: This MAY eventually cause the exhaust manifold to crack, so pay attention, and maybe pick up a spare, *just in case*.
Install some Dynamat, or similar, to the floor, then reinstall the carpet, seats, etc. You could install it in the sides and inside the roof as well; maybe run carpet up the sides?
If you want to go custom, maybe put some captain’s chairs in there.
As much as it kills me to say this, cut a hole in the roof, and put in one of those ventilator fan vent things. It tilts up like a pop-out sunroof, but has a powered fan to draw out more air. Some have the “flip-up” also powered…
Any chance to add an inverter for 110AC power to run laptop, charge phones, etc.?
Think “custom van,” more than “mobile office.” Got me thinking: DVD player with headrest monitors; KILLER stereo system. What the hell – let’s go with shag carpet! In WINE RED; maybe with silver trim!
Now you got my mind rolling! Thinking a black paint job, but that body’s gotta be STRAIGHT… Maybe DARK brown metallic with gold?
Find one with a chewed up interior, so you don’t feel bad about damaging any nice original parts. Shouldn’t be TOO difficult, considering these were used to haul around cleat-wearing kids, drunk frat boys, etc.
Don’t forget the custom wheels! Turbines with Raised White Letter tires; maybe whitewalls, but NOT the gangster whites, on those chrome meshies!
Y’know, if you do it right, you might be able to write it off as a business expense…
(Hey – you should check out some of the custom headlights, btw. Some sweet LED ones…)
What other car to choose other than the Prince Royal, it was used by the emperor for over 40 years! It was a bespoke old beast with high tech for the time and if your a hated political leader you can find yourself safe in this old tank aswell as it being just as luxurious as its successor the Toyota crown royal however encased in a vintage shell but it’s probably not as safe, another upside as since it was used by the emperor all of them are in impeccable shape so it’d be impossible to find one that isn’t.
Fifth-gen Toyota Hiace.
Oh, you meant *here*? Ah, then import yourself a mildly customized Homy then. Extra points for getting a brown one with period stripes or graphics intact.
I got DQ’d lol….I deserved it 😉
Is nobody mentioning the Nissan Vanette? The sheer rarity and the onboard ice maker should be worth it alone!
I keep pushing Toyota to bring the Alphard to North America.
http://www.maxicab-booking.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/interior-toyota-alphard-2010.jpg