Here’s a kit to make the new Suzuki Jimny look like its great-grandfather

It should come as no surprise that the Suzuki Jimny is a popular car in Japan. It’s one of the coolest new cars you can buy there, and a vehicle whose purposeful engineering is at the core of its appeal. However, that doesn’t mean the design couldn’t use a little added fun, and at the Tokyo Auto Salon this year one company decided to go retro with it.

DAMD is a body kit maker that can best be described as the go-to source for cars who cosplay. It often makes body kits that convert one car into looking vaguely like another, with mixed results. In this case, however, the kit converting a fourth-gen JB74 Suzuki Jimny to look like its great-grandfather, the first-gen LJ10 Jimny, is right on target.

The project, called “The Roots”, is actually a collaboration between DAMD and the Jimny tuning experts at APIO. The front recreates the original Jimny’s four-opening grille and utilitarian bumper that is essentially just a metal bar.

The new Jimny is a fixed-roof SUV, but DAMD has painted it silver to match the gray canvas of the original. Look carefully and you will even find faux rivets mimicking the fasteners that held the canvas top in place. Matte black steelies are positioned at all four corners and on the spare as well. The rear bumper has also been replaced with one that resembles the old steel unit with simple, round taillights.

Lastly, they’ve painted it mustard yellow, a hero color of the first-gen Jimny. Not to get too modern, though, they’ve added some patina to the paint. The fourth-gen Jimny is already a retro design so this might be overkill, but if you absolutely must go back to where it all started, this DAMD kit is for you.

Images: DAMD