Latest news with #SuzukiSamurai
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
This Nash Metropolitan Is Really A Suzuki Samurai
Read the full story on Backfire News People sure are getting creative with body swaps these days, but this Nash Metropolitan on a Suzuki Samurai is unexpectedly cool. Laugh all you want, we know the Jeep bandwagon will, but the Samurai is a respectable rig that won't break the bank. And showing up Wranglers in your Nash Metropolitan-bodied rig would be absolutely never really thought about the fact the Suzuki Samurai is of similar size to a Nash, but now that we do it's not surprising in the least. Back in the day, Nash was making economy cars when people didn't care about fuel consumption and such. They were weird and lacked broad market appeal. The Samurai was similarly mocked back in the late 80s and early 90s. Sure, they weren't fast and they looked like little toys, but it's like people don't realize the original jeeps (before they were a brand name) were made to be small, lightweight, and maneuverable. There are a lot of cool details about this build, like the fact it has a removable fiberglass top so you can enjoy open-air off-roading just like the Jeeps (but the doors say on). There is of course a roll cage, just in case things get a little tipsy. The turquoise and white paint is actually Raptor bed liner, so it can take a beating and not get all scratched up. That same stuff has been applied to the roll cage and the interior surfaces. Even better, the guy who built this has a tow bar and light so it can be towed to a trailhead. We imagine it's not really great on the interstate, but most good off-roaders aren't built for highway cruising anyway. According to the seller, who has this listed on Facebook Marketplace, this rig has won all kind of awards at car shows and has been in parades and such. If you're in the market for a unique off-roader, this could be it. Plus, at $14,500 you're not going to find many cheaper options that aren't riddled with problems. Check out this off-roader's listing here. Images via Ed-Faith Westendorf/Facebook Marketplace
Miami Herald
7 days ago
- Miami Herald
Hunter's text to 911 leads to dead couple down steep cliff, Oregon deputies say
A couple's remains were recovered after they died in a rollover crash, Oregon officials said. On May 24, a bear hunter was scouting the area when he saw two bodies in a 'very steep embankment' in the distance so he texted 911, according to a May 29 Facebook post by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Deputies responded to the area and found marks on the road that indicated a vehicle had rolled down the hill, officials said. After using ropes, deputies found the body of 55-year-old Anthony Forbes and his wife, 50-year-old Mandi Forbes, 215 feet below the road, officials said. They were from the small city of Drain in Douglas County. Their 1986 Suzuki Samurai had rolled past them after they were ejected and stopped in a ravine, 500 feet from the road, officials said. Search and rescue personnel planned to recover the bodies but deemed the area unsafe to continue, so they regrouped the following day, officials said. The hillside, with thick brush and at a slope between 27 degrees and 50 degrees, required 15 team members to 'complete the strenuous recovery,' deputies said. Deputies said they believe alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the crash. It appeared the couple had been dead several hours before the hunter spotted them. Douglas County is about a 200-mile drive south from Portland.
New Indian Express
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- New Indian Express
Scrap art on wheels! Rakesh powering his vintage dreams
ALAPPUZHA: For Rakesh Babu, good things come in small packages. And, this seems to be driving Rakesh's passion for building miniature vintage vehicles from scrap. His scaled-down creations have been capturing the attention of automobile enthusiasts, social media users, and even entrepreneurs. Over the past four years, Rakesh, hailing Kalavamkodam, Cherthala and an employee with Autokast (a public-sector undertaking based in Cherthala), has built over 60 miniature models of vintage vehicles, including cars, jeeps, and vans, each a nostalgic tribute to a bygone era. They are fully functional, fitted with bike engines and auto-rickshaw tyres, and can run 25-30 km to a litre. Rakesh's journey began in 2020 with a deep-rooted passion for mechanics and vintage designs. His first major project was a replica of the iconic Volkswagen Beetle. Using an old Suzuki Samurai bike engine, rickshaw tyres, and a two-wheeler's steering system, he brought the model to life at a cost of just `40,000. The car, designed to seat two and even be used by children, quickly gained attention for its creativity and functionality. 'I sourced parts from scrap dealers who dismantle old vehicles. That made it easier and affordable,' he said. The popularity of his creations soon prompted Rakesh to take a bold step: he took extended leave from his job and set up his own workshop in Kalavamkodam about a year and a half ago. His most admired creation is a miniature replica of the Willys Jeep, a vintage military-style model. 'So far, I've made around 25 Willys. Each costs about `1.3 lakh, including labour and material,' he said. Keeping up with the times, the 32-year-old has started working on battery-powered versions. His electric jeep model, powered by four batteries, can run up to 35 km on a single charge and is designed with small-capacity engine, making it safe for children to operate. The body of the vehicles is made from aluminium sheets and painted professionally, giving them a sleek and polished finish. As his creations went viral on social media, many entrepreneurs approached him to set up joint ventures. However, Rakesh chose independence. 'If I start a joint venture, I'll lose my identity. That's why I decided to continue on my own,' he said. With a humble workshop, a passion for vintage engineering, and an innovative spirit, Rakesh is not just building miniature vehicles, he's crafting dreams on wheels, one masterpiece at a time.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
So Many People Want A Four-Door Jimny That Suzuki Had To Close Order Books After Just Four Days
The rugged little Suzuki Jimny, briefly sold in the U.S. as the Suzuki Samurai, was strictly offered as a two door since its introduction in 1970. Suzuki introduced a four-door in some markets like India, South Africa, and Australia in 2023, and Suzuki finally opened the order books for Japanese-market four-door Jimnys on January 30. It was an instant hit, and the company received so many orders that it had to suspend all further orders after being open for just four days. There were around 50,000 orders placed, but the sole manufacturing plant that produces four-door Jimnys can only produce 1,200 units per month so those 50,000 orders back up production for the next 3.5 years. When the Suzuki Jimny was redesigned in 2018 to look like the adorably rugged offspring of a Jeep Wrangler and a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, the internet went berserk for it. It managed to combine a cute and likeable face with enough off-road machismo to draw affection from all types of people – CarWow video presenter Matt Watson, who has driven hundreds of incredible cars, even bought one for himself. The three-door Jimny is a tiny little truck that has compromised ergonomics, but adding two more doors makes it significantly more appealing to a wider audience, much like the Wrangler's trajectory once Jeep started selling four-door Wranglers. Suzuki Japan issued an apology and explanation on its website, roughly saying, 'The Jimny Nomad has been very well received by many customers and orders have been placed significantly more than the production capacity. Therefore we will suspend orders for the time being.' The sole plant that produces the four-door Jimny Nomade is Suzuki's Gurugram plant in India, and this plant produces all the Jimny Nomades that get exported to countries including Latin America, South Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and now Japan. The Jimny Nomade comes standard with part-time four-wheel-drive with a low-speed transfer case, and it's powered by the same 1.5-liter I4 that produces 103 horsepower and 99 pound-feet of torque as the two-door. It's offered with your choice between either a five-speed manual transmission or, shockingly, a four-speed automatic, and its base price in Japan is 2,651,000 Japanese yen, which converts to about $17,200. The four-door Jimny Nomade costs about $4,500 more than the cheapest two-door Jimny Sierra in Japan. Autocar India clocked a four-door Jimny's 0-to-62 mph time at a pretty friggin' slow 14.59 seconds. Don't worry about how slow it will be on U.S. roads, though, since there are no plans to bring it to the U.S. market. The Jimny Nomade is an adorable, capable, cheap, and now practical little truck that has proven to be very desirable. If Suzuki can increase production and federalize the Jimny Nomade, it would sell like proverbial hotcakes. Until then, I will be busy drooling over Mexican market Jimnys that I occasionally spot on LA roads. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
