The Toyota HiAce is Van-tastic

If you grew up in the United States, chances are vans have occupied a weird space for you. Vans are seen as creepy, windowless chambers driven around by equally shady characters. Even at their best, most vans here are driven hard and put up wet, workhorses that are the backbone of independent contractors, plumbers, electricians, painters and service teams. In Japan, though, vans have enjoyed better public opinion.

This is largely thanks to the Kei class, which classifies certain cars for lower insurance rates based on their exterior dimensions and engine displacement. Cars like the Honda City Turbo stole hearts early, soon selling intentionally on the cuteness Kei car's squat proportions made possible. Soon, the Kei truck and Kei van came to be. Many of these trucks and vans could hardly fit a decent-sized cake in their cargo bays, but they were perfect for small deliveries on the jammed streets of Tokyo.

A collection of Kei commercial vehicles at Lane Motor Museum

The Toyota HiAce is not a Kei van. Toyota launched the van in 1967, two years after Nissan introduced the Homy (Caravan). Like the Homy, the HiAce was a cab-over light commercial chassis that offered almost any configuration you could think of. Pickup trucks, minibuses, commercial vans, taxis and ambulances were built on Toyota's H Chassis.

A 4.0-liter V8 found its way into ambulance versions, but all other shells were limited to, we'll call them practical, gas or diesel four cylinders.

This brings us to the HiAce I stumbled upon yesterday. It was parked near Piedmont Park in Atlanta and wore Florida plates, with a Subaru catalog in the windshield, no less.

It's an H100 van and, for the sheer oddity, I'll share just a small handful of the names this van went by during the H100 generation, which lasted from 1989 to 2004.

In most places, if it wasn't referred to simply as the HiAce, folks knew this van as the Toyota Commuter. However, in China, this van is badged as: the Kingstar Neptune; the Toyota RegiusAce; the Great Wall Proteus; the Foton View C1; and, my personal favorite, the BAW BJ5030XXY61. No, I'm not kidding.

As evidenced by it's extensive name catalog, though, the HiAce is an incredible example of what makes vans so interesting. Name another type of car that needs to be as configurable, robust and user-friendly as a van. Vans are everywhere; the airport, outside of hotels and bars, in nearly every neighborhood in America (and probably worldwide) at any given time, outside of schools and post offices and flower shops and most certainly in the parking lot where you work.

Even though the HiAce is markedly less intimidating than a Chevy Express with "CANDY" spray painted on the sides, it can still look suspect from a far. Hey, this one's a driver, okay.

And that's probably what makes vans so creepy here. They're the perfect creepy vehicle, because they blend into almost any populated backdrop--and often stay there.

But the HiAce proves that vans can be something worth celebrating rather than vilifying. They highlight the fun and functional aspects of vans, two of their most important characteristics. Besides, have you ever seen a threatening cab-forward car?

Carspotting in Buckhead

North of downtown Atlanta sits the affluent community of Buckhead. In the early 20th century, this was a heavily-wooded area full of hunting estates owned by wealthy Atlanta businessmen. Now, it's still home to the city's wealthiest and along with them, high-end retail at Phipps Plaza and Lenox Mall.

And, no surprise, it's also home to some pretty nice cars. Your best opportunity to see some of these is on a sunny weekend like this one, where I was in the area picking up a new camera lens. Sure, there are garden variety (for the wealthier among us) Range Rovers and Mercedes G-Classes, but you're also likely to find a few trophies. Here are some I ran across during my walk around Buckhead.

Starting out, we've got a stealthy one. The P38 Range Rover (that body style produced from 1997 to 2003) may not seem like anything special initially, but when you consider some of the many perceived and real gremlins of this truck, you'll understand why. These take a lot of care (and money) to keep on the road, especially as a daily driver. Electrics follow the common British rule that if it can break, it will. Not to mention early air suspension that was haphazard at best.

The Discovery also makes an appearance here. Trusting a Landy to travel 600 miles one-way may not necessarily be a fool's errand, but it's one you're bound to take with a bit of baited breath. However, it looks like this Rover, plated in the District of Columbia, has done just fine.

Keeping the Union Jack flying is this Aston Martin Vantage, which announced its presence long before it came into view.

Character need not always come with intricate repair jobs, though. This is evidenced by the Acura NSX, particularly this first generation, which uses the V6 from an Accord. Its shape is a home run too, representing the glory days of enthusiast-minded Hondas.

And to conclude, a blast from the past. Chevrolet's split window Corvette Stingray is now one of the most collectible Vettes you can buy, and this one cruised down Peachtree Street like it was the in the Woodward Dream Cruise.

2017 Atlanta International Auto Show

The Atlanta Auto Show is usually a quiet affair, normally constrained to only a few prototypes. Cars don't get unveiled here, but it's still a good opportunity to climb around in luxury sedans and to see some neat concepts under convention hall lights.

This year's notables include the Kia Stinger, a twin-turbo sedan whose styling would be bold for any car maker, but somehow fits just right into KIA's lineup. The Korean manufacturer's auto show real estate was impressive; hardly a surprise, given the location of major manufacturing centers in West Point, Georgia and Montgomery, Alabama.

Another manufacturer that's recently started calling Atlanta home is Mercedes-Benz. Just a few feet away, final work is being done on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will be the new home of the Atlanta Falcons and the burgeoning Atlanta United Football Club. And Mercedes brought out the big guns--a 4x4-and-then-some G550 and a Maybach S650 convertible, along with a healthy spread of AMG offerings.

You may have noticed a post here a couple of months ago when I visited the Jim Ellis Alfa Romeo dealership, and this brand was a new reappearance at the Atlanta Auto Show. Several Giulias were on display, along with a 4c. Fiat was also in attendance, showing off the Miata-based 124 Spider.

Ford continues to impress with bold, inexpensive cars aimed at the enthusiast. Focus and Fiesta ST made mandatory appearances, but the stage was really being stolen by the Focus RS--with a shocking $41,000 sticker to match. Ford also displayed Mustang and Expedition prototypes, a nice touch.

A final surprise? Volkswagen. Hot water doesn't begin to describe the trouble this mammoth auto maker has been in the past few years. But only a company as big as Volkswagen Auto Group could still manage to bring out both compelling and exciting vehicles. Much to my delight, there were two VWs with manual transmissions on the show floor--and not the ones you'd think would be there.

A Jetta Sportwagen and a Jetta Alltrack (think Audi Allroad but more down-to-earth) both sported six speed manuals and more than agreeable price tags. Enough to make you rethink even a Japanese mainstay --whispers-- Honda Civic.

Of course, this is far from an exhaustive look at the show. Here are some more of my photos from the 2017 Atlanta International Auto Show:

Weekend Photo Series: Cumberland Island (3-17-17)

Minds Lead Us to the Mountains While Hearts Lead Us to the Sea

In the Forest, Time Has the Last Dance

Smoothing, Waves Ebb and Flow

While Tides of Time Reclaim

They Roam Happily On