Japanese designers seem to be infatuted with some of America’s most unique vehicles. DAMD Styling Effect, the same company that turned the Japanese-market Honda WR-V crossover into a Jeep Cherokee lookalike, is turning its attention to the full-size, body-on-frame vans that dominated U.S. culture in the 1970s and 1980s. Built from of the subcompact Honda Freed mini-minivan, the DAMD Isolator – previewed with a few design sketches and due for a real-life debut in October – almost looks like a Chevrolet Astro, GMC Safari, or GMC Vandura at first glance (though scaled down quite a bit).
Comprehensive Styling Updates
In the vein of the XJ-wannabe crossover, DAMD will give the Freed a totally revised front clip, keeping the base vanlet’s front fenders but replacing the hood and front bumper with taller, squarer styling that incorporates a billet-style grille, round headlamps, and a protruding front bumper that recalls the 1970s. The renderings take advantage of the Freed’s radiused wheel arches, giving the restyled Isolator a widebody appearance that’s rather appealing.
One interesting detail is the bit of wood-tone trim that extends from the base of the hood to the sliding door track, which again puts the Honda’s chiseled styling to good use. The Isolator will also receive ground effects, with a triangular front spoiler recalling some of the custom touches that van enthusiasts applied to their machines in the 1970s and 1980s. Paint it black and slap a red racing stripe on the side and you might even have a decent imitation of B.A. Baracus’ GMC G-Series Vandura from The A-Team.
Not Quite The Real Thing
The Honda Freed clearly isn’t as large as even the smallest American vans. Its 169.7-inch overall length and 66.7-inch width come in well under the old Chevy Astro’s 176.8- and 77.0-inch minimums. And although the raised front end does a lot of heavy lifting – pun intended – in terms of styling updates, the JDM van’s inclined windshield and front quarter windows clearly betray its Honda origins. Still, we like the DAMD Isolator’s steel wheels with chrome beauty rings, blacked-out grille and headlight surrounds, and low-riding stance a whole lot.
It would be the perfect stablemate to a Mitsuoka M55, the rebodied Honda Civic that resembles an early-1970s Dodge Challenger. Since both are available in Japan, they’d give their owner some of the visual panache of a 50-year-old American garage, but without the fuel thirst, dubious rustproofing, and carbureted drivability issues of the originals. You’d just need to figure out a way to rig up the audio system to play ground-beating cammed V8 noises for the outside world to complete the illusion.
Coming Soon To A Touge Near You
DAMD plans to reveal a full-size prototype of the Isolator on October 18 during its annual party, which is open to all prospective and current owners of the company’s products. Other machines in the DAMD portfolio include restyled Suzuki Jimny variants that look like Mercedes G-Wagens, old rally legends, and vintage Ford Broncos, plus myriad minicars and kei vehicles with vintage-inspired designs.
Source: DAMD Styling Effect
