Note: This is also not a toy review.

In April, the one-man team at 131 Off-Road took a week-long vacation to the Pacific Northwest to unwind after the Morocco Desert Challenge. While visiting Uwajimaya in Seattle, we were pleasantly surprised to come across shelves selling Tomica diecasts.

For those not in the know, Tomica is a line of diecast vehicles by Takara Tomy. It’s basically the Japanese version of Matchbox, intended to be more realistic than products like Hot Wheels. Being a Japan-centric line means it’s exceptionally rare to find in the United States outside of specialty stores like Uwajimaya. Items on display in the market included a Suzuki Jimny, various sedans and pavement cars, and so on.

But what caught our eye was a 1:57-scale Mitsubishi Delica with a very familiar logo and livery.

In 2025, Tomica celebrated its 55th anniversary by having manufacturers create specialty models. Mitsubishi Motors decided to design a Delica after the service vehicles used by Team Mitsubishi Ralliart at the Asia Cross-Country Rally.

The team typically employs a Delica as an assistance car, particularly the D:5 though the Mini has also been used. Four of them serviced Ralliart’s Tritons en route to overall victory at the 2025 edition.

“The Delica D:5 is an all-around minivan featuring a robust body with a rib-bone frame and an electronically-controlled 4WD system that provides optimal maneuverability and road handling in a variety of weather and road conditions,” reads Ralliart’s pre-race overview on the service vans. “Having operated as the support car for Team Mitsubishi Ralliart in the AXCR since 2023, it will once again be used this year by Team Director Hiroshi Masuoka to inspect the rally course. In order to enhance handling on rough terrain, the vehicle is equipped with an aluminum engine guard and is lifted by approximately 20 millimeters using dedicated front and rear suspension.”

Even Tomica boxes differ from its American cousins. While there is a plastic case wherein the diecast is ensconced, it is covered by an additional flap on the cardboard box that has to be lifted to reveal it.

On the opposite side of the flap is a message from Tomohiro Okada, the head designer for Mitsubishi Motors and mastermind of the Tomica:

The car’s graphics are arranged from the front to the doors, featuring a vibrant red color similar to magma and swirling smoke.

The rear of the car has a gunmetal color, inspired by the image of magma solidifying into bedrock. This is to express the powerful dynamism in Mitsubishi vehicles and the high level of reliability and durability that form their foundation.

For this collaboration with Tomica, we prominently displayed the “55th ANNIVERSARY” logo, styled to resemble a racing number. The TOMICA logo is also scattered across the bodywork in a similar manner to sponsor decals, creating a competitive, rally car-style aesthetic.

We hope this graphic will spark excitement in both children and adults alike. I myself am one of those thrilled by Tomica.

The real Delica used by Ralliart in 2024 has generally the same livery (2025 introduced a new look), though with actual number bibs rather than the giant #55 on the doors. While the Tomica version has the brand logo on the roof, the actual van is blank since lights fixtures and a roof rack are attached there. Smaller decals are also different, but that’s to be expected as team sponsors like CUSCO, Endless Brakes, ENEOS, FORTEC, HKS, TPR, and WORK Wheels weren’t involved in the partnership.

Not everything from the actual Delica made it like the absence of the rear ladder and mud flaps. The grille and D-post on the real van are also different on the Tomica, such as the “DELICA” stamped on the Tomica’s grille. The original article also has “DELICA D:5” imprinted along the side skirts, while similar text is moved higher up to align with the wheel well for the Tomica.

It is shorter than the Hot Wheels Toyota HiLux stadium truck we covered last month, but taller. The underbelly of the Toyota also comes with details like the exhaust being a separate component, as opposed to the Delica where anything underneath is just printed on. Not entirely surprising as both companies cast their products with different methods and intentions, plus you’re not exactly sending a Delica around a short course.

The diecast wasn’t the only merch released by Ralliart in the wake of Chayapon Yotha’s AXCR victory either. In October, Happinet produced a 1:20 scale RC car based on the Triton that ran the 2024 Asia Cross-Country Rally.

This might beg the question: while this is a Ralliart specialty since they’re the Mitsubishi factory team, has anyone tried entering something like the Dakar Rally with a minivan?

You won’t have to wonder for long. In 1984, Team Kozure Okami entered the 1984 Paris–Dakar Rally with two Honda XL400s for Yoshimasa Sugawara and Sumihide Maruyama. For their support vehicle, the team had Delica driven by Eizuke Takeda with photographer Noboyuki Josuka and Norbert Rolf Albrecht riding shotgun. While this might sound like a similar arrangement to what Ralliart currently does, service vehicles were also classified in the final Dakar results back then (support trucks today are as well in T5.2).

The van retained its 1.8-liter engine but was built atop a Pajero chassis. Somewhere along the way from Japan to France, the windshield was broken and needed to be replaced before pre-race inspection. Sugawara drove the Delica to Sonauto, which had a spare, only for that to shatter as well while they got it installed. Although the Delica has been in production for years, it was still new to the European market at the time so very few were readily available, and the team was worried they’d have to go without the van if it couldn’t pass scrutineering. Fortunately, Albrecht reached out to his friends back in Germany and found a new windscreen.

The backup’s arrival was delayed due to dense fog, but it arrived by morning of the final day of inspection. While waiting in line at the Citroën factory for scrutineering, Sugawara realized the Delica didn’t have a roll cage so he borrowed a welding machine from FACOM and used a guardrail from a nearby building to make one. It was approved and the Delica was in the race as #395.

Of course, the engine was far too weak to handle the Algerian mountain roads. On several occasions, it had to be towed up and down by a truck. At one point, the team received a reprimand from the TSO for completing a stage while still on the tow hook. Takeda eventually fell sick so Sugawara took over driving duties, while Albrecht rode Sugawara’s bike in the meantime. Done with their shit by this point, the TSO wasn’t happy with this arrangement either and disqualified everyone on the team.

Sugawara returned to Dakar in 1985 in a Pajero, this time with two rapid assistance vehicles. Maruyama, Kou Takahashi, and Alain Joseph were in the #335 Pajero to help Sugawara and Tamotsu Akusawa’s #334, while the Delica came back as the #572 piloted by Koya Nitta, Hiroki Watanabe, and Kazuo Hatakeyama.

Alas, 1985 wasn’t any better for Sugawara as he retired again; the #335 and #572 also withdrew when he did. At least Mitsubishi still enjoyed victory that year courtesy of Patrick Zaniroli.

The ’80s weren’t the only time a Delica showed up to Dakar either. Even Ralliart got in on the fun two decades later.

In 2007, the final African Dakar, Mitsubishi fielded a D:5 as one of two support vehicles to their factory drivers alongside an Outlander. Unlike Kozure Okami’s van, this Delica was properly built for raids. It came with a 2.4-liter MIVEC engine, an electronically-controlled 4WD system, a larger fuel tank, and wider tires. The suspension was slightly reinforced along the control arms while the ride height was increased to better withstand the desert terrain. The shock absorbers and springs were replaced by rally versions, though everything else was otherwise stock.

Although the team had used Pajeros for assistance cars in previous years, the minivan seemed like a fun alternative.

“The rules for the Dakar Rally changed. Mechanics and engineers also had to travel by car. The Delica D:5 and Outlander were used for that purpose,” the company’s Dakar engineer Yoshihiko Ototake explained. “However, this travel was nothing at all like driving on paved roads in Japan. The roads that were paved were extremely bumpy and laden with huge potholes. Then there were unpaved dirt roads as well. If their car got stopped or stuck, they would be unable to provide service that day. However, even though these were commercially available cars, they ended up being able to drive everywhere without any malfunctions, even in those grueling conditions.”

Katsuhiko Taguchi, who still races for Ralliart today and finished top five overall in last year’s AXCR, was tasked with driving the Delica. He had high praises for the van upon arriving at the bivouac in Atar for the rest day:

“I’ve truly realized just what an incredible vehicle this is. I thought I had a good grasp of the fact that the Delica D:5 was surprisingly good in driving performance for a one-box type minivan, but when I actually drove it in Africa, I realized it was an amazing vehicle that far exceeded my expectations.

“We’ve been able to handle rough dirt roads that truly embody the spirit of ‘African off-road terrain” at a pace of around 80 to 110 km/h. What’s more, I don’t get tired at all. Isao Torii-san, the president of MMSP, has been riding in the back seat the whole time and he said it’s ‘very comfortable even in the back.’ There haven’t been any problems whatsoever.”

Stéphane Peterhansel led a Pajero Evolution 1–2 ahead of 2006 winner Luc Alphand, while Masuoka finished fifth.

“The Dakar Rally is a marathon race that takes two to three weeks. If you get fatigued from car travel, that will pose a problem in the service work you perform in the evening,” Masuoka started. “The Delica D:5 in particular is a minivan, so everyone was worried about whether it could actually get where it needed to go. We loaded it up with spare parts, but ultimately none of them were used. It’s the world’s one and only minivan that can also drive on rough and unpaved surfaces.”

You might argue, “But 131, these aren’t any different from what Ralliart does right now! They’re also assistance vehicles, not race vans!” You’re not wrong, but that doesn’t mean nobody tried. Sort of.

In January, Henry Favre entered the Dakar Classic in a Delica. Obviously, the Classic isn’t the same as the Dakar Rally itself since it’s a regularity race, but just humor us here because this is still a fun story.

Favre is a pretty funny guy with a good sense of humor; his Dakar Classic debut in 2025 saw him and Alessandro Iacovelli play badminton with their Pajero as the net when the gearbox broke mid-stage. He’s such a comedian that he even announced the Delica project on April 1, causing everyone to think it was an April Fool’s joke. Of course, he was more than serious.

The friends bought the van in Spain before beginning the build on a shoestring budget. They gutted out the inside then added the roll cage followed by rally-appropriate instruments and equipment, then swapped out the motor for a 1.2-liter Fiat FIRE (Fully Integrated Robotised Engine) unit.

The livery came with “Oratorio” decals parodying the Ralliart logo since Favre joked it was like racing a minivan used by church choirs. For the heck of it, they used a snowboard as a rear wing and added Woody from Toy Story and six Nokia 3310 phones to the rear bumper as nerf bars.

Even though it’s not the Dakar Rally, the Classic is still very much a competition and thus their Delica is indeed a race van. Still, both of them knew they weren’t going to win and thus were looking forward to having a good time.

Sure enough, the race was as much of an misadventure as it was an adventure. On the very first stage, their backpack containing snacks and their passports fell out because they forgot to close the van’s sliding door. By the time they went back to retrieve it, the drink cans and snack pouches were squished into the ground.

More often than not, they either came close to or hit the maximum permitted points of 5,000 each day, which is “achieved” by retiring, not starting the day, and/or making too many errors or penalties. Only five times did they avoid the max: 3,734 points in Stage 1 (95th overall), 4,917 in Stage 4 (88th), 4,800 in Stage 7 (88th), 4,870 in Stage 8 (82nd), and 900 on the 13th and last day (tied for 65th with 25 other teams).

The van obviously wasn’t fast or agile enough to hang with the likes of Karolis Raišys’ 1978 Land Rover Series III or Ondřej Klymčiw’s 1994 Pajero, but it was sturdy and decently strong. Thus, Favre and Iacovelli were just as keen on helping fellow Dakarians in trouble. The Italians particularly developed a rapport with the Gazelles Offroad Team, frequently coming to Helen Wright and Marcella Kirk’s aid when their Land Rover 110 was in trouble.

They knew victory was basically out of the question as each day went by, but that never mattered to them. In fact, after surviving the 917-kilometer Stage 6 and making it to the bivouac well into the dark, Favre was blunt about his Dakar:

I don’t give a damn about the standings, about the fact that we skipped a few special stages because we were always late so they won’t let us start. Let’s help the competitors, I don’t care. I said it right away when the Dakar project started; this is with the van, but last year too, I didn’t give a damn about the standings.

I’m here to tell stories, have fun, entertain you, and try to get you involved in this motorsport made up entirely of officials and mega-sponsors, where people put on a polo shirt and are convinced they’re the driver of whatever-the-fuck-I-know-about race.
We’re here to lower the bar a bit, show ourselves off through stupid means, and try to get you involved in the behind-the-scenes of this magical world of motorsports.

We’re probably last anyway.

Indeed, the Delica and its quirks made the Favre–Iacovelli duo a favorite. Andy Lilienthal of Crankshaft Culture proclaimed it to be his “favorite vehicle” in the race, while bike rider Shinya Fujiwara simply remarked, “いーね!” (“That’s nice!”).

For all of Favre’s wisecracks, it’s appropriate that he finished a very nice 69th among cars (90th including trucks). The Delica was the last Classic car to complete the rally, which automatically made this entry a success in his book.

“This is the first van in history to cross the finish line, proving that it is still a competitive vehicle,” Favre declared.

Featured image credit: Justin Nguyen