This camper is 26-years old but it’s still much newer than what we normally like to show here. It was so unusual and so nice, and it checked so many boxes that it was hard to pass up. This Canadian camper is a 1992 Mitsubishi Delica Vantech JB500 4×4, diesel, 5-speed (should I keep going?).. This unusual little motorhome is listed on eBay with a buy it now price of $32,000 Canadian funds, approximately $24,500 in US funds. It’s located in one of my favorite/favourite cities on the planet: Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
I have talked about a box-checker before. And no, that’s not the 16-year old kid at the store helping you bag your groceries. It’s a vehicle with so many options or features that it automatically catches our collective eye. Speaking of automatically, a lot of you automatically won’t like this vehicle because it’s: A) made in Japan. B) it’s “too new” to be shown here. That’s ok, this is a huge world and there are a ton of other great vehicles being shown here at Barn Finds for you folks. This one is for those of us who love highly-unusual vehicles no matter where they’re from. And, just so they’re 25 years old or older they belong here if they’re as unusual as this one is.
Back to this tiny-but-big-enough camper. The third generation Mitsubishi Delica van came out in 1986 and unless you’ve been hiding in a cave and/or your mom’s basement for the last few years you know that these Japanese vans are at least luke warm if not hot right now. The company made camper vans similar to VW’s famous pop-top vans that we all know and love, and they also made what is basically a C-Class van-front chassis for companies to use as a basis for a more intensive camper or motorhome such as this Vantech model.
This is the part that catches most people’s eye and gives them a churning gut like only a right-hand drive vehicle can do, this side of day-old sushi. As if this having this camper basically looking brand new wasn’t enough, you’ll never go hungry with a corn dog for a shifter! The seller has done this before, what a great group of photos and a nice description. They have even included a walk-around video on YouTube. Mitsubishi sold these vans in the US for three or four years in the late-1980s and they started showing up in Canada a few years later. The camping portion is decked out with a tiny bathroom with a shower (!), a kitchen area with sink and cooktop, a small refrigerator, and even a little heater for those cold Canadian nights.
The one thing that this van camper doesn’t have that is sorely needed is a turbo. This is Mitsubishi’s 4D56, 2.5L inline-four diesel which would have had around 75 hp. Ouch. They made turbo models with much more horsepower and this rig could really use that extra bump in power. Needless to say, this l’il motorhome will take a while to get up to speed. Turbo kits are available and if a person were really into unusual, small, 4×4, diesel motorhomes, this looks like a gem. Getting it into the US may take some paperwork and/or luck so you’ll want to make sure about that before throwing down an offer on this l’il box-checker.
I am not sure if somebody would pay that much because it is an oddity or what, but old motorhomes are dirt cheap if you want one to go camping.
Having spent all year tiny-RV shopping and getting burned at least once, I still think this looks cute. But the 120 or so HP from the 22RE totally soured me on my Toyota Class C. This diesel might as well have a Briggs & Stratton.
If you buy this in North America, it’s right hand drive. I’ve driven a left hand drive in Britain, and it was no picnic. None of the photos show a door into the back-end. Do you have to climb in via the front seats eechhh ! ? If there is a back door, then you access it from the road side, no thanks.
Right hand drive usually means driving on the left and getting out on the left. Oddity for sure.
AL, if you look at the first picture what do you call the thing on the side that looks like a frame with a 2 piece barn style door in it? We have the same problem in Australia, when you pull up at the kerb the passenger has to step out into the fast moving traffic, suppose it’s one way of getting rid of the missus when she gets cleaned up by a Freightliner or Mack barreling past. Driving left hand drive in a RHD country is no big deal same as the opposite LHD in a RHD country, it’s all in the mind, biggest problem is in a burger joint drive through or parking station when you try to pay to get out of the joint.
They didn’t sell these in the usa. What are you smoking?
Greg, are you sure about that? Mitsubishi sold the “van”, not the motorhome-van in the US from 1987 to 1991. I said, “Mitsubishi sold these vans in the US for three or four years in the late-1980s”, not they sold the camper vans in the US.
Well, might be a good concept for Japan, but not on the great plains with a 50 mph head wind, you’d never get it into 5th gear or worse, a 50 mph crosswind. Without duals on the back, over she goes. About as stable as a cardboard box. You can get a pretty nice motorhome ( and the standard Jeep towed behind it) for this price.
I was going to bid until I saw only 75HP??????
I have to agree. For a vehicle like this, I would think that 115hp would’ve been way better; even as a turbo diesel, that would’ve been a good start.
Lovely looking Mitsubishi camper. I remember when the Mitsubishi Delica van was sold here in the USA. My stepdad owned one for a few years. I loved driving it except when climbing a gravel hill. Perhaps Mitsubishi should’ve offered the Delica with 4wd. Another thing Mitsubishi should’ve offered for US market vans would’ve been a turbo diesel engine.
Only 120 miles away from my house. Drat…..
And to GCN, this unit is indeed 4WD. Got two shifters, and the advert mentions it is a 4WD.
And here in the Prairies of Alberta, 50mph headwinds are just a light breeze.
Wind records can run from 170-188 km/h, or about 115 mph. Lots of semi trucks / cattle liners get flipped over on a windy day.
Only 120 miles away from my house. Drat…..
And to GCN, this unit is indeed 4WD. Got two shifters, and the advert mentions it is a 4WD.
And here in the Prairies of Alberta, 50mph headwinds are just a light breeze.
Wind records can run from 170-188 km/h, or about 115 mph. Lots of semi trucks / cattle liners get flipped over on a windy day.
For some reason, Mitsubishi sold the Delica in the USA, but never offered a motorhome version, not even in 4wd Diesel form.
I think this is a fantastic find. Would love to have it. In a world of $60,000 pickups this sounds like a deal. This has so much going for it an AWD camper with dependable Mitsubishi powertrain. Wow.
Anyone price a VW Sincro lately?
I know what you mean. While I’ve always liked VW Syncro Vanagons, they’re rare as hen’s teeth, (at least I haven’t seen any recently).
Owned a Syncro Westy, also a diesel Westy. These are just as well designed inside. They are SMALL though. I am 6′ and fit much better in the Westy. I think of them like a boat. Very good use of space. In Japan these rarely go farther than a few hundred miles so the low HP is not noticed as much.
I don’t know this one in particular but I was very impressed with the construction and quality of the campers in Japan. It would be easy to be in this for a few weeks with two people.
Hi I own a 1993 Model JB500. The camper part is made in Germany . They are a lot of fun if you are not in a hurry . in perfect conditions I can cruse at 60 mph ,but mostly keep it at 55 . much more relaxing to drive at that speed . making it go faster would be a mistake because it would be unstable and dangerous to drive above 60 mph . mine is getting a refit/update now . But like i say she purrs like a kitten with its tail in a vice . Have a good one