Truckin’ Magazine Feature: Supercharged Suzuki ST-90

This is one of those unusual finds where the story almost seems too good to be true. Magazine feature vehicles are enormously cool and hold a great deal of appeal to collectors who want to own a car or truck that was lavished with period accessories and custom touches. However, after a certain period of time has passed, they are more or less mere curiosities as there’s typically little in the way of documentation available to verify their colorful past. This Suzuki ST-90 kei truck listed here on Facebook Marketplace is claimed to be a Truckin’ magazine feature vehicles and still wears plenty of novel upgrades that seem to lend credibility to the claims.

Kei cars and trucks have become a somewhat regular sight for many of us, whether used as a commercial vehicle for a country club or marina-type operation, or because someone imported one as an in-town runabout. Either way, these compact haulers are far more commonplace than they used to be. When this Suzuki was turned into a custom creation, however, it likely caused more than a few passers-by to stop and scratch their heads, wondering what this mini-minivan was. Technically known as a “micro-van”, the Suzuki ST-90 was part of the Carry family of light-duty workhorses.

While known for their surprising utility in a small footprint, they were never known for their performance. Typically, you’d find a gasoline-powered 4-stroke engine underneath the front seats, with around 36 horsepower. This example, however, which the seller claims was built by BF Goodrich for promotional purposes, has a 3.8L Buick V6 engine with a supercharger attached. To me, this seems absolutely bananas. Is this even possible? A supercharged V6 in a truck this small? So many details are missing, and this is a vehicle that begs to have proper documentation attached.

It also appears to sport custom widebody-style fenders and bumper extensions, along with a wild paint job. The seller also references electronic butterfly doors, which I presume to mean open like a gullwing-style setup. In sum, this is one of the wildest Suzukis ever made, and while it has been on Marketplace for a while, it hasn’t found a new home with the $5,000 asking price. If you’re a purveyor of mini trucks or kei vehicles, it looks like it could be a collection centerpiece assuming the magazine feature history can be verified. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Bakes for the find.