It all started May 21, 2023. My son had been talking about this Honda meet at the Sebring Raceway. I was never a JDM guy specifically, but I could always appreciate a nice ride. So we went with a buddy of mine and his son. Nothing but cool Hondas and Acuras as far as the eye can see.
Then we saw this magnificent beast…
I didn’t know what this thing was, but I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Our sons told us about kei trucks and kei vehicles in general. My son told me about carfromjapan.com… and next thing I knew I found this beauty for my buddy.
Next thing I knew, I got a text that it was purchased and would be arriving from Japan in about 60 days. We picked it up at the port when it arrived and it was amazing. It was simple, had no AC, no tech… none of the modern conveniences we were used to in our other vehicles. And we loved it. So much so that he harassed me constantly via text. “Buy one yet?” “I know you want one.” “Do it!”. For weeks, this went on. He was relentless, and I was shopping on websites and marketplace every day and every night.
Finally I found, test drove, and purchased this unassuming little guy.
I liked it, but it was plain. It was every kei truck. It didn’t have personality yet. I got to work almost immediately. Customizing this thing consumed me. And now, though it is not done, here is what it looks like today
During this time, we were talking aabout our growing love for these cars and trying to come up with something to make them our own, and not just 2 more kei trucks. We joked about the “Flo Grown” thing (Florida Grown – a decal native Floridians put on their big 4x4s). We laughed about how slow kei trucks are and that’s when it hit me. Slo Grown. My buddy loved it, and here we are.
What will this become? Who knows. Right now, it’s just a lot of fun.