Speaking of Rutledge Wood, we would be amiss if we didn’t include his tiny Subaru 360 golf van. 3. Rutledge Wood’s Subaru 360 Minivan Rutledge Wood in his Subaru 360 Golf Van | Source: Rutledge Wood via Facebook Stay tuned as we load into this bad boy for a one-week road trip with Rutledge Wood, and follow us as we take on one of America’s most intense endurance races. Sporting a Kaminari carbon fiber hood, sticky Nitto tires, RPF1 Enkei wheels, and a slathering of TRD goods, the livery laden Sienna is the ultimate Dadmobile. One lap of America Toyota Sienna | Source: Toyota Utilizing a stock 3.5-liter V6 engine and a six-speed automatic transmission, this minivan has bested vehicles like the 6.2-liter Chevy Camaro SS at Willow Springs, and is the official 2016 One Lap of America minivan for the automaker. Toyota teamed up with custom car builders DG-Spec for this build so that the Sienna SE “Swagger Wagon” could receive performance tires, wheels, brakes, race suspension, and a grippy limited slip differential for additional bite. Unlike the Kia, the van here is a total track demon which remains completely street legal. Toyota Sienna R-Tuned Concept R-Tuned Toyota Sienna | Source: Toyota Custom diamond-plated shelving offers additional storage for things like spare tires, a 5-gallon gas tank, and extra karting gear, all while a set of Sparco “Chrono Road” seats finish the features up front. Flooring inside has been coated in black-and-white RaceDeck rubber, and the back now sports a toolbox with a built-in Infinity subwoofer and a tire bead breaker. The Sedona’s interior got a lot of attention as well, morphed into a rolling garage complete with tools, spares, supplies, and work space. From the custom-built roofrack that’s designed to hold a CRG Bambino kart to the Fiamma awning and the custom aluminum and diamond-plated trailer sitting atop matching 18-inch wheels, this van is a total winner in our book. Paying tribute to the championship-winning Kia Racing Optimas, the Sedona seen here rocks 20-inch BBS CH-R white racing wheels that have been wrapped with Pirelli P Zero rubber, and it was a hit at SEMA few years back. Karting is one of those hobbies that is fun for both kids and adults, and having a vehicle that’s designed to haul these miniature race cars down to the track and back is tantalizing to say the least. Ultimate Karting Sedona Custom Kia Sedona | Source: Kia So break out the juice boxes and put on a Disney flick for the peanut gallery in the third row because it’s about time to have some big fun with the humble minivan. This got us thinking: What kind of minivans would we drive if it was deemed absolutely necessary?Īfter a few hours of putting our heads together, we came up with six options, all of which would be pretty badass to own even if they may not all be street legal. Hell, most guys would rather mow the lawn every day for hours on end than be seen driving the family van around town. There is also an issue with the fact that since the demise of the Chevy Astro there hasn’t been an all-wheel drive variant available outside of the top-end version of the Toyota Sienna, driving many toward SUV purchases. Custom Toyota SEMA Sienna | Source: Toyotaīut on the flipside, many still blame the minivan for the downfall of the station wagon, as the far more practical vehicle trumped the classic family-hauler on virtually every level save for aesthetics and handling. The longevity of this platform has been rekindled recently as minivans continue to be far more firmly planted and less unwieldy than large SUVs, come with large sliding doors, and have rear seats that either fold into the floor or are removable all together. They serve as a fantastic vehicle option for anyone with a large family, those who work for companies like Uber or Lyft, or those who require a low-slung transit vehicle for the elderly. There’s a deep-rooted love/hate relationship out there for minivans, even when versions like the Toyota Sienna we tested a few months back are quite good. JDM Honda Odyssey | Source: Micah Wright/Autos Cheat Sheet
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