by Citroen HY Van is an iconic classic of the French brand. But the Japanese are such – they do not care whether it’s a Lamborghini or a Citroen. They have their own vision of the proper tuning and aren’t shy to apply JDM to everything that comes into their hands. And this van is a very good confirmation of that. 
If this car appeared on our roads, it would most likely be classified as one of the abandoned.
But in fact, a very decent amount of money was invested in this car, comparable to the cost of a good new car from the showroom! 
And although at first glance it seems that the van doesn’t even have wheels, they not only exist but are very cool indeed. It’s all about the Japanese love for lowering cars. In this case, it required not only installing airbags and rebuilding the suspension, but totally redesigning the chassis – this mission was entrusted to the specialists from Ushio Automobile. They also changed the gearbox and engine.
And you are hardly going to guess what they installed here… 
The tuners threw away the original gearbox and engine, replacing them with units and assemblies from the Mazda RX7! Yes, yes, now this retro truck moves with the help of a rotary engine. Moreover, they changed the layout itself – now the van is mid-engined. The air suspension is constructed in such a way that they had to cut out the floor, so the wheels and auto parts simply stick out into the cargo compartment.
As for the exterior, the owner Belmondo (that’s the nickname of this van) tried to keep it as authentic as possible. Rust and traces of time were deliberately left intact, although it’s a pity that nothing can be thrown into the body – after all, there is no floor. 
The cabin interior is still in the process of being completed, but you can already see that it represents a fairly harmonious combination of old and new technologies. The instrument panel is fully electronic, and the air suspension control panel is brought out to it. 
In conclusion – a few words about the project budget.
And although the owner has already lost track, according to him, the total cost of modifications, including the purchase of the donor itself, amounts to about 50-60 thousand dollars. A lot? By Japanese standards, this is quite a manageable sum, especially for a custom project that simply cannot go unnoticed even next to supercars. 
