"THAT IS AWESOOOOOOOOOO…!!!"
There are longer minivan jumps you could watch, even some with explosions, but no flying family hauler can match the poise and grace of this 1980s Toyota Tarago.
Somewhere in rural Australia — possibly near a dingo — this sturdy conveyance not only survived its flight seemingly unscathed, it probably stopped off for a case of Fosters after the jump before driving a pack of blonde teens home.
There’s scant information available for this three-year-old YouTube clip, but it’s clearly a pre-1986 Tarago making the jump, powered by either a 64-horsepower diesel or 87-horsepower gas four-banger. What it lacks in power it more than makes up for in execution.
Like an adorable puppy jumping off a dock into a pristine lake, the stable trajectory of this well-balanced conformitymobile shows why the Previa and its mid-engined predecessors are regarded as the sports car of minivans.
It’s a Porsche Boxster for the whole family.
Even though the soft (and likely very tired) suspension takes a beating, there’s no obvious listing to indicate damage after the jump. A front-engined American van would have burrowed its nose halfway to China on landing.
So kudos to this van and its Aussie driver.
And no, we don’t know if the driver is someone’s mom. We can only hope that it is.
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"...the Previa and its mid-engined predecessors are regarded as the sports car of minivans." Previas were sporty? With what kind of tailwind - 100 mph or so? Otherwise, a kid on rollerblades could probably outrun one.
"It’s a Porsche Boxster for the whole family." I think you meant, "It's mid-engined...just like a Ferrari," as per minivan afficionado Richard Hammond.
This model of Tarago had the Toyota 22R engine with fuel injection. The engine was also fitted to the Hilux.
This Tarago is based on the Toyota Lite Ace van as well. These were powered by a 1.8 litre engine. These vans were commercial vans used by florists, etc.