The beauty of Odd

Lovert Mafukure

Sometimes I try hard to leave the car-guy lifestyle behind, sometimes I manage and oftentimes I don’t, like this one time I was trying hard to be a normal guy until something odd appeared in my rear view mirror.

It was unconventionally offbeat and eccentric that I had to pay more attention to it.

I had seen it before but not this close and personal, I had an idea what it was but I did not quite understand why it existed. The moment I saw it in my rear view mirror…my dead curiosity was re-awakened … I had to find out what it was.

It’s was a Toyota WiLL Vi. You might not know it, you may not have seen before but perhaps one day in this life you will.

They are few, they are rare and they are odd. They have their signature reverse rack back windscreen characteristic of cars from ages past like the Ford Anglia.

It was an experimental car that never really took off to stardom. It never appealed to many perhaps because of its gothic type of architecture.

This experiment was a collaboration between Toyota of course and other companies which include Panasonic.

The idea behind it all was to launch a line of products specifically for the young trendy youthful people. I believe it was the same idea VW had when they re-launched the VW Beetle, the only difference was or is that the beetle lost its quirky nature, which Toyota reintroduced through the WiLL, and they learnt the hard way.

Besides its rather bizarre looks the WiLL isn’t that far off from the world you know. It might look like it houses an electric motor instead of an engine but it was actually manufactured on the Toyota Vitz platform.

It comes with a 2NZ Fe Engine which is 1300cc. It uses the same 4 speed automatic transmission as the one found in the Toyota Vitz or the Other siblings like the Toyota Funny Cargo…pardon me I mean the Toyota Fun Cargo.

The engine is transversely mounted and power is transferred to the front wheels.

For a car its size you will get good fuel economy but don’t expect Jet engine power from it. Toyota does not disappoint with its engines and this one is no different. Expect Toyota’s standard on reliability as much as far you religiously service it.

Rare as they are, you would expect finding parts for them to be a serious hassle. As I mentioned earlier, it shares the same platform with the Toyota Vitz and comes with a 2nz engine.

This is quite a popular engine amongst Toyotas smaller cars. You will find it in cars like the Vitz, Fun cargo, IST, Sienta and probox just to mention a few.

That said, it means you won’t have much of a hassle finding engine and transmission spares, we will give them to you with eyes closed.

Body parts on the other hand will make you grow grey hair quicker than your grand folks.

Its intentional retro styling didn’t appeal to most of the youth apart from those that always see the beauty in everything odd. It gained a small following, the demand was low, and because of that WiLLs production was shortlived.

If you are thinking of getting one therefore make sure you do not scratch it for any reason or accidentally break a glass or a light.

You will need your relative on the planet Pluto to bring you one.

Renowned author, Paul Guinnes said that, its flat plastic wheel trims, ribbed-look doors, steeply curved front and controversially different rear window design ensured it would always stand out on the crowded streets of Tokyo…

Yes, it stood out in the streets of Tokyo and now it’s standing out in the streets of Bulawayo now. It attracted my attention to the point of really wanting to know why it even existed.

I still don’t know why it does but I’m trying to appreciate the beauty of odd…and I keep failing!

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