From the land of Toyota MR-2-based Ferrari kit cars and this weird thing comes an interesting Mercedes-Benz kit car based on the beloved JA11 Suzuki Jimny Kei truck, designed and built by the talented students of the Nihon Automotive Technology School (NATS).

The school enrolls approximately 750 students in four unique courses. The first is the Maintenance Course, which is a two-year program that prepares students for the national exam required to become a Class 2 mechanic. Next, students can continue their education with three advanced courses: Customization, Motorsports, and Research. And to showcase the school's customization program, 15 students formed a team to tackle an ambitious project build to display at the Tokyo Auto Salon. The idea was to make a miniature 6x6 that would better suit the narrow streets of Japan, yet still retain the level of road presence. And how big was the budget for this ambitious project? A grand total of 1 million yen—or just $8,900 USD.

The greatest changes are obviously done to the exterior. The students essentially brought in two Suzuki Jimny donors to begin the transformation, chopping the rears and increasing the length of the frame to accommodate the addition of an extra rear axle. Next, the grille, emblem, LED lights, tail lights, and bumper are all real parts. Of course, the bumper for the G63 is much wider, which means the students had to chop it up and re-fiberglass it to Jimny spec. The bed of the mini-6x6 is also custom made, featuring a one-of-a-kind tailgate as well as an airbrush paint job on the bed to mimic the wood finish found in the real Mercedes truck. However, the powertrain underneath this project is still stock, untouched Suzuki and left (therefore, 6x4 would be the more accurate designation).

Regardless, the fabrication is amazing and is a really earnest interpretation of the real thing. I, for one, would be really stoked to rock this as a daily road warrior. What about you? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section, below.