The race for space
During the 1980s, larger families in South Africa did not have many choices when it came to leisure vehicles. You could buy a Hi-Ace, or more likely, a VW Kombi. The sliding door, many rows of seats and vast available space made it a great option for holiday adventures. There were also many Kombi engine conversions and camper conversions, plus the Synchro option driving all four wheels. It may have been an icon, but it was never the toughest vehicle out there.
South Africans were looking for a bigger family vehicle than the normal sedan or station wagon, but did not want to pay the price of a full-size 4x4 like the Land Cruisers and Nissan Patrols of the time. In the early nineties a small Durban company, Sani Industries, started cutting Nissan Hardbody bakkies and bonded fibreglass shells onto their internal steel frames. The combination was an overnight hit and soon there was an abundance of Nissan Sani SUVs on the road. A new segment was created in the process.
Of course there were other SUVs already on the market, including the Jeep Cherokee, Land Rover 110 Station Wagon,
