The crew comprised of our editor in chief; Lucas B.B., ‘captain’; Kaori Berkow, photographer; Masahiro ‘lai’ Arai, writer; Miguel Utsunomiya, and our tour guests; Suzuki Teppei and Chalkboy. The six members carried a mountain of photography equipment and travel gear, and were constantly on the move. But even under such demanding conditions, we managed to stay comfortable thanks to this van designed for long road trips.
The brand Gordon Miller offers an extensive range of car care merchandise plus living sundries and outdoor gear under the concept of injecting a taste of the garage into everyday life. A core line is Gordon Miller Motors currently featuring two vans. One is the GMLVAN C-01 based on the Nissan NV200 Vanette. The other is the GMLVAN V-01 used by the PAPERSKY crew.
The GMLVAN V-01 is based on the Toyota HiAce and boldly customized for a heavy duty look and function. The greatest feature is the solid and yet cozy interior. The fixtures made of natural wood can be converted easily from table style to bed style. And the wood paneling extends to the ceiling to create a bright, open space. The exterior is sprinkled with ingenious details, too, like a tough roof rack easily accessible via the rear ladder, and a tarp that doubles as a side awning to block the sun. All of these ideas and gimmicks help to make the road trip comfortable.
Complete with a nice retro face with four round headlights—that won the hearts of the crew, the lovable vehicle grew on us and motivated us to keep on driving, whether it be off road to get the perfect shot or freshest vegetable or the highway to quickly reach a given destination. Truth be told, the van was so picture perfect that we spent a lot of time photographing it, and on many occasions ended up having to rush ahead in order to stay on schedule. Simply put, we fell in love with our Gordon Miller van and we’re pretty sure you’ll like the Miller’s as well.
