Do you remember the Nissan Vanette? If you don’t, or too young to know what it was, here’s a brief history lesson.
The Vanette was Nissan’s compact van, and it was assembled and sold in the Philippines from 1993 until 2001. Its prime competitor was the Toyota LiteAce, and Nissan sold loads of these over the years, but seeing one now in pristine condition is rare as hen’s teeth. Nonetheless, it had pretty cool features that were (probably) mind-blowing in the early ‘90s.
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For starters, the Vanette featured swiveling seats that can turn 180-degrees to turn the van into a mini conference room. It was also one of the first mainstream models sold in the country that offered a mini fridge to keep drinks chilled on long drives. The Vanette had storage bins galore, as well as features we take for granted today but were a novelty back then. The Vanette had cupholders in all rows of seats, electrically adjustable side mirrors, plus all the seats can fold flat to form a bed.
But its one of the optional extras in the Vanette that caught our attention, and it’s something you probably won’t find in any options list today. Believe it or not, the Nissan Vanette was once offered with an optional shower system. Need more proof? Check out this brochure scan provided by Car Brochure Collection PH.
There isn’t much mention as to how it worked, but we assume it had a small water supply tank and a pump. It was most likely powered via the van’s power outlets at the back. The brochure even showed a shower curtain set that’s attached to the tailgate. We’re genuinely curious how much this optional shower kit was and how many Nissan managed to sell. We reckon not a lot. It’s still a quirky and cool option, though.
So, if you own a Nissan Vanette with the optional shower kit, we’d love to hear from you. We’d also like to see it in action and relive the early ‘90s all over again.
