Suzuki Jimny becomes a Renault 5 Turbo and Lancia Delta Integrale rally icon

Having already been reimagined as a ‘mini’ Mercedes G-Class and a compact Land Rover Defender, the Suzuki Jimny has now acquired rally-inspired styling, once again proving itself to be one of today’s most adaptable models.

Through the ingenuity and imagination of Japanese tuning firm DAMD, the Jimny pays tribute to two genuine rally legends: the Lancia Delta Integrale and the Renault 5 Turbo.

DAMD Suzuki Jimny debut at Tokyo Auto Salon

Both creations will make their public debut at Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan, which opens on 12 January 2024.

A Suzuki Jimny with French flair

Like the Renault 5, the Suzuki Jimny is practical, versatile and exceptionally compact. Perhaps that is why DAMD’s Japanese designers considered it the ideal base for recapturing the spirit of the Renault 5 Turbo, a car that enjoyed numerous rally victories, including several in Portugal.

This Jimny stands out through its front lamps, shaped like those of the French icon, and its radiator grille, which appears to have been ‘borrowed’ from the little hatchback. At the rear, attention is drawn to a spoiler inspired by that fitted to the Renault 5 Turbo.

Viewed from the side, the “non turbo, or no turbo” decal refers to the Jimny’s naturally aspirated engine, while the white OZ Racing wheels unmistakably shout “rallying”.

Those wheels are also offered on the other DAMD creation featured here, which takes its inspiration from another rally icon, the Delta Integrale.

A Japanese Deltona?

The radiator grille and front lamps leave no doubt: this Suzuki Jimny draws on the Lancia Delta Integrale and has adopted a far more aggressive look.

DAMD has faithfully captured the character of the Italian model. It even includes yellow fog lamps in the lower section of the bumper, alongside an enormous rear spoiler and exterior graphics combining red paintwork with three lengthways stripes - two white and one black - running across the entire body.

Unfortunately, neither the Lancia Delta Integrale-inspired version nor the Renault 5 Turbo-themed model receives mechanical changes. In other words, the Suzuki Jimny remains available solely with its standard factory engines.

Suzuki Jimny engines and electric version

In its home market of Japan, the Jimny is offered with a small turbocharged three-cylinder 658 cc engine, producing 64 hp and 96 Nm of maximum torque.

Outside the Land of the Rising Sun, the Jimny uses a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine delivering 102 hp and 130 Nm. It was in precisely this specification that it featured in a video road test on Razão Automóvel’s YouTube channel:

For 2024, the major Suzuki Jimny development will be the arrival of an unprecedented fully electric variant.