Curbside Outtake: A Japanese Military Jeep Getting The Groceries In Atlanta

The Mitsubishi Diamond caught my attention.

Found on the parking lot of a Sprouts groceries store in Atlanta, very recently…

I tried to identify what model it was… But I need the collective wisdom of this crowd. I know it’s a Mitsubishi vehicle, built under a Willys license. The steering wheel is on the right side, so it’s a Japanese model.

It’s the short wheelbase model

 

I know it’s a diesel, and that the dashboard looks relatively modern (with round dials). Because it has the flat front fenders with the skirt at the front and Jeep embossed on the hood, I know it’s not one of the original CJ3B-J4 of the Korean war (they have flat fenders with no skirt and Willys embossed on the hood).

 

Steering wheel on the right and round instruments

 

My bet would be on a J23 or maybe a J24 – probably from the mid seventies.

 

Jeep embossed on the hood.

 

But the real question remains: how did a Japanese military Jeep from the seventies ended up on a groceries mission in suburban Georgia?