Philip Egan|2014 Suzuki Hustler
You may know me from my Honda Acty which was my dream vehicle that I’d owned, customised, overspent on, and drove to car shows all across the UK for over ten years resulting in winning 24 trophies.
However, during the final 12 months of ownership it had started to become temperamental and I became frustrated in having a vehicle that was purely for shows but I couldn’t guarantee to make it to those shows. After replacing many parts myself, I had one final attempt at getting it reliable again but after more repairs by a professional it was diagnosed as requiring another engine rebuild which was it’s final straw for me and I decided to twist rather than stick. It would have been easy to trailer it to shows but I feel that driving to shows is a big part of the experience.
The acty was sold to a raffle company and has since been won by an owner of a large collection of kei vehicles.
As you can tell from the heading of my profile page I decided to replace the acty with a 2014 Suzuki Hustler which was freshly imported to the UK from Japan by a friend at the start of 2026 and a car I’d been keeping my eye on in case I did decide to sell the acty.
I tend to get attracted to the more unusual vehicle, and as well as my acty in the past my main show vehicles have been a smart city coupe, a smart roadster, two Nissan cubes, and a Nissan Elgrand all of which were featured in magazines.
I feel the Suzuki Hustler is a perfect combination of all of my previous vehicles, it’s as small and and economical as the acty but so much more practical, will hopefully prove to be more reliable, and is a life of luxury compared to the acty. Importantly though, for me, it still has that uniqueness to it that gives the car a bit of character.
If you’d like to keep track as I develop the Hustler into a show car as advanced as the acty was, please make sure you check back on my profile page on the Team Sonax section of the website, instagram @freshandminty, and the Sonax trade stand at car shows predominantly in the South and South West of England.
2014 Suzuki Hustler
- 08/18 – Fueled Society – Judge’s Choice
- 11/19 – Ultimate Stance – Top 20
- 08/20 – Japshow Lite – Best In Show
- 09/20 – Yakushi Show – Best Retro
- 09/20 – Mimms Honda Day @ 3 Sisters – 3rd Place Best in Show
- 03/21 – NEC Restoration Show Pride of Ownership – Winner
- 06/21 – Broke Boys Most Unique in the Show Field Winner
- 07/21 – AutoBrite Big Summer Meet Show n Shine Winner
- 09/21 – Japfest Show n Shine Winner
- 09/21 – FITTEDUK – Top 20
- 03/22 – Mimms Santa Pod – Best #mimmsprep
- 04/22 – Elsecar at the Races – Best Retro
- 04/22 – Elsecar at the Races – Sponsors choice Non VAG
- 05/22 – Total Retro – People’s Choice
- 05/22 – Japshow – Best in Show
- 06/22 – +44 show – Top 20
- 07/22 – Really Retro Show – Show n’ Shine Runner Up
- 07/22 – Unity Show – Best in Show
- 09/22 – Himley Hall – Kit & Custom Class Runner Up
- 11/22 – Ultimate Stance – Top 20
- 04/24 – Offset Show – Sonax Choice
- 05/24 – Clovelly Car Show – Most Unique
- 06/24 – BHP FuelFest – Top 3
- 07/24 – Cars & Coffee CMR – Best Retro
Phil's Favourites
£6.90
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£8.40
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£15.60
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£19.80
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Will attend the upcoming events:
| 10th August 2025 | Auto Retro Festival |
| 17th August 2025 | Shades Rock n’ Roll Club |
| 30th August 2025 | AutoFest Finale |
| 7th September 2025 | John Haynes Classic |
| 4-5 October 2025 | Classic Japfest |
