Some things just don’t make sense, like flying fish or mustard and mayonnaise in the same bottle. The automotive equivalent of those oddities has to be this six-wheeled Ford F-350 RV living in Tokyo, of all places. It’s a mighty beast that makes old Cadillacs look small, and once you drop it in the middle of Shibuya amidst all the kei vans, it’s a sight to see.
It’s called a Revcon Trailblazer. We’ve written about them several times in the past, and the only other one I’ve seen outside the United States belonged to an overthrown Syrian dictator. They were built back in the ’90s with only 70 or so ever being made. Some came with a 460-cubic-inch gas V8 while others featured a 7.3-liter diesel, but it’s hard to know for sure which engine this one runs. I’m inclined to believe it’s the latter for reasons I’ll get to in a second, though I could be wrong.
I first caught wind of this massive truck in Japan when it popped up in the Ford 7.3L Powerstroke Owners group on Facebook. Someone posted a photo of it parked at a residence along with the address, and a few people in the comments located it via Google Earth. As it turns out, the Revcon has lived in the same spot since at least November of 2009—maybe even earlier. Every Google Earth snapshot I can find shows it parked at the building alongside a green kei van.
Several folks claim to have seen the rig during past trips to Japan, but only one of them posted original photos in the comments. That was Ben Steiner, who tells me it was at the GS Park Ginza Gochome Parking Lot when he spied it in May 2024.”We were staying at a small hotel in the old Smart Refund Tsukiji Outer Market,” Steiner explained over Facebook Messenger. “We wanted to venture to the Imperial Palace. While making our way we stumbled across the beastly 7.3L Revcon in about as perfect condition as I’ve seen.”
Looking through Steiner’s photos, you can see the turndown exhaust located just behind the rear passenger door. It’s actually a dual-pipe setup. He says it’s a 7.3-liter and since I don’t have any additional info, I’m inclined to believe him.
Whatever powers the machine, it’s exceptionally clean for being 30 years old. There’s a lot to take in, from the slick 16.5-inch wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich all-terrains to the still-sharp paint job. The awning arms are even in better shape than the ones on my camper, and it’s a 2018 model. It also has two roof-mounted AC units, which is an upgrade from my RV.
Enough about me, though. Just seeing photos of the rig prompts more questions than answers as it’s almost unthinkable that such a big truck could navigate the ridiculously tight Tokyo streets. This sucker is listed at 8 feet wide and a full 30 feet long in the original Revcon marketing materials. “My mind immediately started racing,” Steiner continued. “How did this make it to Japan? Who owns this? How do they drive it around here?”
One thing is for sure: The owner has to pay a ton in taxes. There’s a reason you don’t see vehicles this huge in Japan’s most urban areas, and it isn’t just because of the street widths. Tim Stevens wrote an excellent breakdown on this for Jalopnik a few years back, and if the numbers are still accurate, the tax bill exceeds $1,000 a year just for keeping the Revcon due to its 11,000-pound curb weight and large engine displacement. That’s nuts.
I have mad respect for whoever owns this and, apparently, drives it from time to time. I can only imagine the backstory behind it. For now, I’ll have to be OK with making something up, but maybe I can provide an update another day.
If you know the guy or gal and happen to have a direct line to them, please give them my email address: caleb@thedrive.com