Friday Video: Dekotora Chase!

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Ben

The 1996 film Super-Woman was not in fact about an ultra-strong female hero, but a cashier who uncovers shady dealings at a rival supermarket chain. The Japanese love of abbreviation strikes again! The movie would be altogether unremarkable except for a climactic third act showcasing what might be the world’s only dekotora chase! Several Toyota sedans get thrown into the mix as well when our heroine finds herself trapped in the back of a freezer truck. Doesn’t the portly baddie know? You simply do not F with a guy driving a 10,000-watt Shinjuku on wheels. Oh well, at least he rocks some sweet Advan kicks.  Continue reading →

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Kidney, Anyone? Carroll Shelby’s Toyota 2000GT #00001 for $1.7 million

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Dan

Let’s face it. The Japanese offerings at the recent Barrett-Jackson auction were pretty middling. Z-cars and FJ40s restored to new reaches for the definition of “stock” aren’t going to wow anyone who’s been hanging out at JCCS. Well, what do you expect from a gaggle of octogenarians willing to shell out a cool $160,000 for a hideous candy-blinged “widebody” Mustang?

Today’s kidney bait is a Toyota 2000GT, an already organ-relinquishing car if there ever was one. But this isn’t just any 2000GT — it happens to be MF10-100001, the first production Japanese supercar ever built. It’s been in the private collection of Bob Tkacik and Peter Star of Maine Line Exotics for several decades now, periodically making appearances at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Monterey Historics. Now they’re willing to let it go for the low, low price of $1.7 million, shipping not included. Continue reading →

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Custer could have made his last stand in comfort with the Plymouth Arrow “Tepee”

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Matt

Despite their notable absence from JCCS, on the streets, and in the collective memory of the American public, the Plymouth Arrow was actually quite a popular car. And you could have easily been the big man on campsite with this funky “Teepee” option. With it, your re-badged Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste‘s sloping fastback could be transformed into a soaring nylon cathedral!  Continue reading →

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Your gallery of Superdeformed Nostalgics is here

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Ben

In case you were wondering where you could get your favorite nostalgic drawn in superdeformed anime style, your prayers have been answered. This unnamed master of Choro-Q style illustrations is a master of the form. Peep the gallery and video below. Continue reading →

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Early Japanese classics among top emerging collectibles says Hagerty

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Ben

With all the automotive madness whipped up by the Arizona auctions week, let’s take a look at how it affects the nostalgic car scene. First, collector car insurance company Hagerty issued a press release identifying three “segments represent[ing] a group of collector vehicles that are quickly gaining in popularity amongst enthusiasts” — classic pickups, early Japanese cars, and vintage motorcycles.  Continue reading →

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Cedric-Corolla switcheroo pulls off 300 million yen heist

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Ben

The biggest robbery in Japanese history took place on December 10, 1968. On that day, duralumin cases with the year-end bonuses for an entire Tokyo Shibaura Electric (now Toshiba) factory was to be delivered by the Kokobunji branch of the bank known today as Mitsubishi UFJ Shintaku Gingko. Normally, such cargo would be escorted by two guards in a bank-owned Nissan Cedric, but this time security was upped to four men. Continue reading →

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The Story of Ronald Reagan’s Subaru BRAT

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Ben

Here’s proof that Subies aren’t all driven by tree-hugging bleeding hearts. At least one was driven by a tax-slashing, commie-hating Reagan-style capitalist — Ronald Reagan himself. We mentioned the Gipper’s Subaru BRAT a couple of years ago, but now Benjamin Preston of Petersen’s 4Wheel & Offroad has revealed the full background of Subaru One.  Continue reading →

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Hondas for Guys & Girls

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Matt

Continuing on the theme of youthful, frolicking couples in nostalgic automotive ads, here’s a 1960s Honda print ad featuring products for “Guys & Girls” — a Honda N360 and E300 portable generator for camping families, and a Monkey Z50M on which you can ride creepily through the wood stalking said family.

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The Story of Diane Krey, the “Mary” behind the Kenmeri Skyline

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Ben

The hakosuka GT-R made ”Skyline” a legend among Japanese gearheads, but the C110 kenmeri made it a household name. Its popularity was due in no small part to the now re-famous Ken & Mary television commercials that gave the fourth-gen Skyline its nickname and perfectly captured Japan’s optimism and romance for the open road in the early 70s.

Although there were multiple Kens and Marys over the years, the original stars were a soap actor, Jimmy Zinnai, and the daughter of an American pilot living in Japan at the time, Diane Krey. Our friend and scribe Jeff Koch last year tracked down the real Mary, now a high school teacher near Sacramento. His interview reveals the backstory of the Ni-Ten ad agency shoots, and what it was like for an American girl to be one of the most recognizable faces in Japan at the time.  Continue reading →

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Friday Video: Mitsubishi Colt Targa in Armor of God

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Ben

Twenty-five years ago the film Armour of God broke the following things: Hong Kong’s box office records, a tree in Yugoslavia, and, in a stunt gone awry, Jackie Chan‘s skull. Chan was rushed to the hospital to remove a fragment of said skull from his brain. Fortunately, he survived to bring us this thrilling chase involving a built-for-the-movie Mitsubishi Colt that looks like the mutant love child between a Dome Zero and an AW11 MR2. The film also breaks many Pajeros and any semblance of reality once the Colt’s “Twin Turbo” button is invoked, all leading up to a surprise Batmobile-like finale. Where can we get that option? Also note that the letters spelling “MITSUBISHI” across the spoiler gap are actually molded.

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