Bura’s post last week about Datsun B110 Sunnys still cranking away as taxis in Pakistan reminded me of this story about an E20 Corolla used as a taxi in Nepal.

The versatility of old Japanese cars never ceases to astound us. They can be meticulously restored and taken to classic car shows, modified to be an absolute blast to drive, just plain old safe and fuel efficient transportation, or as in this case, drafted into service in the world’s most hostile road conditions. Here’s a quote from the Corolla taxi’s hapless passengers:

I am not sure how vehicles make it over what passes for a “road” here (which is basically an uneven gravel road riddled with large rocks, potholes and frequently flooded right over, shared with trains of donkeys and lots and lots of pedestrians… all of this running along a steep cliff next to a precipituous drop into a large rushing river!!)…

We travelled in ancient Toyota Corollas older than ourselves, I am sure, with broken tail lights, broken mirrors, doors that wouldn’t shut properly… and a wheezy old engine that barely made it up the steeper slopes…

Somehow we got to Pokhara in one piece, though I had reservations throughout the trip, especially when we flew through flooded roads as though we were in 4WDs instead of worn-out Toyota Corollas!

We have to wonder, what would those Nepali taxi drivers think if they saw Patrick Ng’s TE27 that was on the cover of JNC Issue 2?

Also, be sure to check out Tom Carter’s website for lots more information about the TE27 Corolla.

The Pyramids of Giza. The Great Wall of China. These are just some of human civilization’s accomplishments that are nearly as epic as what we’re about to show you. Once in a while, you come across one of those projects that just makes your chin hit the floor like you’ve eaten a grenade. Such is our reaction upon seeing JNCer BigJohn’s ongoing restoration of his 1979 Datsun Stanza (or Violet, 160J, 510, 710 depending on what country you’re from). In case you missed it, this is a must-see.

We simply cannot describe the skill, dedication and thoroughness of this project in words. Neither can BigJohn. Being from Thailand, he doesn’t know much English, but his pictures and usage of a single emoticon speak for themselves. (more…)

Ever since we saw the awesome pics from a Thai enthusiast gathering, we’ve been craving more. As luck would have it, an email from Thailander George Manont popped up in our inbox the other day, telling us about the recent Bangkok Nostalgic Car Show. Problem was, the link he sent us was so image-heavy that it nearly crashed our computer. We normally don’t do this, but these rides were so cool we had to share, so we saved most of the photos are resized them in this thread.

Here’s George’s own words:

Like in Thailand, we have a bunch of Japanese Car Lovers as per the following testimonial. The above was some kind of gathering of ALL older cars. It just so happened that 90% + shown up with Japanese cars. Automobile in general in Thailand is , to western world, quite amazing as we have all kind of cars from almost all brands. But Japanese cars are always the market leaders. In this respect, Toyota is #1, follow by Isuzu (1 ton truck), then Honda. And the rest of around 25% or less is shared by the like of Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mazda and Suzuki. I realize that you don’t read Thai, but I’m sure that the pictures may have told a lot of story there!

If you’d like to see the original pics for yourself, click here, but be warned. Thanks for the tip, George!

[BangkokClassicCar]

Not content with its recent purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford, India’s Tata Motors is turning their sights eastward with a lock on Nissan. The Ford deal netted India’s largest conglomerate three other hallowed marques too – Rover, Lancaster and Daimler (this one, not that one) – for the bargain basement price of $2.3 billion. Buy two, get three free!

In a deal signed last night, the Tata Group will get a 37% stake in Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. for $4 billion. That, according to Japanese law, is enough for a controlling stake in the boardroom. As part of the deal, Tata will also acquire the Datsun and Prince names, which chairman Ratan Tata plans to revive, adding that they “still have a lot of cachet in nations like Kenya” thanks to the East Safari Rally of the seventies.

Tata was founded in 1945 by Jamshetji Tata and produced its first vehicle in 1954 with Daimler-Benz. The car pictured above is the Tata Sumo, a mid-size SUV that, to be honest, seems rather top-heavy. Which, really, is the first thing you think of when you hear the words “sumo” and “tata.”

[Source, Image]

To paraphrase George Peppard’s John “Hannibal” Smith, “We love it when the world comes together.”  Especially around nostalgic cars.  One of the most rewarding experiences about Japanese Nostalgic Car is when we see old school love coming from all corners of the globe. This time, dear reader pecx has posted a mind-blowing thread of some serious nostalgic car hotness from Thailand. We’re talkin’ five chili peppers here! You want fender mirrors? Check. Bolt-on fender flares? Check. Fat-lipped rims with stretched tires? Check and check. Look out world, Thais know how to keep it raw, like a kickboxer’s shin!