Speculation continues to abound at the reincarnation of a lightweight, rear wheel drive Toyota. For those of you who haven’t been following this particular rumor-fest, a quick recap: First, in August 2007, it was the Japanese magazines that began reporting on a comeback for the famed AE86 Corolla or hachiroku. Further details from Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun emerged, saying that Subaru, which Toyota purchased an 8.7% share of from GM in 2005, would be providing a boxer engine for the motivation. In October 2007, word leaked that Toyota had created an internal “committee to create interesting cars” and in November, more grapevine gossip said that Celicas, MR2s and Supras were all in queue for revival.

Now, Autoweek.nl is reporting that this new RWD compact will be a Celica, not a Corolla. If this is true, the new Celica will be offered in coupe and hatchback body styles (what, no liftback?) and in GT or GT-4 trim. The GT will have Subaru’s standard 2.0L boxer and RWD, while the GT-4 will have the 300hp 2.0L from the WRX STi and AWD. This could also mean a return to World Rally Championships for Toyota.

Not since 1985 and the A60 chassis has the Celica been RWD. In 1986, the Celica split off completely from the shared Supra/Celica platform and became four-cylinder FF or AWD only. The world is in dire need of a light, rear-driven coupe. Let’s hope this turns out to be fact, not just rumor, and if the car turns out to be retro-styled after the original Celica, well, that’ll be the bee’s knees.

Read the translation at World Car Fans.

Motorcycle News is reporting that the Honda CB1100F concept unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show will see production as a 2009 model. In a move that seems contrary to the current trend in motorcycle engines, Honda will stay true to the concept and equip the production version with an air-cooled inline-4. Unfortunately, the article also states that the CB1100R, also unveiled last year at Tokyo, will most likely not make it into production.

According to the article, the CB1100F has been in the works for a long time, with patents for it’s innovative air-cooling system filed as early as 2003. In typical Honda fashion, however, no information about this project was leaked in the past four years. Let’s hope Honda has something planned for us on the auto front as well.

[via Motorcycle News]

As the unveils at the Tokyo Motor Show enters its second day, the dearth of nostalgics and any reference to them continues.  We’ve seen cars that are soft to the touch and glow in the dark, ones that swivel 360 degrees with a R2-D2-like copilot, a rotary-powered landspeeder a futuristic COE battering ram and three retro bikes, but zero classic cars.  Well, there was one, but it was a Volvo.

So instead, we’ll just show you the Suzuki LC from the 2005 ToMoShow, a retro concept that hearkens back to the company’s first car, the 1955 Suzulight.  Check out the stubby bullet fender mirrors, the plaid-on-red upholstery and the whitewall tires, all in a package cute enough to be a Sanrio character.  Sadly, it never made it into production, but we want to love it and pet it and call it George.

By the time you read this, the Tokyo Motor Show will be in full swing, with concepts revealed by the minute. Unfortunately, our Cressida can’t drive on water (yet?) so we’ll have to admire the festivities from afar.

That said, we are both happy and sad to report on this next pair of concepts. Happy, because they are retro-styled. Sad, because they are not cars. Like the Yamaha XS-V1 Sakura, Honda is unveiling two nostalgic bikes for the ToMoShow, the CB1100F and CB1100R.

With a face reminiscent of Asimo’s saucer-eyed mug, the CB1100R concept is a tribute to the 1981 bike of the same name. While the design is all retro, including the red tubular frame, classic Honda racing colors, and gold painted five-spoke wheels, the mechanicals are all modern, with an inverted fork, radial mount calipers, and an air cooled engine that appears to be a stressed member of the frame.

The CB1100F, likewise based on the 1983 high-powered standard of its namesake, has a broader appeal, with a cushy seat for long haulin’ and styling reminiscent of the CBs from the early 80s. The F uses the same engine as the R, although if they make it to production, they’ll most likely exist in slightly different stages of tune.

While these bike are labeled as concepts for now, they seem pretty much ready for production, at least more so than the show’s automotive concepts. For those counting, retro bikes: 3; retro cars: goose egg.

[Images: Honda, Bulldock-MC]

The 2007 Tokyo Motor Show is about to kick off in a matter of days now, and concept photos have been hitting teh internets like a celebrity sex tape. We’ve already noted the Honda CR-Z concept that may portend a CR-X revival, but the design, while admirably swoopy, sadly lacked any hint of nostalgia. In fact, the show was looking pretty bleak fans or vintage style until we remembered that the ToMoShow isn’t just a flaunt-fest for four-wheeled transport; a huge wing of Makuhari Messe is devoted to motorcycles, man!

And that’s when we saw this. Pure, undistilled beauty on wheels, thy name be Yamaha XS-V1 Sakura! We rarely mention Yamaha here at Japanese Nostalgic Car because it doesn’t build, you know, cars. However, it does deserve credit for helping craft some truly legendary nostalgics like the Toyota 2000GT and Nissan Silvia, and now it’s gone and stolen our hearts with this gorgeous machine.

The Sakura concept pays homage to the company’s first four-stroke motorcycle, the 650cc 1970 XS-1. Like its predecessor, it’s powered by a V-twin and, according to the sparse press release, embodies “Japanese style” and “a retro-modern aesthetic.” True that, Jehoshaphat. The grayish-pink paint job alludes to the name Sakura, Japanese for cherry blossom, and further evokes that grainy, soft-focus waft of yesteryear - but with a roaring, contemporary 1,000cc engine between the pegs. Modern mechanicals, classic look. Doesn’t get much better than that. We need a four-wheeled equivalent, now. But even if that happens, sign us up for one of these babies.

[Yamaha]

The wackiest showcase of concept cars on Earth, the Tokyo Motor Show, is about drop. Sure, the big gala at Makuhari Messe is a great chance for Japanese automakers to express, in automotive form, technology, sustainability or speed. But let’s face it, we want to see the nuttiness. You’re not going to find a glow-in-the-dark car with no corners that is not only soft to the touch, but wants to be touched, at Frankfurt or Motown.

Thankfully, the show also makes way for more grounded design studies, and we are particularly thankful for the Honda CR-Z. According to Honda, the moniker stands for “Compact Renaissance Zero,” a phrase that leads us to believe that this concept will signal a rebirth of the sorely missed Honda CR-X. The original pocket rocket ushered in an era of cheap wheeled fun and, eventually, the whole import tuning scene, and Honda seeks to recapture the spirit of that age, calling it a Renaissance. Who are we to argue?

Also, in Japanese parlance, “zero” refers to the idea of returning to the core of whatever it is that’s being zeroed and starting anew from that point. This sounds like some form of tacit acknowledgment that the CR-X’s eventual mutation into the del Sol and its subsequent disappearance altogether was a bad thing, as many of the car’s fans have suggested. So, while the CR-Z is powered by a hybrid engine unlike its predecessors, it should still, in theory, reflect the essence of the original CR-X by being compact, lightweight, and above all, a blast to drive. The Tokyo Motor Show opens on October 26.

[Source: Honda]

As if their inexpensive health care and lack of violent crime weren’t enough, our neighbors to the north can import any car they please, as long as it’s 15 years old. Seriously, guys? Californians are still getting their exhaust holes sniffed on cars double that age. This article in The Globe and Mail about an imported Nissan Figaro really twists the knife.

We’ve always been fans of the retro stylings of Nissan’s March-based boutique cars, with their uncanny ability to evoke post-War transport while luxuriating the driver in digital age comforts. But think of the other gems that fall into this time frame, everything from an R32 Skyline GT-R to Showa Era sleds like the Z20 Soarer, or how about a hot hatch like the Honda City Turbo II? The possibilities, and seething jealousy, are endless.

There’s no telling how long this sushi buffet will last. Some areas north of the 49th Parallel are already exhibiting US-like tendencies. The Canadian government could decide to adopt our import rules like they did our transportation safety laws, and then we’ll just be one big continent of sadness.

[Source: The Globe and Mail]