Here’s a collection of photos of nostalgic Japanese police cars strung together by an amateur, unidirectional Ken Burns. Some are equipped with high-power engine options and transmission pairings not available on civilian versions of the same model.

Sadly, Japanese patrol cars that have outlived their usefulness are scrapped when decommissioned, not auctioned off to the public like in the US. You can safely bet that only a few of these have survived, with the remaining examples locked away in museums (Nissan’s Zama collection has a genuine S30 Fairlady Z patrol car, for example). What we wouldn’t give for a kujira Crown black-and-white, an unmarked RX-4, or even that ‘73 Mustang! Watch the video after the jump. (more…)

Suzuki Mario Bros.: Those Koopa Troopas don’t stand a chance when Mario and Luigi are behind the wheel of Suzuki Carry. The kei truck feasts on turtle soup tonight.

[Reddit via Jalopnik]

MSN UK Picks Top 50 Japanese Cars: So another media outlet tackles the question of the top Japanese cars of all time. Since it was a British outlet, we’ll go with the 1965 Daihatsu Compagno, which was apparently the first Japanese car imported to the UK. There seem to be some, uh, glaring absences. No mention of the hakosuka Skyline, Mazda RX-3, AE86, and such. See for yourself.

Hat tip to cappo.

Okay, okay. We can’t keep the rabid Nissan nutters at bay any more. Luckily, as with most nostalgic car shows in Japan, the New Year Meeting has heavy emphasis on Skylines with a hearty helping of Fairladies and Sunnies on the side. But we’ve got some Other Marque love in here as well. Hino and Suzuki, anyone? Click through to see JNC operative Derek Y’s final transmission. (more…)

So as we’re sure you all know, the biggest Japanese kyuusha show of the year took place last weekend. The 2010 New Year Meeting has come and gone, and we just received an incoming transmission beamed across the Pacific from our operative Derek Y! (more…)

We’ve talked enough about retro themed cars at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, so here are some actual vintage cars from the event. Makuhari Messe has two main halls, where Japan’s automakers reveal to the world their next supercars and latest motorcycles.

But away from the glitz there’s a quiet arena that showcases the history of the Tokyo Motor Show itself. That means a selection of interesting vehicles that once occupied slowly rotating pedestals, like this Mazda RX-500. (more…)

Welcome to the second and final installment of our SevenStock XII coverage (Click here for Part 1). It was hotter than the the ninth level of Hell that day and easy to see why southern California was on fire for a month. Still, plenty of Mazdafarians came and went, cooling issues be damned! (more…)

We’re a little late here, but it occurred to us that Michael Jackson did a bunch of Japanese ads for the Suzuki Love back in the day. We always thought they were a little cheesy in that 80s Japanese commercial way, but now that he’s gone it’s impossible not to feel slightly bittersweet when watching them.

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Tired of the same old auto sites gushing nonstop about Porsche this, Ferrari that, ZR1 WTF OMG!? Enter Clunkbucket, an automotive site catering to the most unloved, obscure and forgotten specimens of the vehicular kingdom. Naturally, that includes a healthy dose of Japanese iron, like the Suzuki Cervo. But a typical Clunkbucket cross section also includes homage to motoring luminaries such as the Fiat Multipla, Citroen SM and 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III. Also, the man behind the site, our buddy Mike Bumbeck, has excellent taste in personal transport with his Toyota Starlet and Mitsubishi Starion. Seriously, who needs another Bentley review when you have the Saab Sonnet?

Up until the mid 80s, Suzuki made little 4×4 jeep-like things which were more military than civilian. They had a fierce reputation for being unstoppable go-anywhere beasts, due to their lightweight contruction, generous ground clearance and tiny size. Check out this mid 70s SJ10* do its thing. And if you’re wondering about the powerplant, yes it’s a 540cc 2-stroke, pumping out all of 33hp and 38 foot pounds of torque!

Will it get all the way up the hill? Place your bets!

*which may, or may not…have been designed by Albrecht Goertz