It was a relief to wake up this morning and find the planet still here, meaning we survived those wacky scientists flipping the switch on the Large Hadron Collider. Here’s another story of survival. In 1972 Nissan introduced the Sunny Truck to South Africa, based on the B110 series Sunny (known as the 1200 here in the US). But while the passenger car evolved into the B210 a few years later, the Truck continued largely unchanged for 37 years. Until now, that is. (more…)
There’s so little Suzuki news that we like to throw this marque a little love whenever the occasion presents itself. A while back, one such occasion did, when a minty fresh Suzuki LJ20 appeared on eBay. Now it’s successor, the LJ80, has appeared on Jalopnik’s “Down on the Street” series in pickup form. To say that the interior is spartan would be like saying the ocean is a bit damp. Check out the full gallery here.
Feast your peepers on this bad, bagged 1979 Datsun 620 pickup found on the streets of Japanland by Mini Truckin’ magazine. According to the article, the paint is actually a very, very dark green though it looks black. Owner Hayato Muramatsu must be one proud papa.
Someone over at this T-shirt site must love Land Cruisers because they have at least 3 shirts dedicated to the old Toyota workhorse. Our favorite one is this one pictured, even though we’re not really sure what it says. The second of the big words on top is “kuruiseru” (though the actual Japanese should read クルーザー) but we’re at a loss for the others. We were simply sold by the tag line “Which way to Mt. Fuji?” The creator sure knows his Cruisers, which in 1951, were the first vehicles ever to reach the sixth stage of the famous Japanese mountain.
UPDATE: We got an email from the T-shirt’s maker, Tim McGrath, who writes that the shirt is meant to say “Fuji Cruiser” and “Japan” but found out later that the Japanese was wrong. He laughs it off, though, telling us, “Oh well. I thought it was kinda funny like those bad English shirts you would see in Japan.” There’s more coming too, including the FJ45 short bed, and FJ43. Thanks, Tim!
In these days of skyrocketing gas prices where you have to take out a mortgage just to fill up your Escalade, how about a 4×4 with two-speed transfer case that gets 50mpg? If you don’t mind putting up with a 358cc two-stroke engine, here’s the SUV for you, a 1972 Suzuki LJ20. At least its 1300lb curb weight won’t hold back the trucklet’s 32hp for a top speed of 55mph. It was never officially imported into the US, but its descendants, the Samurai/Jimny, were until Consumer Reports deemed it rollover prone.
Anyhow, this LJ20 is for sale on eBay right now and has only 25,300 miles on the clock. According to the owner, it’s got no rust, no bondo, and has been kept in a heated garage. Everything works, even the dome light and it’s still wearing shiny, original paint. This baby might be mint, but for some reason we have a sudden craving for mustard.
A lot of our readers have Japanese trucks that they use as daily drivers, workhorses, or parts haulers, so this item may be of interest to some of you. 813,000 Toyota Tacoma pickups were built between 1995-2000, and some of those trucks have experienced excessive frame corrosion. As old Japanese car owners, we are sadly all too familiar with the the dreaded oxide scourge. We’re also poor. But, Toyota’s gonna do you guys a solid and give these Tacoma owners a 15-year warranty protecting against the red cancer, and if your truck has already succumbed to the illness, they’ll even repair it for free or buy it back at “excellent” value no matter what the condition is in. Now, if they would only do the same for our 1970s Celicas and Corollas.
Will Jalopnik’s fascination with dekotora ever cease? We sure hope not. You’ve got the coffee table book, now supplement that with Zenkoku Dekotora Matsuri, a new game for the Nintendo Wii. Piloting a giant chrome truck through the narrow streets of Tokyo has never been this much fun! Navigate low overpasses, add ever gaudier pieces of trim to your classy ride, and avoid running over brake-happy kei cars. It’s even got a Gran Turismo-esque photo mode. The only question now is, Hino Super Dolphin Profia or Nissan Diesel Big Thumb?
UPDATE: Oh Noes! Our resident video game expert MadFlava tells us that the Wii is region-encoded. Cruel Fates, why do you tempt us so?
A lot of our readers have Japanese trucks that they use as daily drivers, workhorses, or parts haulers, so this item may be of interest to some of you. 813,000 Toyota Tacoma pickups were built between 1995-2000, and some of those trucks have experienced excessive frame corrosion. As old Japanese car owners, we are sadly all too familiar with the the dreaded oxide scourge. We’re also poor. But, Toyota’s gonna do you guys a solid and give these Tacoma owners a 15-year warranty protecting against the red cancer, and if your truck has already succumbed to the illness, they’ll even repair it for free or buy it back at “excellent” value no matter what the condition is in. Now, if they would only do the same for our 1970s Celicas and Corollas.