Author Archives: Matt De Mangos
Ten years, 100,000km of Mitsubishi ownership
Back in 2010 Mitsubishi went around Japan looking for the most loyal members of the triple diamond clan. They sent journalist Hirohisa Kaneko across the country looking for individuals who had owned their Mitsubishis for either 10 years or 100,000km … Continue reading
Posted in mitsubishi
Tagged chariot, debonair, delica, dignity, gto, kei, lancer, minica, minicab, mitsubishi, montero, pajero, proudia
13 Comments
BUBBLE ERA EXCESS: 1984 Nissan Gloria Turbo Brougham VIP Super Selection Ⅱ
Since we’re talking about the greatest interiors this week here’s a rarely mentioned cabin that gives Mitsubishi’s plaid and Subaru’s bizarro asymmetry a run for their money. Behold the Bubble Era excess of the 1984 Nissan Gloria Turbo Brougham VIP … Continue reading
CLASSIC CM: Everything about the 610 Bluebird-U is just sex, sex, sex
What a difference two generations make. 1966 commercials for Nissan’s Bluebird, then of the 410 generation, capitalized on the car’s motorsports prowess at the Safari Rally. The 510‘s adverts were pretty tame as well, just a rundown of its design and … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Makoto Komori’s children’s book illustrations
Makoto Komori is a Japanese children’s book illustrator, and one of his favorite subjects happens to be 1960s nostalgic cars. He often incorporates them into his whimsical stories in which the vehicles, with eyes for headlights, find themselves on brilliantly … Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner, honda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota
Tagged children's book, datsun, fairlady roadster, fj40, galant, honda, Makoto Komori, mitsubishi, n360, n600, nissan, s600, s800, sports 800, toyota
14 Comments
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 19,000-mile Datsun 510 in rare factory black
Blame it on being too successful a race car, but it’s hard to find an unmolested Datsun 510 these days. Most owners seem intent on turning them into rat rods, BRE replicas or flat-out hoonmobiles with smog-exempt SR20s. To paraphrase … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: The Reincarnation of Lady Blue
Anyone who grew up drooling over the Datsun Motorsports catalog knows the original Lady Blue. Going along with the topic of resurrection this week, it appears that she’s been reincarnated and the azure 1973 Datsun 610 spotted last Sunday.
Posted in motorsport, nissan
Tagged 610, B-Sedan, Balboa Datsun, Blue Lady, bluebird, Laguna Seca, nissan
21 Comments
KIDNEY, ANYONE? One-Owner 1973 Mazda RX-3 in Puerto Rico
If you’ve got a spare $45,000 lying around, there’s a 1973 Mazda RX-3 with your name on it. According to the seller, this is a fully documented one-owner coupe from a museum, though that “museum” appears to be part of a … Continue reading
Mitsubishi of Choshi, Chiba Prefecture Circa 1977
Looking at old dealership photos is like stepping into a time machine. One fateful day in what appears to be 1977, an employee at Choshi Mitsubishi in Chiba Prefecture decided to take some photos of his or her workplace. If … Continue reading
Posted in mitsubishi, other marques
Tagged celeste, challenger, colt, dealership, dodge, galant, lambda, lancer, mitsubishi, plymouth, sapporo, sigma
13 Comments
VIDEO: 1972 Fuji Masters Super Touring Race
One of the greatest rivalries from the heyday of Japanese motorsports was that of Nissan versus Mazda. After the Savanna RX-3 snatched Nissan’s much anticipated 50th victory from the Skyline GT-R in December 1971, a blood feud was born. The … Continue reading
Posted in mazda, motorsports, nissan, toyota, Video
Tagged c10, capella, fuji masters, fuji speedway, gt-r, Hakosuka, kpgc10, Masuda, mazda, Motoharu Kurosawa, motorsports, nissan, prince, rx-2, rx-3, savanna, Takashi Yorino, Video, Yasuhiro Okamoto, yojiro terada, Yoshimi Katayama
11 Comments
FRIDAY VIDEO: Kenmeri rodeo
And now, please allow the shotgun rider of this shakotan kenmeri to demonstrate proper bosozoku door riding technique. The torso must be upright and positioned completely outside the vehicle. Grasp the grab handle tightly as the driver executes doughnuts.
Posted in bosozoku, Friday Video, nissan
Tagged bosozoku, c110, door riding, kenmeri, kgc110, kpgc110, nissan, skyline
12 Comments
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 17,000-mile 1972 Datsun 1200 Coupe
Right now on Ebay there’s a 1972 Datsun 1200 Coupe for sale, with a claimed mileage of only 17,181. Nissan USA marketed it as a fuel saver back in the day, with ads trumpeting its ability to drive from New … Continue reading
Friday Video: Nostalgic Nissan art by Osamu Samurai
Now that we’ve found Mary perhaps it’s appropriate that we share a video full of tricked out kenmeri artwork. Well not a video per se, but these frames of customized Skyline and Fairlady Z renderings by Osamu Samurai are nevertheless killer. They’re … Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner, Friday Video, nissan
Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, Art Corner, c10, c110, fairlady z, Friday Video, gc10, gc110, Hakosuka, kenmeri, kpgc10, kpgc110, nissan, Osamu Samurai, s30, skyline
10 Comments
Turn your Datsun into a Champion with the 210ZX!
It’s as if the planets have aligned. Just as we posed a QotW about Japan’s ugliest car, a reader unearths this long-forgotten piece of motoring history. Behold, the Datsun 210ZX!
Ye Olde Zokusha from the United Kingdom
Well it was only a matter of time. The cultural reach of the zokusha has extended to jolly old England. We saw a banzai flagged Lada last year, but never in our wildest dreams did we expect a turaichi shakotan … Continue reading
Posted in bosozoku
Tagged austin princess, bosozoku, longchamp, longchamps, MkIII, sharknose, ssr, volvo 244
14 Comments
Food Poisoning, Anyone? Mitsubishi Galant GTO gum
How hard core a Mitsubishi fan are you? Hard enough to chew a pack of 42-year old peppermint gum? This beautifully packaged promotional item for the Galant GTO is suspected to hail from a Motor Show circa 1970 but, hey, … Continue reading
Kidney, Anyone? 35,000-mile 1972 Toyota RT90 Corona Coupe
Ben says the RT90 Corona Coupe is ultra rare. However, I’ve found him about three to four examples floating on the lists of craig. This black-on-red ’72 is similar if not identical to the one owned by the Toyota USA … Continue reading
Behold, the Mazda Cosmo AP RX-5
The Mazda RX-5 is easily the most unloved “RX” car ever sold. When Mazda decided to revive the Cosmo name on a 2+2 GT at the height of the mid-70s luxo-barge craze, it dropped the “Sport” altogether and gave it … Continue reading
Kidney, Anyone? 1972 Mazda Luce 1800
A number of alert readers informed us of this ultra-rare 1972 Mazda 1800 sedan over the weekend. For those well versed in JDM Hiroshima steel will recognize this as the pre-rotary Mazda Luce, one generation before the 13B made it the … Continue reading
Friday Video: The Datsuns of New Zealand’s Shellsport Series
There’s an island nation halfway around the world where Sunnys and Starlets were regularly raced in a premier racing series back in the late 1970s. Fans flocked to see these small-displacement machines battle it out, and the cars achieved such … Continue reading
Posted in motorsports, nissan, toyota
Tagged 910, b110, b310, bluebird, cherry, datsun, new zealand, shellsport, starlet, sunny, toyota
16 Comments
