Japanese Nostalgic Car

As someone who lived through the 1990s, I feel like the decade is hard to pin down. A lot of what is called 90s is actually an 80s aesthetic, and everywhere you look there are claims that 90s fashion is coming back. But are graphic T-shirts and cargo pants really exclusive to the 90s? The automotive realm is one area where the 90s have a distinct look, with simple and organic soft shapes and just enough but not too much in-car tech. And, of course, it was a time when Japanese cars shined bright. With Y2K nearly 25 years behind us, is there a single car that can be called emblematic of the decade?

What’s the most 90s car?

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In the US government vehicles tend to be American. It probably makes politicians look bad if they buy foreign cars, but some slip through. We’ve heard some states have Subaru police cars though we’ve never seen one. The Pentagon used to have unmarked Camrys but we’re not sure if they’re still in service. California uses Priuses, usually for parking enforcement, but we’ve seen Nissan Frontiers and Jukes in the colors of CalTrans, the state highway agency, and Toyota Tacomas and Tundras serving as lifeguard and beach patrol vehicles. The holy grail would probably be a vehicle painted in the mint green of the US Forest Service. The coolest one we’ve actually seen is a Mitsubishi-built US Navy Dodge D-50.

Have you ever seen Japanese government vehicles outside of Japan?

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The announcement of the first Tokyo Xtreme Racer title in two decades dropped last week, just a few days before the anniversary of the Rainbow Bridge’s opening on August 26, 1993. Coincidence? Probably, but it does raise the question of what kind of car you’d take midnight blast around a Tokyo expressway teeming with hashiriya. You’d need something with excellent high-speed stability, quick steering response, and strong brakes in case a random Hino wanders into your lane. Which Wangan-tuned racer capable of taking down the Devil Z will you choose?

What’s your ultimate hashiriya build?

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