Good lord, this 1983 Toyota Soarer ad looks like a deleted scene from Tron. It’s almost as insanely 80s as this MkII Toyota Celica Supra commercial we found a while back. Just thought you’d like to see what a Toyota driving through cyberspace looked like.
In this clip from 80s Japanese cop show Abunai Deka, a Nissan Cedric 430 unmarked patrol car gives chase to a Gloria Van of the same generation. As you can see, this series doesn’t take itself as seriously as, say, Seibu Keisatsu, which would have ended the pursuit with Daimon arriving just in time to cut the baddies off at the pass and blow the crap out of their driver with a blast from his shotgun. Instead, Abunai lets its heroes play the fools, and even though we can’t understand what’s being said in this clip it still made us lawl.
Despite a flagging global economy that’s hit Japan particularly hard and reports of the world’s auto manufacturers bailing on this year’s Tokyo Motor Show left and right this year, there are now some surprising rumors surfacing. If true, the 41st Tokyo Motor Show may be a retro revival of sorts.
Yes, you read that right. $2000. Tipster John O. recently wrote that a friend of his bought this 1972 Datsun 240Z from the original owner, an old lady who always babied the car. She only let Datsun/Nissan dealerships perform work on it and kept all the service records and documentation in its 37-year history. As the story goes, she got tired of sinking money into it and put it up on craigslist. She interviewed all the buyers one by one and chose one lucky new owner at the end. And sold it to him for $2000 American. Up Next: Bigfoot caught!
In case you’ve missed the epic debate in the JNC Forums regarding the Isuzu Piazza (called the Impulse in the US market), here’s your chance to read all about what could be either one of the greatest (or one of the worst) Japanese cars ever built.
In 2006 two friends named Joe Kremzer and Chris Warr took off on a trip around the Australian continent to meet as many owners of the Piazza (badged as a Holden down under) as they could. Their faithful steed was a heavily worn example of the very car they were searching for, which they christened Alyce. With admittedly little experience wrenching on cars they set off on their journey in search of answers to questions like, “What prompted anyone to buy what they call ‘the dodgiest car ever imported’ and how many had survived?”
Along the way they became minor celebrities on a local radio show and documented the entire escapade tongue-in-cheek in a book called In Search of the Holden Piazza. From the parts we’ve perused at Google Books it seems like a terrifically entertaining read. We don’t know if the conclusions they draw about the Giugiaro designed coupe are ultimately flattering or not, but we’ve all probably felt some kind of bond to a car that is largely unloved. And by that measure the fondness for machine Piazza evokes makes both the car and the book a winner.
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.
Our poor little JNC Wagon! It’s like the Giving Tree of cars. It relinquishes every ounce of pull we demand of it and yet we just keep asking and asking for more. It hauls loads of magazines and our booth to car shows, makes runs to the junkyard, and even jaunts down to Wal-Mart when we need new socks.
Sometimes bits of the ol’ girl just can’t hold out any longer and conk out, but she always makes sure we’re within walking distance of salvation. Continue reading
Forget Tomicas and Choro-Qs, those are nice toys but the real money’s in J-Tin. No, not that J-tin, but actual toy cars from the 60s made of real tinplate. Most have friction motors inside that can move the car if you rev it up a little.
They go for big money among toy collectors, as demonstrated by these S30-generation Toyopet Crowns made by Asahi and Bandai. Seriously, even the “low” end $3800 is more than the combined cost of service, parts and the car itself for our daily driver JNC wagon. We’re not sure how rare these Crowns actually are, and although four figure price tags are by no means uncommon, these are the highest amounts we’ve seen on a tin toy. More pics after the jump.
Hmm, it seems that the last Friday Video, Keishichou Satsujinka, failed to generate the type of enthusiasm among Subaru and Toyota fans that Seibu Keisatsu clips instill among Nissan nuts. How about the unlikely combination of Seibu‘s cast and Toyotas?
In this “remake,” a new recruit has joined the force, and with his arrival some changes are being made to the Seibu Keisatsu fleet. Instead of the usual Cedric 230 chase fodder, standard issue black-and-whites have been replaced with Toyota Chaser/Mark IIs (though an unmarked cruiser is still a Cedric 430). The end of this clip takes a turn to the surreal, but the new guy has been the spokesman for Boss Coffee for several years.
Have a Happy 4th of July!
Thanks to cesariojpn for the tip.
While you enjoy your hot dogs and fireworks this Independence Day weekend here’s some activities you can do with your car family.
A bone stock 1986 Cressida Wagon is a lanky beast, in desperate need of a slam. We’ve had low-down springs on our JNC Wagon for a while now, but 23-year-old shock absorbers meant we were bobbing like a Halloween apple over every undulation in the road. It was time for some new shocks.
Old Japanese wagons are downright bitchin’, but they can also be a bitch to find parts for. We wanted some no-hassle off-the-shelf parts that were guaranteed to fit. Unfortunately for us, the MX72 isn’t exactly a common platform for aftermarket goodies here in the States. When all else fails, though, going with an old school JDM giant is a pretty good bet. Tokico‘s been around since 1937 and, wouldn’t you know it, they’ve got plenty of support for old Toyotas and other nostalgics as well.
A couple of weeks later, the UPS man dropped off a fresh new set of Tokico blues. What followed was a moderate-difficulty upgrade that almost anyone can do, with only one instance of blood drawn when an errant alligator lizard ran into the garage (technically not part of the install).
This is it, kyusha fans. Registration for the 2009 Japanese Classic Car Show is now open! This one’s a can’t-miss because it’s the fifth anniversary of the JCCS and it will be the biggest ever. If you haven’t done so already, mark your calendars for Saturday, October 3 and remind yourself to head down to Hidden Valley Park in Irvine, California for a day of the craziest nostalgics you can imagine. Whether you’re a Mazdafarian, Toyotaku, Datsun diehard, Mitsu-maniac or Honda-head, come represent your marque in full force. Spaces will be going fast, so register early!
Before we found this 1974 Mazda RX-4 on ebay, we thought the letters “GTR” were found trailing the emblems on Nissan Skylines, Isuzu Bellets, and the occasional Toyota Carina.
According to the seller, the GTR was a special edition for the RX-4 in a similar vein as, if less sporty than, the SP RX-3s. He also says there were only a little over 500 made and all were gold, but guess what? No documentation! The blacked out hood and GTR stripe definitely look like a product of that era, but we’re stumped. Any Mazdafarians care to chime in?
In any case, bids start at $600 or a BuyItNow of $1200, a good price for any RX-4 and not exactly a sum for which you need to part with a major organ. But if that extra kidney is burning a hole in your abdomen, there’s always this 1968 Mazda Cosmo Sports. More photos after the jump. Continue reading
Doesn’t it seem like 1998 was not that long ago, when in fact it’s been over 10 years already? Back before the formation of D1GP, drag racing was still all the rage in Japan. Drifting was on juuust the verge of bursting out from its underground roots but until then, the tuning giants were throwing down at the drag strip. Continue reading
This is hilarious: the 80s British ska group Madness (of “Our House” fame) did a series of Japanese commercial for the Honda City and Honda City Turbo. Note the appearance of the Motocompo folding scooter, which came with the car. Honda needs to revive this concept. A Ruckus in the back of the Element, perhaps?
[via Jalopnik]
The Cash for Clunkers law we’ve all been dreading passed both houses of Congress and was signed by the President yesterday. Although funding was reduced to $1 billion from its original $4 billion, and is limited to a four-month window, there’s still a lot of damage to be done. Continue reading
So Transformers not your style? Here’s our first open kidney offer that doesn’t involve an actual car. It’s a vintage Tomica Grand Prix Circuit set that we came across while skimming the Tomica Fan Club forums. Talk about cool… just look at that gorgeous box art, that beauteous orange plastic! Continue reading
Here’s another slew of local car meets where you can take your cars, meet some fellow enthusiasts and have a good time. If we missed anyone let us know in the comments below and we’ll post it up!
