Ok, so we don’t know much about New Zealand except that some movie about Lords and Rings was filmed there. But we do know this: If those orcs had rode into battle on any these absolutely killer old bombs, they would have been wiping the floor with those elves. From the Oceania bureau, dear reader Snoozin brings us photos from the inaugural Oldschool.co.nz cruise that took place over the summer. A while back, yes, but his name is Snoozin! The important thing is, he posted them, so that we could have a look at their Isuzu Bellets, Toyota Crowns and Suzuki Frontes. Good on ya, mate! Thanks for thinking of us Yanks.
Kiwi Classics Cruise
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Go One Better with Corolla
Here’s another wacky Toyota commercial from overseas, this time from South Africa. Apparently the release of the 1984 Corolla called for a hip music show countdown of Corollas past. But, seeing as how Apartheid was still in full effect, the moonwalking breakdancers have complexions that are a bit closer to Michael Jackson circa 2007 rather than the King of Pop, 1984.
Posted in cm, toyota
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Marco’s Hako
SR20Store puts turbocharged Japanese four-bangers into our truck-engined 240SXs, but the shop owner’s an old school guy at heart. Here’s Marco and his beautiful C10 Skyline GT-R clone. Well, it’s a 20-footer, but even a rusting hulk of a hakosuka is a thing of beauty. The Wangan midnight blue color makes it stand out too (though he tell us that the original color was gray). His other car is an R32 GT-R that you may have seen in Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car. And his wife drives an RB26-powered Silvia. His driveway makes Nissan fans wet themselves.
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Victory50: for all your Hakosuka Needs
One of the great things about JDM tuners in general is that it’s quite common to find a tuner that caters for your particular model of car, and only that model. So if you have say, a Mazda Roadster, there are actually quite a few MX5-only tuners which you can go to, like Car Make Corn’s in east Tokyo for example. Everything you need from suspension and brake kits, to hard-to-find, out of production trinkets will usually be found at specialised tuners like these. So if you’re ever in Japan it’s worth seeking out the relevant tuner for your particular car.
But if you have a C10 Hakosuka Skyline, it seems that there is little point going anywhere else besides Victory50 (also known as Uchida Motor Works, or KGC10 Works). And in the best JDM Tuner tradition, it is a one stop shop for your classic Hako.
Jingle All the Way
After going through the infectious US-market Toyota ads last week, we were inspired to see what catchy ad jingles would haunt our brains till we needed to bang our noggins against a fencepost to get them out of our heads. Well, here’s what we found – a pair of Toyota ads. You’ll thank us later. Or not.
The first, the 1979 Sprinter, chilling in all-white Grecian architecture by the Mediterranean Sea. Feta cheese, anyone?
To complement that, we have the ad for the 1980 Celica Camry. That’s right, the name affixed to the number-one selling American sedan was a sub-model! This was more or less a slightly redesigned Carina, but the Celica name was hot, and what better way to convince buyers they were buying a four door sports coupe?
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Charade 926R: When Daihatsu Met DeTomaso
Many apologies for the shortage of new posts in the past week or so, if you knew what we’ve been working on then you’d forgive us! Anyway, back to regular programming. A couple of weeks ago we did a piece on the short lived joint alliance between Nissan and Alfa Romeo. Certainly one of the most bizarre automotive joint ventures, but it is not the only weird JDM corporate marriage.
For a time in the 80s, Daihatsu had an arrangement with DeTomaso, to create an odd mix of JDM econo-hatch manufacturer with hardcore Italian supercar maker.
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JC Taylor Wants YOU!
Great news, nostalgic car fans! Collector car insurance company JC Taylor wants to feature a Datsun Z Car or a Toyota Land Cruiser in an upcoming advertisement. They’re interested in the possibility of serving vintage Japanese car enthusiasts, so please help them with the ad and support their cause! Contact us via email or message in this forum thread if you’re interested.
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JCCS DVD On Sale Tomorrow
Speaking of video, the Japanese Classic Car Show 2007 official DVD goes on sale tomorrow, December 15. Until time machines are invented, it’s the next best way to experience the madness that was the 2007 JCCS. To order, go here.
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NEW SECTION: Video
For those of you who may have missed it, several months ago we put together a video of nostalgics prowling the streets of Tokyo and posted it on this blog. But like a dinosaur carcass, as time progressed it got buried to make way for more civilized fare. Although some things are best left forgotten, we went ahead and created a Video section anyway, where our short film, which has been nominated for zero Oscars, will reside full time.
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What's the 411, Yo?
Reader extraordinaire gamby sent us a link to this BringATrailer.com, which posts on interesting classics up for sale, including some of Japanese stock. That got us thinking, one of the most frequent questions we get is, “How much should I pay for a [insert Japanese classic of choice here]?” to which we usually answer, “How ever much you want.” This usually results in, “Thanks for nothing.”
Perhaps it’s about time we started following the market and giving you, our dear readers, reports on how it’s looking for J-tin. After all, we’re entering the era when Japanese cars are truly being recognized as serious classics. If you think this would be useful, let us know in the comments. Without further ado, here’s the car that gamby sent us.
1967 Datsun Bluebird 411 Wagon. Predecessor to the iconic 510, the 411 was styled by Italian design house Pininfarina. This example is a not a pure survivor. It was repainted and reupholstered at least once in its lifetime, but the good news is it spent most of its life as an exhibit in a dealership showroom. 65,000 miles, aftermarket wheels of unknown brand, virtually rust-free. According to the owner, only minor rust exists, such as in the battery tray. Starts right up and runs, he says. It would take far more than the selling price to restore one to this condition (seller claims $8500 spent on restoration), if you can even find one. Sold at $4000 [ebay]. A very reasonable buy for a virtually one-of-a-kind car.
Posted in datsun, for sale, marketwatch, nissan, wagons
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Get a Life
Here’s a rare bird, spotted by our resident Honda head reader colhogen, who heroically posted it in our forum. It’s an ultra-rare 1974 Honda Life, which, in Honda genealogy, succeeded the N360 and N600, and spawned variations such as the Life Step Van and, later, the Life Dunk. Although not mentioned in the auction, this example is actually a Life Van/Wagon, which has a larger rear and no sloping hatch. Either way, it’s scarcer than Bigfoot in a party hat, having never been officially sold US. As a result, it’s got RHD JDM exclusivity, and could be yours for the BuyItNow price of $2800. That way, the next time someone tells you to “get a life,” which happens to us frequently, you can say, “I already have one, so there.” That’ll show ’em.
Posted in for sale, honda, kei, wagons
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Get Out Ya Seat and Jump Around
Our blogospheric partners in crime over at Jalopnik are having way too much fun digging up old Toyota commercials in what they’ve dubbed “Oh What a Feeling Week,” featuring nothing but ads that conclude with people jumping for joy at the purchase of a brand new ‘Yota.
Who are these leapers? Well, they come from just about every walk of life you can imagine – manly pickup-abusing cowboy types, feral but fuel-economy- minded jungle dwellers and their pet chimps, Celica-driving yuppies/alien abductees, Ebenezer Scrooge with a team of Governator-esque body-builders, and sexy sophisticated ladies who are into RWD Corollas.
We have to give it to the Tercel ad, though, because there’s something to be said about not one, but two of the most intelligent species on the planet simultaneously endorsing a product with an airborne fist pump.
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Garage Mahals
This doesn’t directly have to do with cars, but we found it interesting nonetheless. Online magazine Slate has an article about the exciting world of parking garage design. They’re not just concrete slabs and shadowy meeting places for Hollywood crime dramas anymore. Architects are now putting some thought into the ol’ ramps ‘n’ columns, in many cases camouflaging them with steel, glass, and even vegetation so they look more aesthetically pleasing and less like, oh, a big gray stack of cars.
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How To Stretch a Tire
So you’re an aspiring bosozoku looking for a that stretched tire look on your old school cruiser. You could go to a tire shop, but they might turn you away or scratch your super rare ultra-deep dish SSRs, and then what? A proper bosozoku would have no choice but to break some heads open right there.
But say you’re no good a intimidation and strongarm techniques. Well, for the price of some cinder blocks, a flammable aerosol spray such as deodorant or brake cleaner, a match, and a few singed eyebrows, you too can have your own wide rubber bands in no time! Thanks to super-reader gamby for posting this video in our forum, showing how to do it without chipping those shiny polished lips. Do we even need to say it? This involves fire. Kids, don’t try this at home. Not without your parents or Aquaman around, at least. Then again, facial hair is overrated anyway!
Datyota Zupra
What’s crazier than an Australian footballer? Or do they call it soccer down there? We don’t know the answer to the latter, but to the former, the answer is: his car. Check out this story on Autospeed, about Michael Galluzzo’s ultra-early 1969 240Z powered by a 7M-GTE from an A70 Toyota Supra. This does not appear to be the same video in which such a setup races, and beats, a Ferrari, but perhaps our Aussie readers can clarify. All we know is, this has “Ace Hoon Potential” written all over it.
Posted in datsun, nissan, toyota
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March Superturbo: Mighty Mite!
A recently notable new car release has been the VW Golf GT. Both supercharged and turbocharged, the boosted 165ps 1.4L does a pretty good job of moving the big Mk5 Golf body along. VW claims that it is the very first twincharged direct injection production car, and that is certainly true, but it isn’t the first production car to use twincharging.
Lancia tried it with a small number of Delta S4 homologation specials (so they don’t really count as proper production cars) but Nissan also had a twincharged production model, as long ago as 1989. And it came in the unlikely shape of the March subcompact.
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Obsessions Come In All Shapes and Sizes
So, I have an A3 (as in the paper size) flatbed scanner sitting on my desk, taking up a lot of room. ‘Til now, it’s had some toys sitting on it, etc. When it’s not being used, obviously. But I’ve recently decided to turn it into a proper scene.
Isuzu Piazza: Media Ownage
The other day we did a feature on the Isuzu 117 Coupe and we concluded the article with a short mention of its replacement, the Piazza. That got us to thinking about the Piazza and now that we have 20yrs worth of hindsight, I think it’s about time we examined the oft-scorned coupe.
In Australia the image of the Piazza is unambiguous: it’s a lemon. But did fate play the attractive Italian-styled coupe a bad hand? Was it really such a bad car? We at GrandJDM are willing to fire up our trusty time machine to find out!
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Mister Bishi’s Motoring Museum
Heh, Mister Bishi. You see what I did there.
Mitsubishi—a company for which I’ve not yet been able to find an appealing enough classic to feature on grandJDM—have got a great section of their website devoted to keeping stans informed about the history of the company. When a lot of car enthusiasts think of Mitsus, they think of Evos. And fair enough, because not much else of the caltrops western-released wares in recent years has been especially worthy of any drooling.
But looking back, the Colt range is an example of a damn fine Mitsu—at least as far as I’m concerned. And that’s just from a sports perspective, without even thinking about the wealth of other classic Mitsus shown at their museum. So jump over there and check it out.
Posted in mitsubishi
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Car Crazy for Nostalgics
We can’t afford cable so we missed it the first time, but luckily some friends and readers sent us a DVD of Meguiar’s Car Crazy TV‘s recent episode about Japanese collector cars. In this episode, Barry Meguiar goes on the scene to the Japanese Classic Car Show, Motoring J Style, and Toyotafest. With only 30 minutes to cover all three shows, the profiles of cars are very limited, but we’re still jazzed to see some vintage Japanese iron get their propers on the telly. In fact, what’s that behind Mr. Meguiar’s right shoulder? In this opening scene, he’s saying, “One of the great phenomena taking place in the car hobby today is the evolution of Japanese cars becoming collectors cars.” We could not agree more. Hats off to Mr. Meguiar and Car Crazy TV, for being one of the first TV shows to recognize this movement.
CORRECTION: The next airing will be this Sunday, December 9, at 8:30am Eastern Time, 5:30am Pacific Time on SpeedTV (thanks elmonoloco). Check this site for your local times. Gentlemen (and ladies), start your Tivos! And if that doesn’t satisfy your need for car show footage, there’s always the JCCS DVD.
Posted in events, media
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