Japanese Nostalgic Car

Last week Acura dropped some details about the reborn Integra. We can debate the merits of the car itself, and we have, but the thing about the launch that left us appalled was the fact that Acura was offering buyers an Integra NFT to drum up excitement. Almost a year ago we made automotive NFTs our April Fool’s post, but since then classic car NFTs have become an actual thing. So has destroying a real car and offering its demise an an NFT — thankfully it’s not an irreplaceable classic, as we joked, but that’s probably only a matter of time.

Anyway, we didn’t mean for this to be a rant about NFTs. Car companies have been offering other dumb things long before the digital age. We once received a Nissan USA-branded promotional tool kit — with all standard unit tools. Years ago we came across a neat diecast car in BRE livery, except it was a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Also, everything offered in the official Ferrari store.

What’s the dumbest thing a car company has offered?

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We’ve always had a fascination for the way Japan blends a deeply studied foreign automotive style with its own. Earlier this year, a Toyota Century limousine lowrider took the Grand Prix in the sedan category at the Tokyo Auto Salon. We’ve also discussed itasha, which seems like a modern incarnation of car-as-art, and lowriders are definitely an art form. Big sedans like Centurys and Presidents might seem like the natural choice, but everything from Suzuki Samurais to Nissan Maximas have made their mark on the lowrider scene.

What Japanese car would you build a lowrider with?

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Over the weekend I took my toddler to a local show to see some cars. Though it wasn’t advertised as an itasha event, fully 85 percent of the cars there had anime characters plastered all over them, even cars like Dodge Chargers and assorted traditional muscle cars. Maybe this is yet another sign that I’m getting old, but I don’t understand the appeal of the “painful car” subculture.

What are your thoughts on itasha?

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