QotW: If James Bond was Japanese, what would he drive?

Today, October 5, is James Bond Day. It marks the anniversary of the world premiere of Dr. No, the first 007 movie, in 1962. In July of this year, the Japanese government set up its own MI6, called the National Intelligence Bureau, which raises the question of what tricked out car a Japanese spy would drive. Traditionally, James Bond has driven British models, except for a period in the 90s when BMW threw a mountain of cash at the franchise. Assuming Jin Bandoh could not be bought, he’d need a Japanese car that’s swift enough to evade captors, classy enough to pull up to a casino, and moddable enough to hide an arsenal of gadgets.

If James Bond was Japanese, what would he drive?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “How have you given old parts new life?“.

The winner this week is Paul Markie, who turned extra parts into the ultimate furniture flex:

As an owner of a classic Japanese car no longer made, like many others with the same affliction, I am in the business of amassing a large collection of parts. Some of these parts are broken and I cannot bring myself to throw them away, and some are spares. Most of them reside in my garage in organized storage bins, waiting for the chance of reuse or resale. There are a few that get brought into what I’ll call lucky service or repurposing. The best example of this is the original passenger seat from Samus (my 1976 Datsun 280Z 2+2). One of the known and visible flaws when purchased was a rather large tear in the center of the driver’s seat, which may have been the result of the previous owners having too many bad Taco Tuesdays. Regardless, I was in the market for new seat covers, since my temporary fix of black industrial tape just wasn’t getting it. I happened to come across a pair of used (but in great condition) seats from a 240Z at the last Carlisle Import Nationals, and bought them, swapped out the hardware, and in the “new to me” seats went. With seats, no one ever sells just one, so I had a perfectly good passenger 280Z seat taking up needed space in the family garage.

In my office, I have a Herman Miller aero chair, and I am likely one of the few people who finds this in vogue piece of office furniture uncomfortable (I think it’s the mesh). It would be so much nicer if I could sit in a car seat while at my desk, and then I had an epiphany. I went to my local thrift shop, picked up an old, unwanted office chair, and after some evening work in my garage, I had made myself a new office chair by marrying my 280Z passenger seat to the plywood base and arms of the thrift chair. All it took was some painting, drilling, and using some longer M8 bolts. I have never been more comfortable sitting at my office desk, and I am reminded of how much I love my Datsun even when I cannot be driving it or working on it!

Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!