QotW: Which Japanese classic should be remade for the modern age?

One of the biggest stunners at the Tokyo Auto Salon was Rocky Auto’s remake of the Prince R380, constructed using the original body molds but with modern engines underneath. It got us thinking about which cars might be ideal for a similar treatment. This is a different question than that of which car’s body shell should be remanufactured. Those shells are pretty much only good for building track cars or providing replacement panels for rusted or damaged bodies. We’re talking about cars whose numbers are so scarce that you can’t even find a donor to begin with, like the R380 or Toyota 2000GT. You’d need not just the body, but chassis, suspension, glass, interior and more all built from scratch.

Which Japanese classic should be remade for the modern age?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What car from 2000 would you import from Japan?“.

It’s probably a given that as the years go by the number of desirable and importable cars will decrease. We’re nearing the end of the era that brought us Skyline GT-Rs and Supras, and that was reflected in the cars y’all chose.

Many opted for cars older than 25 years that have been available for US import for a while now, like StreetSpirit‘s Mitsubishi FTO, Daniel‘s Land Cruisers and Y61 Patrol, among others Fred Langille‘s Nissan President, Negishi no Keibajo‘s Century V12, Nigel‘s Aristo V400, Michael Jue‘s Stagea 260RS, and other Daniel‘s Crown Comfort.

However, there are still inspired choices possible for Y2K-era cars that recently turned 25, as proven by Dankan‘s Honda Torneo Euro R, Ian G.‘s S15 Silvia, TheJWT‘s final-year P11 Primera 2.0 Te-V, Bryan Kitsune‘s Daihatsu Naked, Taylor C.‘s Toyota Mark II Qualis 3.0G (among others), and Yewnos100‘s Mazdaspeed Roadster.

The winner this week was Tom A., who is probably the only one in the country who would pick what he did, and gave us a good laugh for his reasoning:

Mitsubishi Proudia C. So rare it’s all-but-guaranteed to be the only one at any given show or meet, and sure to shock people who think Oldsmobile, Cadillac and Lincoln were the only ones building V8 front-drive luxury sedans at the turn of the century.

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

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16 Responses to QotW: Which Japanese classic should be remade for the modern age?

  1. Fred Langille says:

    Perhaps I am prejudiced but, it would appear that the four boutique Nissans from their Pike Factory “skunk works” the Pao, BE-1, Figaro and yes … the S-Cargo … could be revived as … and I even hate to say it, if you know what I mean … ELECTRIC CARS!!!! I mean, these vehicles have a cult following and, as electrics, could have they’re powerplants done up as electrics for use, not as the boutiques like they were before but, as trendy, yes, cost effective and charismatic SECOND cars for those of us (like me!) needing a runabout for errands and short trips. saving the bigger gas (whatever!) for other times. To parallel their electrification, the exact parts can be remade in support of the gas ones already built. Doing this could encourage their owners to “add to their fleet” by acquiring either an electric one of their own present Pike Factory offering or, diversifying. As these cars are timeless, to me anyway, they could help those on the electric fence dec ide. With me, I think I’d go for a Figaro, which might be the best seller.

  2. Daniel says:

    Y60 Patrol. Nissan made a big mistake pulling the Patrol out of the North American market in the lat 60’s. With round headlights and big box flares on a wonderfully boxy and purposeful body, it would steal the spotlight for Bronco’s and Land Cruisers of today. Nissan’s product line has a gigantic gap where the Patrol should be. The truck is a legend in Middle East, Australia and Europe. Time to give that legend a rebirth.

    PS-I own one so I may be biased.

  3. How about, the Toyota Celica acting as a replacement to the Yaris Cross that’s only reserved for developed markets, and thus that Celica (being a subcompact crossover coupe) would be built on the platform that’s already been used by Stellantis’ supermini range which consists of the Peugeot 2008, Citroen C3, Opel Corsa (aka Vauxhall Corsa in the UK), Alfa Romeo Junior, Fiat 600, Jeep Renegade and even Lancia Ypsilon, whereas the Celica name would be revived in the World Rally Championship (WRC) since its also the most successful Toyota nameplate in the series – especially with the help of Stellantis’ past experiences in the WRC and even Dakar. (Curiously, the inline four used in the BMW-based Supra was shared with Stellantis when the latter at that time was called as PSA Peugeot Citroen, since that engine was also used by Mini and it was called as the Prince engine.)

  4. Lee says:

    Any kind of cool wagon! Stagea, corona, even a camry wagon.

  5. speedie says:

    Mazda Cosmos (1967-1972) – The window is closing rapidly for Mazda to bring back a rotary powered vehicle (not a hybrid). A modern Cosmo would be a nice full circle closure of Mazda’s commitment to making this crazy concept of an engine a viable commercial endeavor. I have been watching Yorkshire Car Restoration’s YouTube videos documenting their restoration of a 1970 Series 2 Cosmo. Not only were there less than 1300 made, but so few actually survived due mainly to them just rusting away, as incredibly shown in the Yorkshire videos. Here is a link to the first part of the series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJYTddTDDDc

    Mazda could limit production to the same as the original and basically charge whatever price they wanted to turn a profit on it (or at least break even which is close to what the entire rotary program made for Mazda).

  6. JJ says:

    The Mazda MX-6, perfect timing for a rebirth with Honda bringing back the Prelude.

  7. Franxou says:

    Let’s bring the Civic Wagon, Shuttle, Wagovan, Space Wagon, or whatever it was called! It would be both a remake of the old idea and the next logical evolution for the modern Civic. Just because every Honda engineer that put that car on the production line is retired is no reason to forget the past!

    Toyota sees the great SUVification, so it reacted by making a compact crossover and naming it the Corolla Cross in order, I think, to warm the buying public to the idea of the Corolla nameplate soldiering on as a crossover when the sedan will not be profitable anymore. The traditional Corolla meal, but cooked to the gout du jour.

    Honda actually has a precedent of doing this, it is their Wagovan!

    As soon as Chrysler and Renault had some success with their newfangled Minivans during the 80’s, every other carmaker fumbled around to offer an heightened wagon of some kind. Honda saw this, decided that the Civic was their bread and butter car, spread an heart-stopping amount of extra butter plus some cinnamon on one and baked us some nice Civic Wagon. Nothing more than the usual Civic dish, but served with the spices of the moment.

    What is Honda doing right now? They must be seeing the SUVification like everyone else, and they already did this 40 years ago! They should bring back the Civic Shuttle. And make it cool.

  8. TheJWT says:

    The BRE Hino Samurai. Only one was ever made by Peter Brock before the project was killed by Toyota, who was planning on buying Hino. It apparently still exists in a storage unit in Southern California; A friend of mine who’s a well-known Japanese car collector has inquired about it but it seems like it’s not leaving the owner’s hands anytime soon. A modern one with a BEAMS 3SGE (Or an SR20VE, to spite Toyota) would be amazing. Surely Pete Brock still has the designs for it…

  9. Negishi no Keibajo says:

    Mazda Luce Coupe replete with body by Bertone. The industry has got to devise a way to bring the greenhouse back with advanced technology A Pillars & airbags.

  10. StreetSpirit says:

    c110 skyline, i’ve been lusting after those surflined beauties ever since i first stepped out of my bubble of lowriders and muscle cars. part of me always wanted to give one the superbird/daytona treatment or take a snubnose coupe and put it on hydraulics.
    considering the OG kenmeris are too fancy by now for that type of nonesense i’d sure love a moddable new rendition.

  11. dankan says:

    What would sell well? Meh, another crossover/SUV thing. What should be remade for the joy of it? The Subaru 360. There are plenty of halo cars getting remakes, or have had recent attempts at being remade. Nothing special there. But what about something small and whimsical for people needing a car, but without the space or cash for what passes for a “normal” car now?

    Subaru can raid the Toyota parts bin for the pieces, and throw together a small city car that doesn’t take itself seriously, but provides serious value for normal people.

  12. Taylor C. says:

    I have wanted Mazda to bring back their luxury sedan, the 929. Call it the Mazda 9, and use the platform found on the current CX-9, along with the inline-6 powertrains. Mazda was smart move forward with the SUV and not the car, as it’s the current money-making trend. However, I think the “9,” if R&D had continued would be a great luxury car, not to mention driver’s car.

    Mazda has proven that they can create and successfully sell a slightly higher priced vehicle that packs excellent interior accommodations, a nice shape, and solid powertrains. Make that 9 follow the last 929’s smooth shape, and combine with that last concept that they teased us with, integrate the CX-9 underpinnings, and carry over the nice interior, and I think you have a winner.

    • Taylor C. says:

      Clarification. CX-90, not CX-9.

    • Azfer says:

      I second this 100%. I grew up in a 1980s Mazda 929 and have a very strong affinity for this car. Back then it had a real wood steering wheel, gear shift knob, and parking brake, along with other luxury trimmings. l honestly believe that if their CX badged SUVs make enough money, they could use some of those profits and introduce a BMW 5 series sized vehicle for the price of a 3 and it would find buyers.

  13. RX626 says:

    The Honda Vamos (OG Vamos, not 00s Kei van) is a perfect car for this question.

    One of the strangest and most interesting designs of Japanese cars, born from the Japanese fascination with American dune buggies.

    This design still brings a smile to people’s faces today, and it would be perfect as a leisure car at tourist spots.
    If remade into a micro EV with a small and low-power motor, this fun buggy could become like the Japanese Citroen Ami EV.

  14. ka3 enthusiast says:

    Honda/Acura Legend…. coupe.

    I’m most definitely biased since I own a KA3 coupe, but I think it’s time for Honda to dip back into the personal luxury market with the Prelude running around (amongst new offerings from Cadillac, BMW, Lexus, etc).

    I don’t think there exists a market for a Legend-type sedan anymore (see: Acura RLX), but maybe a *slightly* more performance-oriented flagship coupe could be a flashy halo for a nostalgic crowd. Maybe this time with the J35Y8 from the Pilot and/or a PHEV variant? I’m ready for more performance-oriented coupe offerings from Honda.

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