Round two for the JDM stuff and we’ll start with the meat and potatoes (are rather rice and seaweed) of the matter: Toyota. These S130 Crown wagons are always a treat, and this one was especially tasty, with those fender mirrors and those old-fashioned hubcaps.
Fugly wheels kinda let this one down, but I do like the quad headlights and the chrome bumpers.
This Crown saloon had an interesting paint scheme going on.
Can’t get enough of these Origins. Blue and silver ones are fine, but nothing beats black. Classy.
White Century VG20s are uncommon, though this isn’t the first one I’ve caught. Looking pretty good, I have to admit.
Starting to encounter a few more of these Cenutry SUVs around town. No cause for celebration, just reporting on facts as I see them.
Amazing that the very same Toyota that produces the super-exclusive Century also made the dumpy Delboy. Great vans, but my God, that mug is about as unadorned and bulbous as they come.
The 3rd gen (1982-89) HiAce van looks a little more substantial (and a lot less goofy) than the Delboy.
There’s another HiAce van – this one is a late model Super Custom, I believe.
The present-day HiAce, which has been in production for over 20 years at this point, remains a staple of Japanese roads. So if you want yours to stick out of the crowd, adding a Dodge face to the front end and loudspeakers to the roof might just do the trick.
One rung below the HiAce was the MasterAce Surf, a higher trim version of the TownAce. This is an early model (1982-85) example.
Back to the world of the four-door with a stunning Mark II Grande X70 (1984-88) formal saloon.
The X80 (1988-92) hardtop is far more common, but a particularly well-cared for example like this one warrants a couple of snaps, surely.
On the other hand, finding a T170 (1988-92) Carina in such a derelict state – and with Nissan hubcaps! – is also worth reporting.
This obviously cherished E90 Corolla hatchback has an interesting body kit. Probably has an engine to match, too…
But the Corolla of the Year Award should go to this E90 notchback saloon, found on the outskirts of the Railway Museum at Ōmiya. Apart from a broken parking pole, it was absolutely immaculate.
It could have made for a fine stand-alone post, but I’ve already written one of these up. It’s not like they’re rare yet.
Ditto the Sprinter Trueno AE86. So iconic that they are still seen on a daily basis, but the trick is to find a really good one for a CC post. This has been achieved, and one will be written up in due course. Just not this particular one, though it did have its merits.
Let’s revisit that (rather disappointing) south Tokyo branch of Flex Auto Review we glanced at yesterday. Here’s the full forecourt lineup: yesterday’s R31 Skyline, a Supra, two MR2s and a Mark II wagon. Not exactly the Lane Museum.
I don’t know about you, but the A60 Supra (actually a Celica XX, but that’s the same thing) would be my pick of the bunch.
Here’s the Celica version, though for some reason this particular one is featuring massive US-style bumpers.
I like these Z20 Soarers, but I hate venetian blinds – especially on cars. It does make some sense that one might want to protect the occupants from the sun, though. That greenhouse offers almost zero shade, unlike today’s claustrophobic cocoons.
It was a good season for Sports 800 spotting. Better than most, even.
It can be difficult to keep a mental list of individual sightings of a particular model, but I’m pretty sure this two-tone is one I had never seen up to now. Beautiful interior.
This one, on the other hand, I’m pretty sure has had the honours of the T87 Singles Collection before. But then it’s so gorgeous, I’m ok with giving it another look-see if you are.
The top Toyota of the post will have to be this 1600GT. Only about 2000 of these were made in 1967-68, so it’s a little less exclusive than the 2000GT it clearly sought to emulate, but still very rare.
Here’s the heart of the matter: a standard Corona 1.6 litre engine reworked by Yamaha as a DOHC monster, mated to a 5-speed manual. Heady stuff!
Of course, the Toyota 1600GT wasn’t the only game in town. The Isuzu Bellett GT could do all that for a cheaper price and arguably with better styling. And with four-wheel independent suspension, too.
Only one other Isuzu sighting worthy of your attention during this fall season, in the inimitable shape of the Piazza Nero. Let’s move on swiftly to the eagerly-awaited Mitsuoka portion of the tour, shall we?
OK, strictly speaking, this is not a Mitsuoka. It’s one of the three or four Princess ADO16 kits one could adapt on the Nissan K11 March. In spirit, it’s pretty close though, isn’t it?
The cheap version of the Viewt, the Nadeshiko only has the pseudo-Jag body kit fitted to the front end, leaving the rear unmodified (apart from a token chrome bumper). Makes for a very odd profile.
Drum roll, please: unveiling the brand-new 4th generation Viewt, live from the Mitsuoka showroom in central Tokyo! Still as gaudy as before, but with a completely new body (the Toyota Yaris XP210’s, to be precise), ready to carry on with 30 years of tradition. Humbling, isn’t it?
On the Daihatsu side, just three entries – which is better than nothing, I suppose. It’s hard to pass by a Midget II and not photograph it.
On the other hand, I see Esse kei cars fairly often, but never bothered to stop and snap – until I saw this one, that is. Seems the kustom krowd have finally run out of Skylines and Chasers. Now they’re practising their art on grandma’s Daihatsu. What a world.
We enter the weird world of retro kei vans via the Daimler-infused Daihatsu Atrai Classic.
I assume most generic retro kei trucks to be Suzukis, but I really have no idea. The little-seen T2 Transporter kei…
…and what looks like a home-made Jeep “face” – how this could pass the shaken is beyond me.
The Retro Kei Van of the Season Award goes to this fella, and credit for its discovery must go to the Right Honourable James “Junkyard” Klein, Esq. – extremely well spotted, Jim-san!
One unequivocal Suzuki sighting was this lovely gen 1 Jimny. Great colour, too!
Onwards to Subaru, with a few interesting Sambars for your consideration. This one represents the 5th generation (1990-99), the dawn of the 660cc era. Or at least it used to…
Based on the 4th gen Sambar (1982-90), the Domingo deliberately added cladding and big bumpers to go beyond the rigid confines of the kei class. The engine is the Justy’s 1-litre 3-cyl., albeit located in the tail.
This is a very early 3rd generation (1973-82) Sambar van, sporting pre-1974 kei license plates. These still had the 360cc twin used in earlier models, as well as in…
…the inimitable Subaru 360, of course! I’m always amazed by how often I run into these. A true kei icon of the ‘60s.
A very interesting find, as I don’t think this car was ever officially produced. This is a Vivio T-Top coupé (one of 3000 made), with the front mask and rear lights of the (Vivio saloon-based) Bistro Chiffon.
It’s not all keis, of course. But big Subies like this sweet SVX are a little less readily observable.
The coolest Subaru of the fall season was probably this 1989 Alcyone XT. It’s a VX, so it has the 2.7 litre flat-6.
Few Mazda sightings, but quality is better than quantity, right? Autozam AZ-1s seem to be far more popular now than they ever were when new.
And they are the epitome of both weird and cool. Quite a potent combination.
Discretion, whether visual or audio, was not a high priority with the RX-7 to begin with. The owner of this one decided to take those down yet a few more notches. LOUD ENOUGH FOR YA?
We’ll end the JDM part of this little roundup with the calming and dignified presence of a Prince Gloria Super 6.
Next week, our tour continues – three more parts to go, because there’s always a bit more imported stuff around.
Wow! Amazing selection. That Isuzu Bellett GT is super tasty but the wild retro Kei van is my pick for the best find. What a wild vision executed to a high level of standard. It is definitely eye catching.
I love that wild retro Kei van, but so many great pictures, thanks! I was waiting for the Mitsuoka section, and wasn’t dissappointed. But there were many other very interesting sights, including those Autozam AZ-1s, the Vivio T-Top hybrid, the T2 transporter, and the Daihatsu Atrai Classic.
Thank you!
The blue retro van is terrific. It’s not exactly trying to retro any one specific vehicle (unless I missed something), it strikes me as something of a mashup of Checker and late ’50s GMC truck front ends.
I still feel the “guilt” of actually $elling a new Subaru 360 in 1969. Talk about a 4 wheeled PO$, that was it! Certainly NOT a Japanese VW bug! DFO
I always enjoy your collections because the bulk of these models never reach the U.S.
As I recall that 30+ year old gray Corolla showed something like only 16,000 kms on the clock, looking at it I can’t believe it would have gone all the way around the 6digit odometer but shocking that it’s only averaged something like 500kms a year…
Excellent finds as usual and I am honored to have been there for multiples of these discoveries this time (as well as yesterday’s of course). Next time used car dealerships will need to be on the menu as well!
Those little Mijets apparently don’t have a heater, which is really stripping things down since there really isn’t room for a passenger to help generate heat. MightyCarMods has one in Sydney and it’s certainly perfect for Tokyo, but the wilds of Australia and island of Tasmania seem to be a little much for it. I recall it being Riley’s favorite sighting though.
I’m really liking the yellow Clarion RX-7, usually I like the facelifted version (’82-’85?) but this one speaks (well, shouts I suppose) to me…the wraparound rear lip helps a lot. And the Supra as well as Celica is always welcome. Not to mention the Piazza (Impulse over here).
As I also recall, you were looking left while I was looking right when I caught a glimpse of the blue van, I wonder how many other cars get missed…not always possible to swivel the neck around so fast while riding by a cross street at speed!
Didn’t realise the Century SUV was actually out already. Not sure what I think of them – they look kind of like a pastiche of Cullinan and Bentayga, with a hint of ’98 Isuzu Trooper around the headlights and grille.
That MasterAce Surf brings back memories – my parents bought a silver ’85 Townace in 1990 ust as I got my driver licence. Trainspotter alert (sorry): the photographed one is the August ’85-onwards facelift model – the ’82-Aug ’85 models have different bumpers, marginally taller front lights (and the panels in front of the doors and below the windscreen are resultingly slightly different) and different tailgate (the reversing lights are in main lights not the tailgate, and the handle is as wide as the number plate only). Learned all of that back in 1990 when my sister grazed a tree with the front corner and replacement parts were needed. My parents’ Townie had all four exterior mirrors too, they took a bit of getting used to but were brilliant for parking.
I didn’t and don’t understand the Japanese fascination with the ADO16 shape. I mean, there are some quite decently styled cars in the British Motor Industry back catalogue, yet they choose the ADO16 to live on? It was ungainly enough as an Austin/Morris/Princess etc, and appending the styling to a March doesn’t improve matters. Mind you, the Jag Mk II was a looker, and it didn’t deserve to be Viewted.
Probably the Century VG20 for me please, although that Gloria Super 6 is lovely!
I do love a Century! Perhaps we ought to do kits to make ugly Eurodross look like one…
I used to intensely dislike the ADO16’s styling – they’d been around far too long & never updated. Having recently seen one again, it seems to have grown on me and I appreciate it far more. There was only so much that Pininfarina could do with those odd proportions. Compared to the ADO17 et al, it was almost beautiful. They replaced it with the Allegro…
No Autobianchi Primula mind, but they must be almost unknown in Japan.
I presume the ADO16’s proportions actually suit kits for modern end-on FWD boxes rather well, in a way the Jaguar’s don’t. Perhaps that’s why they work.
The yellow RX7 is a tribute car (or a replica, if you prefer) of the RX7 that ran in the 1979 Monte Carlo Rally. The only time an RX7 ran the Monte Carlo Rally was in that year. The original car is in Mazda’s collection, wearing a much older “4 51” license plate.
What a great selection.
But why oh why would someone want to take a car that didn’t look an ADO16, and then turn it into one that did look like an ADO16.
Love your work; +1 on the Bellett GT. Small typo on the Deliboy, there are a few of them here in NZ; they run the same motor as RWD Starlets. Cheers
Thanks – I wondered why they’d name it after a UK sitcom character*! I remember the correct name now you write it.
*Mind you; Cedric…
Love the shovel nose GT Corona theres one in Auckland it was at a cars n coffee very rare car, Yes the Isuzu Bellet has all round independent suspension the front axle is Hillman Minx with an Isuzu independent rear axle, great little cars but we only had the foutdoor versions.