Welcome to the second week of the traditional T87 Singles roundup. Cramming three months of brief CC encounters into reasonably digestible posts proved quite challenging, so I hope these won’t cause anyone to feel nauseous or over-stimulated. I broke the JDM stuff into two parts last week, this week will focus on the imported stuff – three parts should just about do it. Might as well start all Benzes blazing with a pristine W126.
Lots of Mercedes sightings, as per usual. Even rarer ones like the C126!
I cannot for the life of me recall what the tuning / kit-maker was in this instance, but those two were like peas in a pod. A big, wide, ugly plastic pod.
W140s are less common than their W126 predecessors, for some reason. This one was noteworthy for its curious “L” badging, which doesn’t really jibe with reality.
Yeah, it’s a “Maybach,” but it sure belongs in the Benz section. Quality may have gone down in the past few decades, but in limousine form, a V12-powered S-Class still has presence. And bulk, especially when compared to a 1960 Alfa Giulietta Spider!
W124s are so widespread that I mentally tune them out – or at least, as far as saloons and wagons are concerned. A coupé or (even better) a cabriolet will still warrant a snap or two.
W123s are also a dime a dozen (like on most places on the face of the Earth), but I have a soft spot for them. And the backdrop kinda made this one a must-catch.
Beautiful green wagon, too. I’m a total fan.
Got a great, long look at this W116 as it did a U-turn – what a gorgeous machine.
I prefer these in this standard wheelbase form, like this one. LWB variants look a little less well-proportioned.
Inversely, W107s always looked better in LWB form, for me. Hey, I never said I was consistent.
While we’re in SL territory, here’s a couple of Pagodas for your viewing pleasure, starting with a sumptuous dark maroon example.
Beige with a tan top also works pretty well on these, I must admit.
Be still, my beating heart! If only it could have parked for a short photo session. But the Meiji Jingu Gaien avenue was closed that week (as always in late November / early December) to accommodate the throngs of tourists who want to see the gingko trees turning yellow. Stuff the trees, I say. I’m here to see W111s turning heads.
This 250 SE drop-top was almost better, though not quite – I do prefer my W111s with 6-cyl. power, but light blue doesn’t really work for me. Pass.
The modern AMG version of the G-Wagen should be called the Tokyo Shopping Cart. This one was an honest Diesel-powered early example – a breath of fresh air!
Final Benz of the season: an unexpected Bremer Transporter – so unexpected, in fact, that I almost missed it completely.
We will enter the realm of the air-cooled in a short while, but first we have a couple of front-engined Porsches to pay attention to, starting with an impressively clean 944…
…and its natural end point, the 968 CS.
OK, brace yourselves for a veritable 911 smorgasbord. Not sure why, but we’ll start with this one. Call it a baseline.
It still baffles me that some consider this brand to be a carmaker, even around the edges.
I’m less keen on the ‘70s accordion bumper Porsches, but this one was an eyeful.
As was this one – a more perfectly mid-‘70s colour would be hard to find.
Mind you, some older ones can also have a loud paint job.
Better colour-wise, but something’s off about the wheels, no? A bit too wide…
This one’s just about perfect, really. But the 911 show doesn’t stop there.
Not sure why this one had its frunk open, but it made for a cool couple of photos. The single-digit “5” plate makes this an original Japanese market car, which is a rarity in itself.
The 911 of the Year award goes to this orange 1969 coupé – absolutely delightful in every respect.
The added bonus was the cute four-legged occupant, of course. But look at how well the owner integrated all manner of modern elements, like the A/C and the Bluetooth speaker, into and under the Porsche’s dash. The result is impressively tidy!
We’re not quite done with the 911 chapter yet – there are still a couple of targas to gawk at.
Not sold on the mustard yellow, but that interior is superb. I think I might give 911s a pass for the next iteration of this compilation series. I kind of overdosed on them for this one.
Well, looks like we’re out of 911s. Can I interest anyone in a 356 or two? Not too many, I promise.
The Cs were calm, that day. I caught both of these in the same place, at a specialist shop near Tokyo Tower who usually deals in Aston Martins, but also has a few classic Jags, Porsches and Mercedes-Benzes about the place. Another place to revisit frequently…
This early 356B was having trouble getting started, so it was given a hefty push down the Meiji Jingu Gaien. It coughed a bit, but the flat-4 was back in action. A new battery on the X-mas list, perhaps?
Now we’re entering another transitional phase in the post, as these were marketed (quite correctly) as the VW-Porsche 914 in their country of origin.
I don’t dislike them per se, but they’re nowhere near as beautiful or charismatic as the 912 they replaced.
So we enter the Volkswagen part of the tour in earnest, and what better way to do that than with a pristine late ’60 Beetle?
I do try to keep my Beetle intake under control, as there are quite a few about – and not all of them are CC-worthy. But with the correct wheels, stance and demeanour, even a lowly mid-‘70s 1200 like this one can be remarkable.
I think we’ve seen this black ’55 before. Always a great pleasure.
I was out riding in the northern boonies, also known as Saitama prefecture, and found a nice little nest of air-cooled VWs. This Beetle (mid-’60s?) seemed to be the sole one to be in working order, or at least in regular use.
Next to the Type 1 was this early Type 3 notchback that had a few mods to it, as well as some obvious signs of rust. The wheels seemed undersized, or maybe just slightly deflated?
The most valuable piece of this small collection was this 1957 Karmann-Ghia. Looks like its flat-4 suffered a bout of self-immolation, unfortunately.
And the last member of this fearsome foursome was the inevitable Type 2 Transporter. A pretty old one, too, if the tiny taillights are any indication.
There are so many of these in great condition here that I’m wondering if any are left in Germany or the US.
The final air-cooled VW for this edition will be this somewhat modded Type 3 Variant. But fear not, there were a few front-engined classic VWs on display as well.
This is a pretty much identical Golf Cabrio to the one I wrote up a little while back, except this one looks like new, when the one I caught is slowly sinking into the ground.
Contemporary Jettas were apparently pedestrian enough to be sold in RHD, unlike the more exclusive Golf Cabriolet.
As usual, there were neither Opels nor Audis to report – a real blind spot for German classics in Japan. So we’ll skip right to the BMWs, or in this case, the Alpina. I’ve always liked E34s, and you just don’t see that many of them about (in my neck of the planet, anyway).
E30s are a lot more widespread over here. Running into a cabriolet is still worth a quick pic.
I believe we’ve seen this specific 2002 Ti before, but not from these angles.
But for some reason, the Bimmer of the Month was the E9 coupé. I saw them from afar…
…And from up close. One was so nice that it will likely have its own CC post someday, so I won’t feature it in this one.
This fine example from 1972 was close to perfection, but not as nice as its aforementioned comrade. This one had a few niggles, chief among which was the colour: it’s hard enough to take photos in the AM when the sun is shining this hard, but with a white car, the difficulty is a notch higher still, often leading to pretty weird (or downright unusable) results.
The owner had a trunk full of bits and bobs he was obviously going to fit on the car sooner or later, including a full set of wood veneer inserts for his dashboard, which didn’t look like it needed them. Ah well, to each his own.
We move quickly to the (much smaller) French portion of the tour, starting with a rather conspicuous Alpine A110 berlinette in full rallying regalia.
Interesting twofer here, with a brand-new Alpine and a 1980s El Camino. No points for guessing who’d win that stoplight race.
There is always a Renault 4 hiding in some corner of Tokyo, it’s just a matter of finding it.
This “Phase 1” (i.e. pre-facelift) Peugeot 306 XS was on the sportier end of the range in 1993-97. They’re getting on in age now, and though they are still a dime a dozen in their country of origin, Japanese market cars are getting rare.
The owner of this 1989 Peugeot 405 was busy giving his pride and joy a quick curbside polish. He was clearly flattered that I noticed his 405 and told me he also owned a 605. Someone has a bad case of the Pugs.
The majority of French sightings were of the double-chevron kind, as usual. Lots of Xantias, this time: these are definitely starting to be on the radar of younger Japanese exotic car collectors.
Another prime example of a car that’s not yet out of banger-dom. But give it another five to eight years, and it’ll be right up there. I remember witnessing this with the CX about 20 years ago.
Here’s one that has recently found a happy new owner. A very well-kept “Phase II” (post-facelift) Xantia in an attractive colour like this one is liable to get snapped up for a fistful of yen, but it’ll be worth a lot more in a few years when all the tattier ones are gone.
After all, not every car can be a legend in its own lifetime like the 2CV.
There was a time, not that long ago, when you couldn’t give a CX away – in France, anyway. The Dutch collectors started buying as many of the nicer ones as they could find, and quite a few migrated there in the early years of the present century.
These days, they look so different from anything else on the road. But of course, the ultimate Citroën ‘70s spaceship was…
… the one and only SM, of course.
This one has a few oddities besides. For a start, it’s badged as an automatic, but manifestly has a manual transmission now. Those US headlights could hint at a Japanese market car, as Citroën sent the whole batch of early ’74 models (about 200 cars in total) that they were no longer able to sell Stateside to their Tokyo importer. But what about that old French plate on the front? You can get those online, I’m sure.
Be that as it may, it’s still a great image to end this post with.
But do come back tomorrow for Part 4, wherein we will look at the fall season’s Italian and American finds.
Ah, now you’re speaking my language. One of them, anyway. That first E9 is all the business and then some, I must say. Almost a 3.0CSL or close enough to want one looking the same exact way…
I think you are thinking of Koenig in regard to the wideboy, er. widebody W126s there. Ghastly then, ghastly now. But as long as the owners enjoy them, good for them. I’ll take the opening shot W126 in their stead.
We’re at the point that the air cooled 911s pre about 1980 are too afraid to come out of their garages here, lest sunlight or something fall uponst them unexpectedly. Good to see half of the BASF color catalog represented here.
I thought I’d seen my last Centra three spoke striped aftermarket wheel somewhere in the late 90s and then you pull that Mk2 Jetta out of your hat. Blast from the past along with the Koenigs…
And lastly the Xantia, long near the top of my persona list of very attractive modern French car styling in my book and the pedestrian Frenchie I’d love to own (along with the 405 and probably a 505). Amazing that their values are increasing, but good to see the average condition of the remaining ones are strongly shooting higher.
I had a Xantia wagon as a daily commuter about 20 years ago (blimey! that long ago!).
A good car but a bit uninspriring. They have nearly all disappeared from our roads here (Netherlands) and very few are on the narket for sale now. As for classic status, not here yet.
Yes, Koenig’s the one, exactly. What a dreadful kit for such a dignified car.
I did bag a 3.0CSL a little while back — it will have its day on CC, rest assured.
As always, love to see the old cars all on the road and not in a museum or a gathering (or worse, a museum). Makes it just a bit more interesting.
This episode contains not much for me I have to admit, except for the CXs and that glorious SM!
Beautiful collection of cars, particularly the Mercs. The Citroens are a bit out there for me.
I don’t think I’ve seen this much nice classic metal in my entire lifetime. In my neighborhood, the closest thing on this list is a VW Bug…on blocks, in an alleyway.
Looks like the steelies thing has really taken off, given that W126 SEC coupe (#2) with non-stock wider steel wheels. And then there’s the C107 with steel wheels and whitewalls. And I see some other ones too, including the 2002Tii. Everyone of those used to be seen with alloys, even if not original. The trend is very obvious.
That white Beetle is a pre-’65 given the smaller windows. And yes, that’s an early “barn door” T1. A lovely early Ghia. And so much other goodness.
It still baffles me that some consider this brand to be a carmaker, even around the edges.
Not a big deal, but I’m not understanding this line of yours about Porsche.
Too subtle for me too !
Ah, I was not talking about Porsche, but about RUF. (Hence the around the edges pun). The car in the picture is a Ruf 911.
Some categorize RUF as a carmaker, but I’m of the opinion that they are more of an advanced case of performance/tuning specialist. Apparently, Alpina are also termed a carmaker by the German Ministry of Transport. Same applies here: Alpina is a brand, a tuning specialist, but the term “carmaker” feels over-the-top. The French have a term for these guys: “Préparateurs” — as in, folks who specialise in getting cars prepared for racing events. I don’t think the English language has an appropriate single-word term for the AMGs, Nismos and Abarths of the world.
I see, now. The badge is too small to see or notice without a really closer look. I’m not a mind reader. 🙂
Yes, I’m quite familiar with RUF and its legal status.
I must be getting senile as it took me a minute to get your pun. It’s pronounced ROOF, not ROUGH. At least in Germany. I’ve just never heard or considered this alternate pronunciation.
I think he’s talking about RUF as it is badged that way (and is one), there’s a small black badge in place of the Porsche emblem. RUF is legally considered a full-fledged manufacturer in Germany although they essentially redo existing 911s.
The Barn Door split screen VW may be a 1954, rear bumper but no peak over the windscreens. Wolfsburg made before the Hannover factory opened.
The W123 for me is the best made car of the 20th century. It will never be out of fashion.
As for the Peugeot 405, it’s curious to see the different names it had for Europe and the US. The “S” model seen in the photo was only for North America (it did not have a diesel version either), in Europe it had other models with letters GR, SR, X, GL, etc.
The W126 in the first photo really looks timelessly elegant in this color. And then these forged Fuchs rims… Oh man!
Nonetheless, for me the W116 will always be what pops into my mind’s eye when someone says “Mercedes-Benz”.
Might have something to do with my own year of construction.
On the other hand, I have to realize once again how much these frog-eyed Porsches leave me cold.
Nice collection, I quite like Xanrias a mate had several end of life Xantias nice to ride in I’d happily have a late HDI with the hydra-active suspension but they are rasre here and prized by owners.
I parked next to a very tidy Karman Ghia last week it had a sticker on the side window proclaiming it was a 12 volt car, really a decade after 12 volt became normal in anything else.
W111 cabriolet, an SM and a 911 Targa (mustard yellow is fine). And a 3.0 CS, and the basic white CX for every day…..
A lovely assortment. With all these photos you’ve taken, I’m amazed you ever get any work done!
The sixties and seventies, even eighties Benzes have a certain elegance, a sense of ‘rightness’ about the design. You can tell it’s an expensive car, but there’s nothing ‘in-your-face’ about it. Tasteful. Then there’s the Maybach. It certainly looks an expensive car, but it’s very ‘shouty’. As in “Look how rich I am!”. Surely it must be possible to design a tasteful modern luxury car – or am I turning into a grumpy old man?
I’m amazed at the barn door Transporter. I hadn’t noticed how old it was at first. Barn door aside, the changes are so subtle. Another tribute to rightness of design.
But for me, the Citroens are the star. I keep scrolling back to that lovely plum Xantia.