CC Outtakes: T87’s Singles Collection (October-December 2024) – Part 5: Yet More Foreign Cars (British, Swedish & The Rest)

Slightly belatedly, due to a rather hectic travel schedule, here is the final part of the late 2024 T87 Singles Collection. We have a lot of British steel to get through, so let’s get started immediately with Aston Martins, because all good things come to those who wait. And we’ve waited long enough to enjoy a DB5.

Make that two DB5s. The first one was caught at a specialized dealer that has yielded a lot of very interesting photos, both in and around his shop. This dark blue example, however, was spotted at an Aston Martin dealership proper, not far from those boring SUVs the marque has added to its roster nowadays.

The plate on this one might be a hint that it’s a DB6. I caught one of these out in the open last year, it will have its day on CC as soon as normal service can resume.

Neat V8 Volante, isn’t it? That’s what I meant earlier by “in and around” that specialist AM shop. They have dominion over a sliver of curb on either side and a small parking area in the back – the fauna there is always very interesting, and not limited to Astons, either.

This Virage passed by twice, at what seemed like a very high speed. Could only manage one semi-usable shot.

Modern Astons are still (with the exception of the SUV) pretty outstanding, even if I’m having difficulty telling them apart. I guess that’s why I like the 2010-20 Rapide: it has a distinctive look and a pleasingly elongated shape.

I guess that’s better illustrated by a profile shot. Most elegant car of the 2010s? Arguably, yes.

And this DB2 convertible might be one of the best-looking drop-tops of the early ‘50s, too. They should have called the company Astound Martin.

So where do we go from there? The only way is to see what’s round the Corniche. This is a Series III, but the sun was against me that morning.

Not a problem, as this almost identical Corniche II was on hand on a more overcast Sunday. The “numero uno” license plate is almost de rigueur.

The bulk of the contingent, Rolls-wise, was of a more (Silver) Spirited nature.

Some wealthy Japanese anglophile was (Silver) Spurred to order his Roller in black with a light beige vinyl top – quite a daring choice.

There are a few that were imported at a later date from the other side of the Pacific, too.

A small gathering of some Japanese classic car club took place at the Prince Hotel parking lot – it yielded many future CCs. Some, like this XJ-S cabriolet, will remain in the Outtakes. The pickings were particularly rich, that day…

We visited this parking lot in the Part 4 of this edition, where a red Mustang and a black Charger were documented. When I returned (in the daytime) a few weeks later with Jim Klein, the Dodge was gone, replaced by an E-Type. Fair trade, I say.

Another E-Type, saluting with its triple wipers, was found close to the V8 Volante we just saw earlier.

I wrote up a Series II wearing a similar shade of yellow not too long ago. Only this is a roadster, and my write up featured the dreaded 2+2. Ugh. This one wins, no contest.

I’m not a fan of the XJ40, but there is no denying that they are classics. And this one was, even more improbably, cruising on the street where I live.

They’re even worse with rectangular headlights. I’m not sure why some have those and others do not – if you know, do please inform the rest of the class.

The Jag of the season award goes to this 3.8 litre Mark 2. It’s not your usual Mark – it was given the Vicarage treatment, which means it was thoroughly revised, modernized and restored by the UK’s top Jag specialists.

The car, the myth, the legend – yes, it’s a Jag without a leaping cat on its bonnet, but there’s the same gargantuan V12 underneath.

The thicker chrome grille and the “D” badge are not the Double Six’s main attraction. To me, what makes this version better than the XJ12 is the name – “Double Six” just sounds perfect.

There aren’t many Rovers around Tokyo, and the few that I’ve seen up to now have mostly been of the “Honda-with-wood” sort. This is the first 75 estate (or “Tourer,” in confusing Rover-speak) I’ve caught here. These were imported in Japan between 2003 and 2005 only.

Eclectic group, isn’t it? Another still from the Aston specialist’s little parking lot, always chock full of goodies. The marigold yellow Range Rover is the standout here (though the 356 is no shrinking violet)…

Speaking of interesting 4x4s, this Defender looks pretty serious at pretending to be an Army brat. Pretty sure said army would not be the Japanese one, though.

We’ve seen this Lagonda briefly before, at a local car show. It’s now officially 100 years old, and it has plenty of life left in it. A lesson for us all.

In Part 4 of this edition of the T87 Singles Collection, I showed a Tesla cab – a rare case of a foreign car in taxi service. The 2007-17 LTI/LTC TX4 was definitely built for that purpose, so it makes sense to see at least one working for a living here.

The popularity of Lotus in this country never ceases to amaze me. I hadn’t seen many FWD Elans up to now, but wouldn’t you know it…

…two of them came out of the (plastic) woodwork in late 2024.

I was looking at this Esprit as Japanese couple passed by. I heard the man explaining that this was a De Lorean. I understand the confusion – to the casual observer, one grey wedge looks a lot like another.

I’ve been seeing a lot of Europas, lately. To me, the back end is still jarring, but I’m slowly building up an immunity.

Some colours tend to make things worse. That green is a case in point.

I’m not sure what happened to the bumpers on this one. But it’s an S2, which makes it even more alien-looking than the later cars. That rear kiddie pool area is really something to behold – almost as much as that gorgeous twin cam engine.

The S2 Elan gets my vote for prettiest Lotus ever made. Especially when driven by Diana Rigg in The Avengers.

I do wish I had had more time to document this Elite. This is the first true road car Lotus made, between 1957 and 1963. It has a 75hp 1.2 litre Coventry-Climax 4-cyl., independent suspension all round, disc brakes and its GRP body was made (except for the first 250 cars) by Bristol. Superb in every way.

Four-seater Morgans are definitely the exception rather than the rule. First one I think I’ve caught in Japan.

I believe the big 6 on the grille and the little one in the license plate are trying to tell us something, which is that this is the new Morgan Plus Six. This model came out in 2019 and features a turbocharged 3-litre BMW straight-6 – Morgan’s first car with this type of engine.

Ohohoooo! Deadly Sin alert! The Triumph Stag is the embodiment of everything that went wrong at British Leyland. Wrong car at the wrong time with the worst engine. Double-0 V8.

However failed it was (and it was a Michelin-star-worthy lemon-flavoured turkey), at least the Stag still managed to look really good. Which is more than can be said of the TR7, for instance.

Under the MG heading, we have a couple of Midgets (I’m sorry – “Little Roadsters” is the PC term, I guess).

From certain angles, aftermarket “wire-like” wheels sure look weird, don’t they?

There were two B roadsters to report, both being caught on the same day and in the same place.

This second one was about as perfect as these cars can get, in my opinion. When did these get triple wipers, btw? I’m not remembering seeing those on British market cars, but I’m out of my depth when it comes to MGs.

Very nice little TD there, good sir. Love the two-tone paintjob, but I (personally) would have avoided the whitewalls…

Austin-Healey Sprites have quite a following in this town. I’m not complaining – they’re lovely and very distinctive little roadsters. The more, the froggier, I say.

Mrs Moggie Minor here (which we’ve seen before) signals that we’re entering the “small saloon” part of the post.

For once, this is the Real McPrincess! There are so many Nissan Marches that have been mangled to look like these here that seeing the genuine article can be a little startling.

Quite a few of these were converted to automatics and shipped to Japan in the ‘90s, apparently. This one seems to be a more recent import from the same source, and it was pretty flawless, minus that driver’s seat.

Two very interesting Minis were found in this Mini-obsessed nation. First, a van. Not exactly novel, but any long-roof ADO15 is worth a quick snap.

This one is far more recherché. Made by racing outfit ERA, the Mini Turbo was the fastest Mini ever sold through official channels. It sports a 94hp 1.3 litre A-Series engine and was heavily modified throughout (not counting what the owner of this example added to the mix, of course). Less than 450 were made between 1989 and 1992 – 99 were for the domestic market and the rest went to Japan. Mini-obsessed, I tells ya!

I recently wrote up an Austin Seven, and in another case of self-induced CC-Effect, another one crossed my path. Just plain adorable.

Trojans mean different things depending on which side of the Atlantic you hail from. In the US, they can be ribbed “for her pleasure.” In the UK, that term typically refers to the British-made version of the Heinkel Kabine bubble car, made between 1960 and 1965, featuring a 198cc single-cylinder engine. This one is, alas, obviously no longer fit to pleasure anyone.

At the foot of Tokyo Tower, Jim Klein and I found this rather substantial slab of British beef, otherwise known as the AEC Routemaster. A few can be seen roaming around town as mobile billboards, but this one appears to be just taking a well-deserved retirement.

The last British vehicle for this edition will be this beautiful Norton motorcycle. I’m not even going to bother trying to identify it, but it would be greatly appreciated if our savvy CCommenters could do so instead.

We must move on to the short (but always sweet) Swedish chapter of this series, starting with the End of Saab. These later 9-3s are rare here and, objectively, can be found to be a bit bland. But the nostalgia factor in strong with this marque.

At least they kept on making their trademark drop-tops till the very end.

I remember the feeling of disappointment when these came out in the late ‘90s. Many felt that Saabs were becoming little more than expensive Opels with questionable styling.

The 900 was the last real Saab. This one has something weird going on with its wipers though. Looks like it took them off a Panhard 24.

Volvo 240 wagons might as well apply for a Japanese passport, given how massive their cohort is here. This one had very strange aftermarket headlights that I don’t think I had ever encountered before.

Great corduroy beige interior – a symphony of ‘80s middle-class comfort. I could grow to like that sealed beam snout. It’s no worse than the square quads seen on US-market cars, certainly.

Bone-stock 240 saloon for the win! Same interior fabric, but fewer odd details added.

Simon Templar has landed in Tokyo, and he brought his ride along.

OK, it may seem like another case of CC-Effect, but in fact this is re-CyCling: I had two LWB Ladas in the bag. The best one was turned into a post, and the better photos of this slightly older one (actually photographed in 2023) was a perfect fit for the Singles Collection. Wasting it would have been a shame.

The final car of this marathon five-part series will be this unlikely Cold Warrior from Czechoslovakia, found curbside, and perhaps in distress, last November. I just couldn’t believe this Octavia (in RHD, no less) was parked in the middle of Central Tokyo, but mirages aren’t really a thing here.

I say it was likely in distress because as I did a U-turn to photograph it again, this flatbed pulled up in front of it, hazard lights ablaze. Comrade Škoda, you look like you could use some re-education…

 

Well, that’s it for the T87 Singles Collection 2024. Hope 2025 will bring us more. I think I will keep this a “seasonal” tri-monthly thing for the time being, so see you in early April for the next episode in the series.