Here are more selections from my vault of single-pic CCs. This sweet early model Mazda RX7 (1978-80, as far as I can tell) was captured on the same spot as the Daimler in yesterday’s post. The rotary-shaped wheelcovers on this one are particularly cool.
Here’s something I found in Bangkok. The light was really poor and my phone was really uncooperative, so even though I took a few shots only these were salvageable. Pity, as the W113 Pagoda is really one of the seminal designs of Bracq’s Benz years.
Another one I caught in Thailand – from the back seat of a taxi, this time. I’ve witnessed a few old Pugs around down there, but this was the only 305 I can recall seeing. These are getting rather rare even in France, so this could be one of the last ones out in the wild in Asia.
While we’re on the subject of old French cars in eastern places, here’s a Traction Avant in Luang Prabang, the old capital of Laos and one of Asia’s most wonderful places. This is a LWB Familiale 11 CV, made anytime between 1954 and 1957. It was not in the most original of conditions, but still a welcome sight. Dressed for the upcoming Christmas season, too.
Camaro, Camaro, wherever art thou, Camaro? In Geneva, Switzerland. Drinking BP premium, as per usual. Cheers!
Let’s bring it back to Japan and look into the JDM file. Toyota Corolla Sprinter AE86. Nice. This one I caught with Jim Klein, and I’m sure he has more or less the same photos as these.
This one I saw regularly, as it was having some work done in a nearby repair shop, but I never got round to investigating it properly. It’s a 1980-82 Toyota Crown S110 “Royal Saloon coupé” (but not a two-door sedan, as far as I know). I bagged that generation’s hardtop sedan, but getting a two-door would have been a real coup.
As it drove slowly past me, this 1976-80 Mark II (a.k.a Cressida) was heartbreaking to see. Silly wheels, questionable colour, aptly-named spoilers – there’s no accounting for some tastes. Without these things, it would have made for a great-looking classic. And even with those things, it still looks a lot better than any contemporary Nissan I can think of.
This S40 Corona was a far more welcome sight. I’m still not sold on the front end of these, but the rear is growing on me.
These 6th gen Celicas (1993-99) are not exactly rare in Europe, but I haven’t seen many in Japan. Again, I prefer the rear to the front on these.
It’s not all about Toyotas, though. Here’s one I really want to capture and document thoroughly one day – the Autozam AZ-1. Unfortunately, this one was festooned with a lot of manga decals and its interior was plagued by an invasion of figurines and soft toys. This is perhaps the coolest kei ever made, but that particular one was not the one I wanted to use for a CC feature. Here’s hoping I find a better AZ-1 and soon.
Sometimes, you just don’t know what you’re looking at. I had never heard of the Nissan Rasheen when I found this one, so I photographed it quickly (I was in a hurry) and forgot about it. Then I read this post about it and I started wishing I’d spent an extra minute to get a few more shots. But now I know what to look out for, so I won’t make the same mistake twice. I hope.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a JDM-focused post without a few retrocities. I don’t know what this one is. I mean, I know what it’s supposed to look like, but not who made it: at least three Japanese firms have made retro cars based on the look of the VandenPlas Princess ADO16, and I never got close enough to this one to ascertain who the author was. Cool rusted Porsche 911 in the background, too.
Let’s call this one a teaser: I’ve seen this 1999-2000 Subaru Impreza Casa Blanca around my new neighbourhood, so I hope I’ll catch it one day and give it the post it deserves. It’s rather ugly, but at least it’s interesting.
I literally caught this beautiful Alfa Giulietta Sprint yesterday. Looks like a pre-1960 model, too. The sound of that twin cam engine was incredible — the complete opposite of a Toyota hybrid!
That’s it for the T87 Outtake special. Given my present geographical location, I trust this sort of post will become more of a regular feature. I thought when I moved here that there would be few opportunities for CC hunting and gathering, but it turns out there are a lot of weirdoes with money in this country (who’d have think it), so the grounds are quite fertile. The issue is getting more than one photo at a time.
Nice finds! The Impreza Casa Blanca pictures stirred up some 20 year old memories of seeing a few of them in Taiwan. One of the oddest cars ever, at least for an American who associates Imprezas with go-fast rally or tuner cars, or dusty off pavement exploration.
Nice, I’ve never seen those RX7 wheels before.
I haven’t seen a Corona in so long..
Those wheels (and that colour I think as well) were Japan and Europe only. A shame as they are fantastic in a very 80s sort of way. The Japanese Rx-7s even had a back seat.
That Alfa Sprint is gorgeous, perhaps the same person owns it that was driving the Alfa I shot there.
I do in fact have the same exact pics of the AE86, and the MarioKart as well after checking my archives, as well as seeing others around Tokyo – it’s a tourist thing, you can rent them and they mix it up in traffic. Looks frightening to me when even a Miata is taller in traffic.
That RX-7 is sublime though, I believe those are alloy wheels not wheelcovers and I think that was on the earliest models, your era is correct.
Agreed on the RX-7 wheels. Very early JDM only, and never available in the US. And very lovely. I wonder why they weren’t used more widely.
They are very evocative of the rotors in a rotary engine so they are especially appropriate here.
From what I can tell (doing some quick searching), those wheels became available on a 1981 JDM RX-7 version called the SE Limited. If so, then the wheels are not original to this particular RX-7 since it’s a 1978-80 model (based on the small tail lights). Great-looking wheels, though.
On the other hand, the Alien Green paint may be original, since that was actually an available color.
I believe you may be correct. Looking up the old Tamiya scale model releases the original 7 in this green color to boot was released in 1978 but with the Campagnolo-looking alloys there were available on the 626 as well. But the rotary wheels are on the facelift model (model) released in 1981.
There was an issue of Car and Driver that had the facelifted RX7 with these wheels on the cover. Only time I’ve seen them.
I like the RX-7 and the Alfa. Speaking of Alfa I saw an early 70s Berlina drive past me in the opposite direction just down the street from my office. Bright blue and only the second time I have seen one in my life. The first was in the mid-70s owned by a friend of a friend. Rode in it to the Spaghetti Factory in San Diego. I was impressed by the car.
I lived with a guy who had a 2000A in that exact colour. Freakiest housemate I ever had, and there have been some.
I was not previously aware of this, but according to Wikipedia Laos was briefly a French colony from sometime after WWII until 1949. Even though the 11CV is from later than that, perhaps that’s why it’s there?
Japanese car tastes can run to the weird and wonderful a friend from the old days was in the used import business untill it became too croeded and the profits disa ppeared but he exported a lot of cars back to Japan over adorned ADO16s were a favourite and anything with big chromed headlights would easily find buyers as would real Minis, you may see some of that stuff over there unless its in the scrap pile now.
Had to look it up. An ADO 16 is what is known as an Austin America in the US. In their homeland of course they were known under about 100 badge engineered names. I can still see the perfect looking BRG four door one I saw parked on the street just like it was 1968 in St Pancras area of inner London among all the newish cars ten years ago. They of course disappeared in about two years in the US.
A friend of mine actually had one with the four speed automatic. He left it idling for some reason and the fan quit, it overheated, the engine was trashed, and that was it. The plastic fan was melted but who knows what came first. I think it was already on its second transmission.
Didn’t there use to be an Edit function here? Anyway, Google maps called the area St Pancras but it’s really Bloomsbury, not that it matters.
It comes and goes with the wind, seemingly. It’s not personal, ’cause sometimes I get an Edit choice and sometimes not. I hate it when computers do that. Maybe someone threw a Randomize function into the subroutine that includes the edit function? 🙂
Great pics, as usual. For some reason, that Camaro in Geneva just seems so… odd. Definitely not the type of vehicle that pops into my mind when I think of Switzerland.
I’ve seen an Autozam locally here in Virginia, but have only been able to get one shot of it. I’m hoping to catch up to it properly at some point. Fortunately, this one is bereft of either stickers or stuffies:
My Mazdaspeed Autozam.
Very nice!
I was unfamiliar with the Autozam before I saw that one in the picture above. After doing some research into them, I’d say I agree with Tatra that it’s the “coolest kei ever made.”
That RX-7 is painted a perfect colour, with—yes—ideal wheels.
Even my unusually-strong appreciation of the 7-inch round headlamp is not strong enough to excuse that Impreza Casa Blanca thing. Geck!
Speaking of headlamps, one hopes that Citroën Traction Avant is never driven at night; its headlamps are long past dead.
That Camaro is indeed drinking premium petrol, to the tune of USD $6.54/gallon. Yeehaw!
The Nissan Rasheen looks to me like an ancestor of the Nissan Cube (especially around the headlamps) and/or a cross between an ’82-’88 Toyota Tercel wagon (“Sprinter Carib” in Japan) and an ’00-’05 Scion xB (Toyota bB).
And while I generally come down on the side of “their car, their choice”—them that holds the title chooses the modifications—that Mark II can only be described as a victim of gross (in both senses) vandalism.
Very nice. You have me pining for an old Citroen. Take a bough. I actually am a little nostalgic for the homely Corona.
And you have proved it – – it is actually impossible to get away from red Camaros.
A Chipotle ad that is a closeup of a bowl of guacamole being stirred just showed up below the Mazda photo. Both are exactly the same color.
Never seen a Crown coupe with half-nappy, even in books. As with others above, the RX7 stands out. Not sure if it’ll ever reach Z-level appreciation, but it’s certainly moving in that direction. I don’t recall those wheels here. Maybe I’m getting old, but that Cressida on stretch tyres with bolt-on arches appeals the most; sans rear spoiler please.
I don’t see what the big deal is on the Cressida, the modifications are almost exactly the same as those on the Corolla Sprinter. I never considered it much of a beauty queen to begin with, it looks like Leylend P76 with a Mercury Bobcat nose,
That Toyota Crown looks rather Ford-ish. I am seeing elements of the Fox Granada, Fairmont, and mid 70’s Montego/Cougar all balled up into one!
Lovely pictures – seen a few of these in my neck of the woods here in Tokyo – saw a Mazda AZ-1 just the other day and there is a Vanden Plas Princess parked long term at a bar near the house…Jim.
Everyone carrying on heatedly about the RX-7 needs some airconditioned thinking, I reckon.
They were never a great looker. That roof structure is messy, like a Stag where the glass back goes to end of the car (and if only the messier Stag had done even that). The rest is a bit bland. Featureless, really. I’d swear folk have long confused the sporty fun of the drive with the looks, the former being considerable, the latter either a bit dull or else derivative.
Hey, and most of all you lot, those wheels are nice only if you’re a rev head who knows what a rotary piston looks like. For anyone else, they’re barely better than wheelcovers of no great interest. It’s no surprise those rims weren’t sold in the big market.
God, but that Alfa is a balm for the eyes after most of the preceding in this post (so please make sure Japan is better organized for your next shoot, Dr T). They’re no longer anywhere near inexpensive any more, but still surely undervalued for a barking exotic that looks so very good as they do.
I partially agree on the RX-7… I’ve long thought the 1st generation RX-7s were rather fragile-looking, and I prefer the second-generation (’86-era) models for that reason.
On the wheels, though, I just like ’em, rotary allusion or not. They remind me of my favorite alloy wheel design, on Saab 900 Turbo SPGs (below)… I think these large three-spoke alloy designs look great, and look neat when in motion, too:
And those very wheels on those SAABs were what I had in my irritable mind when I saw these RX-7 jobs, as I’ve always thought them thickly unpleasant, and anyway, what person of taste wants to ride about on Ban-The -Bomb shaped rims? Well, SAAB-owning types might.
Oh.
However, as in most questions reliant upon personal opinion, it’s clear that because yours is different to mine, it is yours that needs to change.
As Voltaire himself – yes, he who invented the volt – famously said, even though I may not agree with you, I will defend to the death my right to force you to change your mind.
And I will defend to the death my appreciation for Saab’s three-spoke wheels. When I first saw them on a 900 Turbo in the mid 1980s, I thought they were the neatest-looking wheels in the world, and perfectly complimentary to the 900’s quirky personality.
At once, I insisted that I’d buy a car like that someday, and for once I actually acted on such a vow. In 1993 I bought a used 900 SPG with said wheels. The car itself was a holy disaster, nearly bankrupted me with its myriad problems, and was a completely ridiculous car for a financially-challenged 20-something to buy. In the end, I got sick of that car… well, everything but the wheels, which I still loved.
It’s heartbreaking that Tatra87 doesn’t appreciate the very tasteful Mark2/Cressida.
The paint is tribute to the factory burgundy colour that seemed to be popular in the era.
The owner has spent a lot of time and money and has saved a car from being scrapped and being turned into another generic small SUV.
Would have liked to known if it had been repowered as there would be a dozen various Toyota 6 cylinder options alone, although I’m guessing it would be around 2 litre perhaps a 1JZ.
My personal choice would be 5M-GE or 6M-GE 12V DOHC running triple Weber or Mikuni DCOE’s with polished stainless headers.
I like the factory green paint RX7, alloys aren’t original to the year and I think they could be 14 inch, I’ve seen them and if I come across them I’ll take note of the tyre size.
The original alloys are fugly 13 inch which seem to have been inspired by the lump of metal stuck to the front of the plastic clutch fan.
Despite structurally a slightly improved RX3/808 chassis with a coil sprung solid axle its a far better drive with chuckable handling than comparable year Z car.
Its also better looking, in 78 it was a car styled for the 80’s and was a very important car to Mazdas survival as they were more or less broke while developing the 7.
That meant while the hatch was supposed a single piece it ended up a faux 1 piece with glass side panels and a simpler/cheap to build hatch.
About 8000 early (series 1) RX7’s were imported into New Zealand in the late 80’s and I doubt if even 400 of those early import cars even still exist.