Well, here we are, ready for yet another bumper crop of small sightings out and about the Tokyo area. Lots to get through here (over 100 pics in this post alone!), so without further ado, let’s get started on two cylinders with a lovely late ‘60s Honda N360.
Same era but quite different, both in terms of drivetrain and body style – the sublime 1966-70 Honda S800 roadster.
Someone here likes their sporty Hondas! What to take today, the NSX or the Integra? Decisions, decisions…
They call the turbocharged City “Bulldog” here. This one’s chilling in its kennel, but wake it up and it’ll be growling like crazy. Hope it’s housetrained.
Lots of Toyotas, as usual. Any 2000GT sighting – even partial – is worth a snap, I’m sure you’ll agree.
We must delve into the X70 Mark II hardtop saloon (1984-88) a bit, for two near-identical ones were found. This one must have had a bigger engine installed to go with all the other mods, as it’s taxed as a 2-litres-and-up car, something the X70 Mark II was not originally.
Here’s Mark II number two – a little more restrained, mod-wise. And the interior is worth the trip.
The X70 Mark II had a far longer life as a van/wagon – until 1997, in fact. And it’s a staple of the T87 Singles posts. Because it’s damn near the coolest Toyota wagon ever made.
Even white paint can’t ruin that classic shape. Amazing, isn’t it?
Yes, I caught the same one twice – once in motion, once sitting still. Both times were a very pleasant experience, but I’m really glad I could get that interior.
The X70 platform actually lived on even longer than that as the underpinnings of the Crown Comfort taxi, seen here in its far less common civilian version. Love these, and that “Mild Hybrid” badge is a hoot.
So we’re in Crown territory, eh? Must have an S130 wagon, then. This is the van version, actually. Not hugely different, except for the taillights.
This S130 hardtop (1987-91) once proudly displayed its supercharged and twin-cammed status to the lesser automobiles it passed. Nowadays, it tries catching up to kei cars.
There are far fewer S120 Crown hardtops (1983-87) around, so finding this one in the company of Jim Klein was a great CC moment. Those hubcaps are astounding – only rivalled by the interior, as can be seen below.
A velour-tastic symphony of beige and brown set within a handsome but square-cut body – what’s not to like?
Again with the toy-car wheels, but this time on an A60 Celica XX, otherwise (and elsewhere) known as the Supra.
Couple of AE86s to keep it two-door and RWD for a bit, starting with the top-of-the-line GT-Apex Trueno. But if you preferred the one without pop-up headlights…
…then the Levin would be just the ticket.
A couple sizes and several hundred thousand yen above the AE86, here’s a Z20 Soarer (1986-91). It seems they were routinely ordered in white, so it’s cool to see one in black for once.
The stylistic jump between the Z20 Soarer and the Z30 is pretty huge. Bye bye grille, so long flat surfaces. Hello bloatiness, I think I’m a-goin’ to cry.
Same story with the Celica, I guess. These remind me of the Big Hero 6 robot, somehow.
Pulling it back to the ‘80s with the T170 Corona (1987-92). This one is starting to show its age. Sleeping outside for 35 years will take its toll, eventually.
Who says you can’t go wild with a Prius? Just put some moon discs, a body kit and a Lexus badge on that thing and presto!, you’ve got yourself one bad-ass hybrid sled.
What this post needs right now is a touch of colour. OK, this is a little more than a touch, but it’s refreshing to see something neither white nor gray, right?
Doubling down on the loud pigmentation with another 2002-05 Will Cypha. Toyota really outdid themselves in oddity with these. Good thing too.
It takes some doing to make a mid-‘90s LiteAce van look cool. But it’s not impossible.
The current S400 TownAce is ubiquitous in Japan and around Asia. But if you want yours to stand out of the crowd, Santarosa can sell you the Fillmore kit. Doesn’t really gel with the rest of the vehicle, but that’s the price you pay for wanting to be different.
While we’re at it, let’s check on the Mitsuokas. Ryugi wagons are always a sight for sore eyes. Or a sore sight for some eyes, depending on your point of view.
Hey there, Buddy. Feelin’ a little blue, are we?
It’s been a minute since we’ve had some Viewts on these posts. I was sort of holding off photographing them, as there are just too many and it does get old. Speaking of, this one is looking a little worse for wear.
Viewt cabriolets are a different matter – these are genuinely rare cars. This one has a different (and rather uglier) rear end than the ones I’ve caught so far.
If they ever do a sequel to that Barbie movie, I have a suggestion for the title role’s car. The owner here also slapped a bunch of Jaguar-Daimler trinkets all over the place, just to increase confusion.
Let us awaken from the Mitsuoka fever dream to find a peaceful Mazda Familia BG (1989-94) getting a new exhaust. Back to reality.
Finally, a Mazda fit for CC! The most successful Cosmo of them all – by a mile and a half – was the 2nd generation AP (1975-81). This is the post ’79 facelift model with the squarish composite headlamps, which look odd to me due to this being my first encounter. But I’m sure I could get used to them.
The mighty 1990-94 Autozam Carol Turbo, ladies and gentlemen. Set phasers to “stunned.”
A rare successful nighttime shot of an equally rare Mazda-made late ‘80s Ford Festiva GT-X, i.e. the spicy one with the 1.3 litre DOHC engine. And yellow headlights, for some reason.
This edition’s Isuzu will be a novel entry – and the first I think I have seen in four years here: the Honda Accord-based 4th gen Aska, sold in Japan from 1998 to 2002. This was the last new Isuzu car (as opposed to SUV) sold in their home market.
Though these were sold in Europe (with a bigger engine) under the Alto nameplate, what we have here is a 1990-95 Suzuki Cervo Mode SR with a turbocharged 660cc DOHC 16-valve 4-cyl. – pretty much the same underpinnings as the Autozam seen above. And just as irresistible.
Speaking of irresistible, I can no longer fight the urge to switch to the Nissan portion of this post. With a Figaro, just to keep things cheery.
In fact, I enjoyed that so much that I’ll go right ahead and put another one. Bam! Figaro, Figaro.
A true time-warp example of a B120 Sunny pickup, this. Amazing.
For once though, the aforementioned Sunny pickup will not be the only one of its ilk, as I encountered the remains of a 1970-73 B110 coupé. Rust in peace.
The meat of the matter, Nissan-wise, was (and usually is) the Skylines, of which there were a lot over the past couple of months. Interesting wheels on this 1968-72 C10 saloon.
I’m slowly coming around to the C110 (1972-77). It’s no contest between this and the couple of generations that preceded it, but these do have a certain je-ne-sais-quoi. And they’re a lot better than the C210 that followed.
The C110’s 4-door version is just as good as the coupé. Where things get a little dicier is with the wagons, but those are thin on the ground.
Skipping forward a couple generations to the R31 (1985-89), this one with oddly mismatched wheels.
The coupé looks a little more purposeful and sportier, but the hardtop saloons are a much better balanced design, in my opinion.
That’s especially true if you can find one that lacks superfluous spoilers and has been well cared for, like this beauty. I’m not an ‘80s fan, but this is really hard to resist.
It’s the same with the R32 (1989-93): a clean, well-maintained and not-too-modded four-door looks the part.
Same-same again-again with the R34 (1998-2001), the last classic straight-6 Skyline. Though I’d never call these beautiful, they do have presence…
I run into plenty of these Skyline/Laurel-based gen 1 (1996-2001) Stagea, but they rarely catch my attention. This early one’s superb original condition did, as did its unusual (and very attractive) dark blue hue.
The S15 Silvia came out in January 1999 and only lasted until August 2002, when the 4-cyl. RWD coupé was given the boot. This first-year model Spec R (i.e. with the 2-litre turbo) looks like it came out of the factory yesterday.
Only one Gloria Y30 wagon this time. There are always plenty about, but it takes a special one to make the cut now. This one’s deep red colour and general shininess made it worthy.
A fine Y33 Cedric (1995-99) Brougham here. A learner driver’s car, if the yellow and green sticker is anything to go by.
The Nissan of the (bi-)month, as far as I’m concerned, is this minter of a President JS (1993-2002), complete with a rare-for-Japan leather interior.
The JS is the short wheelbase model, same as the Infiniti Q45 many of you will be more familiar with, but with added gingerbread both inside and out.
We started the Nissan chapter with a March-based oddball, so let’s bookend this with a weird K12 March. Meet the Fiat-flavoured Freed Ritz kit, complete with painted bumpers, Mini taillights and, for some reason, a Lancia badge.
Just one Subaru this time: the artist formerly known as the gen 1 Impreza WRX.
Guess that just leaves us with Mitsubishi and we’ll put this episode to bed. I found a very similar early ‘70s Colt Galant GS back in 2020, but this one is a GL, among a few small differences. Very nice design, especially the rear end.
Good ol’ Mitsu Jeep needs a bit of a tune-up, does it? The 1995cc Diesel looks barely broken in.
Turning an early ‘90s Mitsubishi Minica Daggan turbo into a hipster animé monstrosity is obviously not an issue for some. Given that I caught this car in Akihabara, it actually fit right in to its surroundings.
In case you were wondering, this is what Akihabara, a.k.a. Electronic City, looks like on a typical Sunday. Positively abuzz with busyness and bizarre busibodies, like a real-life VR video game.
See you tomorrow for the foreign stuff – there were a lot more, so that’s going to have to be a two-parter.
The coil and spark plug wires says that Mitsubishi produced Jeep is powered by gasoline, not diesel.
It has an Astron look to it.
OOOOOH! That black Soarer, and the bright blue Silvia are my two favorites! Thank you for another interesting deep dive into the world of Japanese vehicles!! Anticipating the next post!! 🙂
I like them all – even the Viewts.
I’ll let you have the Viewts!
That “Freed Ritz” Nissan March / FIAT 500 / Lancia appears to have its radiator air intake nearly completely blocked. The electric cooling fan must be running all the time in the summer.
I dunno what they smoke at Mitsuoka design dept, but its good stuff what was that before Mitsuoka got hold of it?
I had a T170 Toyota Corona van 2.0 diesel auto AC drink fridge manual windows power steer it was the bare bones stripper edition designed for some poor sod to drive in traffic day in day out, Log rear axle on cart springs it was about as primitive as you could get, it leaked everything, I fixed that and got a year out of it reliably, I still see the odd one around here even now 4 door often diesel powered but the high trim versions, There were Corolla vans at the bottom of the commercial range too, any survivors over there?
Ah, what great memories. The Skylines really are all special, such a wonderful lineage with so many different design languages yet all of them interesting in different ways.
Can’t go wrong with the Bulldog City, and the Gloria and Mark X’s are both glorious as well as hitting the mark(s). You say you aren’t enamored of the ’80s, yet the Mark X and R31 shapes seem to be wearing you down a tad – which is good! Boxed fenders are next…
I’m glad you showed some of the underbelly of Tokyo, two cars with visible rust! I was getting ready to blow the covers off the whole Tokyo vehicular perfection thing, yet you must have sensed it coming – and it was hard work to unearth those two solitary examples I’m sure.
Looking forward to the offshore origin finds in the coming days…
Great post! Have you ever considered offering Tokyo Car Spotting tours?! I’ll sign up.
That S15 Sylvia knocked me out with its tapered C pillar and stunning shade of blue.
C110 Coupe for me, please. Just tooooo flippin’ coooool…
Another spectacular selection and, even more impressive, a demonstration of a great range of knowledge.
NSX and one of those large Toyota estates please.
Mmmm, wonderful assortment as usual! Guess all the Laurels were hiding this time? 😉 I must say, that Freed Ritz Nissan is a new one on me, not sure I needed to know it existed but oh well…! I’ve only seen one of those Mazda Cosmo/RX5 facelifts in the metal, wondered what on earth it was at the time. Quite liked the front but it doesn’t really gel with the rest. And yes, the C110 Skyline coupe for me too please – longer front guards says it’s the 6-cylinder too, even better!