About six months ago now, i.e. November of last year, I discovered a very well-stocked classic car specialist shop just north of Tokyo. It’s now on the roster, so I’ve gone back up there for a visit a couple of times and found a lot of interesting cars for sale. Here’s what I found, with pricing info (if applicable/available).
Our first contender is a 1970 Cedric Super Six – yours for ¥2.29m (US$ 15,766 as of writing). There were actually two nearly identical 2-litre Super Sixes as we can see above, but only one is listed on Flex’s website.
In 1970, Nissan could also sell you a 2-litre Gloria that looked nothing like the Cedric and was all the better for it. No idea how much this one went for, but it’s already sold.
Might a late model (1975) Gloria 330 hardtop with the “big” six (2.4 litre) tempt you? At ¥3.49m (US$25k) a pop, I hope a set of proper wheels would be included.
These Datsun 1000 Coupés are so cute, like an alternate-reality Fiat. This is a 1969 car; price unknown.
But for sheer excitement, a Bluebird 510 Coupé in SSS trim, i.e. with a twin carb 1.6 litre, would be hard to top. This pristine ’69 car was for sale for just under ¥4m (over US$27k); someone who liked the beige / brown vinyl combo already bought it.
Yet another Kenmari Skyline Coupé modded to look like it’s a GT-R. I’m wondering how many are left that don’t look like this. To be fair though, this 1974 car does sport a lot of internal mods as well, including a triple-carburated 3.1 litre engine (actually a modified Nissan 2.8) mated to a 5-speed manual, so it may actually be quite a performer.
For the family man, a 1973 Kenmari saloon would be the preferable option. Yours today for a mere ¥6m (north of US$41k)…
Anther Skyline on offer – for about ¥3.2m (just under US$22k) – was this 1983 saloon with the 2-litre turbo RS 4-cyl., i.e. the sporty one. A much better deal than those Kenamris, IMHO.
No price indicated for this superbly-preserved mid-‘80s Homy SGL. Whatever they ask, it’s worth it.
Not sure if this cute little ‘70s Hijet was for sale, or just visiting. The Flex Auto folks are specialized in JDM, but also have a nice little sideline in rear-engined VWs. But those are not really our concern in this post…
The best of the kei bunch in its day had to be the Honda N360. This is a 1970 N III model, with the facelifted body. Just shy of ¥1.2m (about US$8,250) – a real steal.
They always have a Debonair or two in this place – another reason to check them out regularly. There was a silver one that piqued my interest, but it was impossible to photograph from the outside. This 1984 model, however, was much more accessible. The hubcaps and dealer plate were taken off, leading me to believe it was off to be delivered to its new owner soon.
On the Toyota front, one could find a highly sought-after 1973 Corolla Levin. I imagine it’s sought-after, because at this price (close to US$30k), it had better be something special.
Pretty much the same car, albeit with four doors and a smaller engine. And at under US$16k, dramatically cheaper, too.
I cannot find the listing for this ’76 Celica, so it might belong to someone who works there. I have a serious soft spot for these in this particular (Liftback) form…
This 1980 Mark II was an absolute time warp! Same price as the Corolla sedan, too. I’d pick this one.
Shovel-nose Coronas are a fairly common starter classic here. They’re pretty easy to live with, apparently. This ’65 model is not perfect by any means, but then at ¥1.8m or thereabouts (under US$12.5k, once you paid the extras and taxes), it’s not too expensive for what it is. Coupés are a lot more expensive.
Last car on the forecourt: a true classic in the shape of a first generation (1955-62) Crown Deluxe, though seemingly not for sale. This is the facelift version, made between 1959 and 1962.
Those are really rare in the wild now – in fact, this is the first one I’ve caught outside of a museum in five years.
That’s all that could be found at Flex over the winter. I’ll be sure to keep an eye on it and report back every once in a while. You never know, maybe a CC reader will want to import something unusual…
Would the reason for the entirely different Cedric and Gloria be that one was from “core” Nissan and the other from Prince, both designs dating to before the merger?
I’m really surprised Nissan developed and tooled two 2-door Bluebird 510 models, coupe and sedan, and outside of selling the 2dr sedan in America in huge numbers gave them very limited export distribution. Even markets like the Benelux countries and Switzerland that were quite open to Japanese imports with no domestic auto industry and a German-influenced history of 2-door sedans only got 4-door 510s.
Likewise, the Japanese companies all got away with some shockingly outdated high-end models going into the Bubble Era, without even the usual increasingly desperate facelifts to keep them relevant, and this at a time when widely exported mass market models were on 4-year design cycles.
That old Gloria sure looks like a 1965 Pontiac Bonneville or Catalina with the stacked headlights. Nice!
Kenmari white GTR lookalike, Honda N and Levin for the win! Prices seem quite high – is that normal?