A few weeks back, I discovered this gemstone mine of CCs. It’s so much easier when they gather all the precious metal in one place, isn’t it? Alas, storage lots, junkyards and used car lots are few and far between in Tokyo, chiefly because a lot of acreage is required, but space is expensive. So this was the tiniest (and loveliest) little storage lot I think I’ve ever seen. Let’s go for a tour.
From the road, it looked almost inconspicuous. The first thing that caught my eye was the ochre Honda, by virtue of its powerful hue. But then, I started to see Corvettes and some more exotic-looking metal next to that. This definitely warranted closer inspection.
Alas, my camera was on the fritz. The stupid smartphone had decided to attempt suicide by literally leaping into a pot I was washing. I mean it: perhaps nudged by a small earthquake, which are commonplace here, the damn thing just fell from the ledge it was sitting on, straight in the drink. I rescued it immediately; it seemed fine initially, but condensation soon appeared inside the lens. Bloody annoying and impossible to remedy. As a result, I’ve had to Photoshop my shots extensively of late, including this one of a slightly forlorn Aston V8 Vantage.
But last weekend, I made a second trip to that place, as I was now armed with a clean phone lens. I could finally shoot more pics in crisp and clear definition, without the need to faff about with contrast, shading, colour and other filters on each photo to improve things a bit. This mid-‘80s Chevy Monte Carlo SS, sat right next to the Aston, was photographed on the second round. So this post will have a mix of crappy and decent photos of both American and European exotics.
Oh, and there was that one domestic number in the main forecourt, which caught my attention to start off with. It’s a late-model (1970-72) Honda N360 – the quickest and most brilliant kei car of the era.
It seemed a little out of place, surrounded by a throng of Corvettes. At least, buttressed as it was by a long wheelbase Thai tuktuk, it wasn’t the only 2-cyl. vehicle in the joint.
The Corvettes were mostly of the C3 variety, though there was a C2 drop-top at the back that I couldn’t really photograph. When I returned last weekend, the Honda was gone, of course. There was a boring late-model black Benz being detailed in its stead. That Honda didn’t belong there for a number of reasons. It was fully functional, for a start. Few other vehicles here looked ready for the road.
My attention and my head turned to the other side of the street, where I was elated to see that more gems were awaiting discovery. Nothing plastic-bodied about those, either – this was the true pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. There was one outstanding find that I will leave out of this post entirely, for it merits its own stand-alone write-up, but the rest of them, had they been more accessible and the place less under surveillance, would have all made for splendid CC trophies too.
Starting with this 1967 Toronado, which I only saw on the first visit. I’m a big fan of these and there aren’t too many around, so I hope it’s going to be saved. It certainly would deserve it.
Much less keen on the Ferrari 308 GTS, especially with those horrid US-style 5mph bumpers. Apparently, Japanese and Australian market 308s were all like this – they also had the emissions-controlled V8s, unfortunately, providing 240hp @ 6600rpm, instead of 255hp @ 7700rpm for Euro / rest-of-the-world spec cars. I know, I know, I can hear the Magnum P.I. theme tune in my head too, but nah, needs a red paint job at a minimum.
It just wasn’t possible to catch this Eldo-gordo from any other angle, such was its gargantuan girth. Looks like a ’77 or ’78 to me, but perhaps someone knows better. That ’79 downsizing really must have seemed like an epiphany. Love the free-standing taillight, but I thought that was more of an Imperial thing (he he he). Speaking of taillights, these have amber turn signals, so this 8.2 litre behemoth could well have been imported new in Japan, 40-plus years ago.
There were two genuine beauties behind the Eldo. So let’s keep it Cadillac for now with a 1964 Series 62 four-window sedan. This was the “youthful” one, according to the brochure. Half a century of wear and tear were tough on this youngster, and it’s now looking mighty tired. Still has some of the old magic, though.
The interior was as clean as could be expected. In most countries around the world, I bet this car would be sitting curbside, not languishing in the back of a boneyard.
Between those fins is where the biggest problems seem to lie. At a guess, I’d say this car was parked for many, many years with its butt to the elements. Very few houses in Tokyo would have a parking spot where this substantial machine could fit in its entirety…
We’ll finish the tour with the true blue-blood of the bunch: a tired but seemingly complete (minus the grille) Aston Martin DBS V8. Switching the mental soundtrack from Magnum P.I. to John Barry’s The Persuaders theme (one of the best theme tunes ever recorded, IMO)…
Actually, I’ll go ahead and post a Youtube video to illustrate this with more vivacity. I understand that this show was not all that popular on the western side of the Atlantic, but in Europe, it was really big and was endlessly re-run. But I digress.
The one that Roger Moore drove in the show was actually a 6-cyl. model made to look like a V8, as Aston Martin did not have any spare V8s available at the time. But this one looks like the real thing. Fastest four-seater in the world at the time, or so they claimed…
David Brown’s name still adorns this car, but by early 1972, he was done with the marque, which he had acquired back in 1946. He truly made Aston into what it still is today – a hand-built high-performance car in the Bentley tradition. The Marek-designed 5.3 litre V8 was his legacy to Aston, as they used that engine for the next 25 years.
William Towns’ classic coupé shape also lived quite a stretch, but it was never better-looking than in the early days. Stunning car, especially from the rear. Only about 400 of these were made between 1969 and 1972. This one has a relatively recent license plate and is RHD, so I’m guessing it was not imported new in Japan.
Among that festival of metallic delights, I didn’t even notice the Dodge Viper, which looked anonymous by comparison to most of its neighbours. That’s it for this mini-tour of a tiny Tokyoite storage lot/garage full of exotics. Well, I say that, but really this is just to whet your appetites for the star of the show, which will come as soon as I get around to writing it up.
What an international smorgasbord! That Aston Martin is properly nice, and seen far too rarely these days…Good stuff there.
I think that Ferrari is actually a 328 by dint of its painted integrated bumper.
Not sure about the Ferrari, as 328s have a door latch that this one clearly doesn’t have. I should have tried taking a front pic, but they were packed like sardines.
Huh, yes that is odd. The 308 over here always had small black bumpers, not these body color integrated once but the door handles were as you said. The front would make it obvious.
Hey, maybe it’s actually a Fiero! 🙂
It is a GTB though, not a GTS, that’s a solid roof and the badge is visible in one of the pix. Either way, I still think it’s a great design,…
You might be onto something with that Fiero jab.
The thing that bothered me the most on the Ferrari I found was this missing shut line on the C-pillar. That is always present — on 308s and 328s, on GTBs and GTSs — but not on the Tokyo car. But if you google 308 GT replica, some of what you find also has a C-pillar without the shut line.
I think this might well be a fugazzi.
I think this might well be a fugazzi.
Of course it is. Right off the bat, the wheels are a dead give-away.
But there’s lots of other tell-tales to be seen. Look at how the rear spoiler is a separate piece. And then there’s that dreadful spoiler behind the B Pillar. And the engine cover. And…
Everything is so crude, and so sleek and refined on the real thing.
Do you mean the black grille part of the engine cover? I believe the later 308qv and the 328 had that cross connector piece, the earlier 308 didn’t.
The black hoop spoiler on top seems correct-ish. It was either an option or fitted to some cars for a reason I’m not sure of.
I’m not arguing this car is real but those two items aren’t definitive if that’s what you’re saying.
It’s not that it’s there it’s how it’s there. The spoiler looks too thick and rounded on the Fiero one, and the black finish looks like sun beaten gel coat left unpainted from the original kit.
The subtle tells make it look the most off, the door top is too flat, the side window is a solid pane on the replica and a fixed roof GTS does not use GTB louvers in place of the quarter glass
Wow, what a selection. I’d feel self conscious driving a C3 Corvette anywhere, but even more so in Japan!
Love that DBS coupe, it seems odd that such desirable cars are languishing in a storage lot.
Never heard of The Persuaders! before, my initial thought watching the clip was hoping that Roger and Tony were racing each other to get to a tailor, so they could update their wardrobes! 🙂
it seems odd that such desirable cars are languishing in a storage lot.
They’re sitting in the parking lot of a business called “Grand Auto” (sign on door). Undoubtedly these are in the process of getting repaired, restored, awaiting their day to get repaired/restored, or maybe some are the collection of the owner.
This is a pretty common sight at a place of business like this.
I certainly watched more episodes of The Persuaders than The Price is Right 😀. Judging by the difficulty Moore’s Aston is having in staying ahead of the 246, I’d say it definitely not a V8. By the way, I’ve recently found a local (I’m in California) shop nearby that has a lot of JDM stuff strewn about, including RWD cars like Silvia’s and AE86’es plus a bunch of Kei trucks. Sort of the opposite of a Detroit treasure trove in Tokyo. Not quite ready to take pictures there yet though.
Despite them sitting around they do shine and look quite clean as though someone is washing them regularly. In fact on my C Body Forum, when a Craigslist sale is posted, we say “HOSE” since almost every add has a hose in the picture and a wet car for the add. So I gotta say “hose’ here…
Quite an assortment of cars. One of my favorites is the ’67 Toronado with what appears to be a Pontiac hood tach!
As far as the “The Persuaders”, stunning scenery, cars and a quite tepid racing scene.
Complete with the dated, goofy split screen action. Tony must have felt he was filming the “Boston Strangler” all over again.
The Honda is what caught my eye first too. Not because of its color though but because it is the only one in the lot I’ve owned, or am likely to own. Note mine was the “bigger” brother of that Honda the N600 since it was US spec.
Because of that it is the one car featured that I would really really like to take a spin around the block in. Since learning of the 360 used in the home market I’ve always wonder how much difference loosing 40% of the displacement would make. For the era and class of vehicle the 600 didn’t feel slow, but I’m thinking the 360 would. Still would be fun to take a spin and wiggle that shifter sticking though the dash and see if I can still do the “roll” into reverse smoothly.
A couple of other observations. The wheel chocks are the same ones I picked up at Horror Freight and ride around in the tool boxes of my pickups.
It is interesting that even though a lot of these cars are older it looks like a modern mix of mostly non-colors. 1 red, 2 blue, 1 other and the rest gray scale or beige.
I think that Toronado was a great looking car in its day. I think what initially caught my attention of that car was just the angle you captured. The hidden headlights set in the front panel in front of the hood. Many other cars had their hidden headlights ensconced in the grille. Coming up out of the body, like a Sting Ray, was eye catching.
The Persuaders was my favorite show as a kid in the UK and introduced me to the delights of “The Continent”. I vowed to one day visit the kinds of places Lord Sinclair and Danny Wilde frequented. I ended up one day in Nice on the Promenade des Anglais and just had to replicate the drive to Monte Carlo. No Ferrari or Aston for me, but my ’66 Corvette 427 cabrio wasn’t too shabby and probably a lot quicker than either….I was in the area visiting a friend who worked at Rolls Royce Monaco, where the picture was taken.
BTW, the German language version of the show, “Die Zwei” has a script with even more wisecrackery than the original – worth a look for German speaking fans…
Yes, the side vents are the ’67 ones – my car, a late ’66, was “updated” with them by the first owner when the ’67s came out….
My Dad had a 78 eldorado even the same shade of blue. That beast could be a handful even in the Canada of the eighties.
The mind boggles on someone wheeling that car around tiny Japan at the same time.
Wow, that’s a real treasure trove. I can only imagine what it must be like driving that Toronado or big Caddy here in Tokyo…
That’s amazing. Just the 1960 Cadillac and the Aston Martin DBS must be a rare sight in Tokyo. And then there is the rear of a Jaguar XJ Series 1 or 2 if I see it right. I wonder what else is in that lot.
The Viper is calling my name, I love that original design, it hasn’t aged a day unlike every succeeding generation. The crude canvas softtop/side window arrangement is the worst aspect of them but it actually tugs on my nostalgia strings strongly because the first Viper I ever saw in person was kitted up with it on a rainy spring day right outside the hobby store my Mom just so happened to buy me a Burago 1:18 one!
Both Astons are yummy too, both the DBS and that version of the V8 Vantage are my top two Aston designs.
I am surprised to see the proper export taillights on this obese Eldorado, given the Japanese penchant for sticking the accessory lamp housings from JC Whitney catalogue to the bumpers or body works that don’t look proper.
I lived in a small town in Italy with my parents in 1967 when I was a teenager. One Sunday we were in Rome and came across a Cadillac like that one next to the curb. It was raining and after months of seeing the little Fiat’s and Alfa’s wipers going scuick – scuick – scuick on their little windshields, it was so impressive to see that massive windshield with those huge wipers making their long sweeping arc. It’s funny sometimes the things that become burned in memories.