Car Show Classic: 1958 Imperial Southampton “Pointer 1” – As Seen On Japanese TV!

OK, this is not *strictly* speaking a Japanese car, though I would argue it’s now become something a mite hard to define. But hey, we’re supposed to look into the ‘50s, and there aren’t a ton of Japanese cars from that decade rolling about. Or participating in a local classic car club meet taking place in an underground car park.

I’ll give you a grand tour of said car park another time, if you don’t mind, as this…er… thing was easily the most impressive vehicle of the bunch. I confess that, as I photographed it, I had no idea what exactly I was looking at. I mean, besides the fact that it was obviously a late ‘50s Imperial hardtop sedan, once upon a time.

What we have here is a bona fide TV star. Back in 1967-68, the third Ultraman series, logically called “Ultra Seven,” was shown on TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System). Besides the superhero guy and the foam and rubber suited monsters, a group of six so-called astronauts called the Terrestrial Defense Force were at hand to hunt down alien invaders.

One of the TDF vehicles was the Pointer 1 car. In the series, it was chock-full of the usual ‘60s gadgetry: smoke screen, missile launcher, energy shield, ray gun, jet propulsion, etc. It was able to fly, hover and could even handle floating on the sea. Try that in a ‘50s Chrysler product and see how long it lasts, eh. Its top speed was said to be 365kph, but it’s not known whether we’re talking about road performance or up in the air.

The original car, made for the TV series using a 1957 Imperial, was ultimately junked fairly soon after filming was done. Apparently, it barely ran anyway – in most of its appearances, it had to be pushed on set. But Ultra Seven was a huge hit, the 5^th most watched TV program of 1968, so millions of kids grew up with this otherworldly mélange of Forward Look, Cybertruck and Tatra (plus a hint of Rom Carmel up front, for those who know) seared into their impressionable little brains. And one of those kids, a couple decades later, figured that since the original car was no more, he could re-create the Pointer 1.

He did so twice. The first attempt, in the late ‘80s, was made using a Japanese car for the base. It was apparently a decent enough attempt, but Pointer 1 really called for an Imperial Southampton body to look the part. There were none in Japan at the time (in 1990), so our man with a plan made arrangements for one to be wild caught in the US. Very soon after the bait was set, a 1958 Imperial four-door hardtop was netted. It wasn’t the exact model year, but that did not matter, as the ‘58s only differed with their predecessors in minor detailing. And none of the front (nor the back) would survive the operation anyway.

After a small amount of crowdfunding, the 1958 Imperial’s new Japanese owner had the car shipped over to Yokohama. Soon after, the transformation started, with a professional modeller using photographs of the original car to create a set of blueprints. All this intriguing bodywork was made (by highly skilled hands) out of good old steel, so the car must be a tad on the heavy side. Reaching 365kph in these conditions seems quite a challenge.

Pointer 1 was pretty much finalized and street-legal by 1992 and has been haunting the streets of Chiba (east of Tokyo) ever since. The issue, according to the articles I have read, has always been the mechanicals, rather than the body. It seems the Imperial was not in the best health when it arrived and has been so-so ever since. It’s not easy to find parts for these in this country.

It’s not a garage queen, either. The owner has been driving it to events (if it is in a drivable mood that day) for over 30 years, and it shows. The transmission was the first to go: a replacement kit was ordered from the US and received, but somehow never did work. A local automatic transmission was grafted on instead. At some point, it seems the thirsty 392ci (6.4 litre) hemi also gave up the ghost. I’m not sure what is powering the Pointer now – SBC or something more local?

There are few identifiable bits, though. The stand-up turn signals have an appropriately Imperial feel to them, but seem pretty generic. The rear lights come from a 1967 Nissan Cedric 130 – that’s about all that can be said for certain.

The one detail that never made it to this otherwise impressive re-creation were the machine guns that stuck out from under the headlights. I guess the Japanese authorities, in their infinite wisdom, must have figured that this vehicle was potentially dangerous enough for other cars, pedestrians and cyclists as was without adding a pair of 30cm chromed pipes to the front end. Pointer 1 was pointy enough.

One wonders what Virgil Exner would have made of this reinterpretation of his design. He may have found it a bit tame for his taste. For the rest of us, this was certainly a learning experience – about the show Ultraman, about what a highly motivated otaku can do and about how surprisingly flexible Japanese road regulations can be. Just don’t try to go for that 365kph max speed.