Each November, Toyota hosts a classic car show in downtown Tokyo in the Meiji Jingu Gaien complex, a series of parks, athletic fields, and museums in the central part of the city. Up until a few years ago, I was an annual visitor – but last trip I noticed that the cars were pretty much the same ones as the previous year, so I passed on attending in 2016 and 17. The weather was beautiful this year so I decided to give it another go – and I’m glad I did. Lot’s of new cars and a new attraction.
Toyota hosts the show and brings several cars from its factory museum in Nagoya. It also invites other manufacturers to bring cars from their respective museums. In addition, it allows about one hundred individual owners to display their classics.
The show’s theme for this year was cars from the late 1980’s – and Toyota, Subaru and Nissan each brought an example. This is one of the first JDM Celsiors (Lexus LS 400) to come down the line – and is now displayed in Toyota’s factory museum. Toyota sure got this one right – this car still looks good. It took a spin around the display area – and was as silent as a Prius.
What else would Nissan bring but a GT-R, this being an R32. Nice to see one still in original condition.
Subaru brought a first generation Legacy AWD wagon – another one that was one of the first down the assembly line.
Toyota also ensured there was a good representation of cars from all over the world – how often do you see a Panhard Dyna Z – this is a 1958 model with a 851 cc flat twin under the hood turning the front wheels.
Given they both drive on the left side of the road, Japan has always had an affinity for cars from the UK – this restored MGA looked like it had just come off the line at Abingdon.
Another MG beauty – a late 1940’s TC – looks great in bright British Racing Green.
Here’s a late 50’s AC Ace – with a 2.0 litre Bristol straight six with three Solex downdraft carbs – one of only 463 built.
There were several Rollers but this creme-colored Silver Cloud was a stunner.
It seems Austin’s were exported everywhere – this is an A50 Cambridge.
Italy was represented by several Ferrari’s but this Maserati Merak caught my eye – a photograph really doesn’t do it justice, as its a beautifully sleek design.
I didn’t recognize this nice looking little 2-door – I initially thought it might be an Izusu or Hino, but a quick look at the back showed it was a Simca – a late-sixties 1200 Coupe. Simca asked Bertone to style the body and Bertone gave the assignment to a recently hired young designer; Giorgetto Giugiaro. Very nice, even with the vinyl top.
You know you’re getting old when you go to a classic car show and see not one, but three cars that you had previously owned. During my first military tour in Japan in 1981, I bought a 1974 Toyota Crown Royal Saloon MS60 “Kujira” exactly the same as this one for the princely sum of $500. It was a great car – it had the M-series SOHC 2.0 straight six and it would just purr right along. Owned it for three years and not one problem – I got my money’s worth…
The Isuzu Bellet has a cult following in Japan, similar to the AE86 Toyota Corolla. I had seen coupes and four-doors but didn’t know they made a fast-back 2-door. This is a GT version from 1967. You can see a regular coupe in the background.
This is a 1987 JDM Toyota Cresta sedan, recognizable to US readers as the Cressida. Again, in 1992, I bought a 1988 JDM Cresta exactly like this one. The Cresta was a little more expensive than the Crown I had bought 11 years earlier – I paid about $8K, but it was almost nearly new with only 6K kilometers. Quiet, refined – you could tell Toyota was inching toward Lexus levels of quality.
An early Isuzu 117 Coupe – a lithe, sleek beauty that could be had with a strong 1.6 litre DOHC four. Another Giugiaro design.
A Toyota 2000 GT from the Toyota Megaweb museum in nearby Odaiba – the Yamaha-designed DOHC six is a work of art…
I had heard Irv Gordon had passed the day prior to the show, so had to take a pic of this handsome Volvo P1800.
This one brought back a few memories – a 1963 Ford Fairlane 2-door with a 260 cu in V8 – my first car was a 64 Fairlane 4-door also with the 260. Mine didn’t have Torq Thrusts, I could only afford a set of “Baby Moon” hubcaps…
As I finished making a 360 around the area, I noticed a couple of long lines – several owners were graciously allowing attendees to sit behind the wheel of their cars and snap a few pictures. There were three cars in this area; a Model T, an XKE and a beautiful pre-war Horch cabriolet. I had driven a Model T and an XKE years ago, so I had to sit in that big Horch – yes, your author is behind the wheel.
What a beauty – its a 1937 Type 853, with a 4.9 litre OHC straight eight. Definitely large and in-charge. I’m sure CC readers know Horch was a predecessor of Audi and Auto Union, and specialized in luxury cars in Germany in the pre-war era.
As I was leaving, I noticed the police were holding back pedestrians from crossing the street – then came a series of police cars and motorcycles – obviously a DV motorcade was coming by. Before I could get the camera out, the Japanese Crown Prince whizzed by in a new Toyota Century – the chariot of choice for the Prime Minister, Fortune 500 CEO’s, and the Royal Family.
An enjoyable day – I think I’m back to being a regular attendee…even if the Crown Prince doesn’t make an appearance.
I got the chance to see that 2000GT with the cam cover off while the Dream Garage guys were working on it. I’d attach a photo I took if I were at home at the moment.
If you are in Japan Megaweb/Dream Garage is a must visit.
Sorry, correction, it`s the History Garage.
Dream Garage is a line of Tomica diecast cars.
I think the black Austin Cambridge is one of the ones built under license by Nissan.
It has a lot of differences to the Austin A50 assembled here but I cant make out the badges.
What a great variety. I should have expected that a show hosted by Toyota would feature cars in impeccable condition.
Why yes, I did know that you could get the Crown Royal in a saloon. Wait – I thought this was about cars. Seriously, that 1974 Crown is odd almost on a 1962 Dodge scale.
And how hilarious that one of the American cars featured is a Fairlane 2 door sedan. How refreshing that it is not a Mustang.
Great job Jim, the Horch suits you well! No buses at the show? 🙂
Lot’s of nice cars there. That Horch is a gem. My father used to wax eloquently on the subject Horch,
At first glance I took that A50 to be an early Datsun.
A six cylinder “Cobra”. They should have made a version with the Falcon six. 🙂
They did!
Alright, well, not really, but the Cobra was immediately preceded by a number of Ace’s with an inline non-crossflow cast-iron 2.6 Ford six, from the English Zephyr. They look identical to the first Cobras too, with a smaller and prettier grille than shown here.
2.6 Zephyr motor with a Raymond Mays head was quite powerful unit something as light as a AC Ace would fly equipped that way.
“Horch” is the imperative form of the verb “horchen” (hear! or listen!) in German and “audi” is the Latin translation. August Horch was forced out of the company he founded and created a new one, Audi, which is just his name translated. Both ended up being part of Auto Union.
I’d forgotten that story. Wonderful.
So it could be said that two of the brands under the Auto Union grouping were “hear, hear”?
The Horch is just impossibly glamorous. Probably a bit heart-stopping to drive so many tonnages in 2018 Tokyo traffic on 1937’s brakes.
If it’s not worth a great deal of money, then I hereby declare it should be.
Great variety of cars here — I’m drawn to those Isuzus! It’s wonderful to see car shows in other parts of the world, so I’m glad you decided to go to this one.
I looked at buying one of those Toyota Crestas they came with the 2.4 turbo diesel from the Hilux Surf as an option the one I was keen on had that but it also had rust and lots of it. Isuzu Bellets used to be fairly common here in fourdoor sedan form but they died out as a breed long ago, Isuzu cut their teeth licence building Hillmans untill 59 the went with their own designs, like rival company Datsun.
Never heard of the Bellet before, but I really like the looks of that fastback.