Here’s my belated report of the May 2018 edition of the Japan Classic Day. The Honda Club brought an impressive collection of early Civics to the event and the number of classic and more recent Toyotas, all of them in a perfect condition, was overwhelming. Plenty of other gems too, so enjoy the tour.
1978 Honda Accord.
1993 Toyota Starlet.
1981 Mitsubishi Galant 2000 GLS Automatic.
1979 Toyota Celica 1600 ST Coupe.
1980 Datsun Laurel.
1978 Datsun 140Y GL.
1988 Toyota Starlet 1.3 XL.
1991 Honda Civic 1.6i VTEC.
1996 Mazda 323 1.3i GLX.
1978 Honda Civic 1200 Auto Hondamatic.
1971 Datsun 2400 Super Six.
1986 Toyota Supra.
1997 Honda Prelude.
1985 Nissan Bluebird 2.0 GL Automatic.
1977 Toyota Celica 1600 ST Liftback.
1986 Subaru Leone 1.3 DL.
2002 Suzuki Swift.
1986 Nissan Silvia 1.8 Turbo.
1986 Toyota Land Cruiser Customwagon 4.0 D (60-series).
1986 Toyota Starlet with a 246 DIN-hp 2.0 liter engine, according to its registration. Say, that’s certainly not a factory Turbo S.
2003 Toyota Corolla T-Sport.
1995 Nissan Sunny, 1.6 liter engine. The weather was sunny too.
1986 Toyota MR2 1.6 Twin Cam 16.
1985 Daihatsu Charmant 1300 LD.
1985 Toyota Corolla 1.3 DX.
2008 Toyota Yaris T-Sport.
1999 Honda Integra Type R.
1980 Toyota Celica 2000 XT Liftback Automatic.
1974 Datsun 100A.
2004 Lexus IS200 SportCross.
So far another perfect classic car event; 2018 was a sublime show year, mainly thanks to a summer that lasted from early April to mid-October.
Coming up, Ol’ Benzes.
Nice shots. My older sister’s first car was a ‘76 Civic 2-door with a 4-speed that was a lot of fun to drive. Most old Japanese iron rusted away long ago here in Ontario – our winters and heavily salted roads weren’t kind to those cars (or the domestics, either, for that matter). Still, they put a scare into Detroit and it’s good to see some of them preserved.
Beautiful photography as always, Johannes.
I’m especially intrigued by that Datsun 2400. Never seen one before. Pretty bland on the outside, but love the interior.
Amazed to see a Yaris at a car show – are they somewhat uncommon there? They’re pretty much a road roach here (mostly ex JDM Vitz’s) Friend of mine has a T-sport, nice enough little car, he got it because he wanted a small car he could fit into. A few other people I know have them as well (not the T-sport versions though). The Lexus IS200’s and Integra’s are a dime a dozen here too, and the Civics, 323’s and Sunny’s were although they are thinning out now as the the remaining ones get used up as end of life beaters. Starting to see that with the Integras and IS200’s now.
That 71 Datsun 2400 on the hand would be a genuine rarity out here, stunning car
The B-segment Yaris hatchback (built in France) is a very common car throughout Europe, the first generation was introduced in 1999, it replaced the Starlet.
Its main competitors are the VW Polo, Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio and the Peugeot 208.
The T-Sport (1.8 liter engine, 133 DIN-hp) though, as seen in the article, is somewhat uncommon for sure.
This show is open for all Japanese brands, regardless the age of the car. From old to brand new.
Wonderful collection here!
The standouts to me are the Daihatsu Charmant (I never would have guessed what it was) and the Leone (survival rates for FWD Subarus are abysmally low).
I’ve got to say though that the ’96-era 323 is one of my least favorite Mazdas. I’m somewhat partial because I had owned (and loved) a previous generation 323, but these were a huge disappointment to me. In my opinion, Mazda went from having one of the best subcompacts to having a car that folks barely considered anymore. Much of this was likely styling-related since the 4-dr. Protege didn’t seem to suffer the same fate, but the 323 hatchbacks just seemed really dumpy.
Thanks for the tour of this show!
Curious: Did the 80s Japanese carbureted cars in Europe have spaghetti vacuum line layouts like the US cars? Tough to get them to pass emissions in the US when something goes haywire.
Roader,
EU emission regulations were not as strict as those enforced in US or Japan at the time.
It was only after the acid rains isue that our standards tightened up. As usual Germany was the fore runner so that 3 way catalytic converted versions became available starting from mid eighties along with unleaded fuel.
We had to wait until 1993 to see the process completed all over Europe, with the introduction of the Euro 1 standard. To give an idea, this was roughly equivalent to US 1983 standards. Carburators soon became history and Diesels got their standards too, though in this early stage an EGR valve was usually enough to comply with the new emission rules.
None of that on the NZ assembled 84 Civic I had though the schematic was in the owners handbook, it had carb issues and I became quite familiar with its fuel system
My US spec Honda Civic was a nightmare to swap carbs on, at least the rubber hoses were numbered per the “under hood roadmap”
In fact I once bought an entire car for just one of these Honda carbureters, as the new and rebuilt ones were astronomically priced!
Yes, the carbs from Honda were expensive(list @$500 in 1990 dollars). Particularly the 1982-1985 carbureted Accords- the steel gas filler tubes would corrode and develop holes, and if not caught in time, would turn the carburetors to junk, filling up all the millions of little passage ways that contributed to exact fuel metering when clean and made the car unusable if contaminated. There was a recall/service bulletin to replace the tubes with one completely undercoated, one PN for ’82-’83 and another for ’84-’85 Accords. My dads ’82 Southern California Accord sedan never corroded.
Great shots. Thanks Johannes.
I especially liked the Datsun 2400 and the Civic.
These were the cars I was so fond of when I was a kid. Most of them were not available to Italy until the late eighties and I had to rely on the enthusiastic reviews from Quattroruote (our leading car magazine) and those summer trips to campsites where this beauties ruled thanks to dutch and belgian tourists who were driving them. The arrival of a Toyota Cressida or a Mazda Cosmo was an event equal only to a GM X car showing up.
Just imagine the Autostrada filled with this weird and exotic cars. So different from our mainstream european cars, so fascinating to me.
It is amazing to see how these apparently ordinary everyday vehicles have been preserved and taken to shows. Very different from the typical classic cars meetings we generally see here in Italy.
…”Very different from the typical classic cars meetings”…
I think I know what kind of shows you mean: the kind I avoid like the plague.
Most any show of Japanese cars will be mostly recent everyday cars. Japan doesn’t have a huge, hundred-year back catalog of enthusiast and collector cars.
Incredible collection. I’m quite impressed by the breadth of what showed up here. I did catch a glimpse of a Mitsubishi Starion in one shot.
But the best of show for me is the ’74 Datsun 100A. I don’t think I’ve seen one, at least that I can remember from my trips to Europe. I just remembered; I saw some in Japan when I went there in 1982.
It’s easy to forget what a relatively advanced FWD car that was when it came out in 1970, busting the myth that the Japanese could only build conventional RWD cars. Of course Honda had already een doing it on a small scale, and the Subaru FF-1 Star came out in 1969. But the Datsun was the first to be built and exported in large numbers, although not to the US in its first generation.
Some superb EYE CANDY, and very good cars, too! GR8 stuff…..altho of all the fine choices I’d take the black Civic HB-circa 88-90-as my personal #1. No bias just because I had 2, and wish I still had one. Fine little car: fun to drive, decent room and outstanding mpg:)
The early (and first production CALTY design) Celica is aging nicely, too. First gen MR2 is a roomy, quick, driver’s car……on a par with first gen Miatas for curve carving. 🙂
Definitely a “show” worth drooling over!!!!!! DFO
My favorite is the ’77 Celica liftback. I wanted one of those so badly, even considered buying one from a lowest tier buy-here, pay here, we finance lot around 1985. They rusted out pretty quickly tho. I haven’t seen a 70s era Celica on the street in decades. I only see the last generation from 2000 from time to time.
Great shots! I love seeing all (most all) the familiar faces but with their other market names. I wish we’d see more Japanese only car shows in the US but that seems to be a far off reality, at least right here in the Midwest.
Good selection, a show I attended yesterday had a Japanese section with amazingly for whats on the roads here only eight cars in it, but whens the last time you saw a stock standard factory original Nissan Skyline GTR?
Excellent account and photos of this event Johannes. Thank you! Some outstanding design on display.
Looking at the ’81 Mitsu Galant interior, it’s apparent Mitsubishi significantly impacted various elements of Chrysler mid to late 80s interior design. It looks very much like the Dodge/Plymouth P-Car interior introduced for 1987. Seat design and materials are very close, as are various other details.
Great shots and I thank you, Johannes!
Somebody tell me why the ’91 Civic is called a “hatchback” and not a “shooting brake”. It sure looks like one to me.
You’re welcome! (just like all other commenters, of course, thanks for the kind words.)
I’d say the 1991 Civic is too “stubby” to be called a shooting brake, it has to be longer and sleeker, more like a 2-door wagon. A vertical hatch alone is not quite enough. Comparable to the Civic 2-door hatchback is, for example, the Alfa Romeo 145 from the nineties, which I liked a lot back then.
I would spend days gazing at a show like this. My 87 Corolla FX 5-speed was unfortunately stolen last year and I’ve not heard a peep about it since. Wanted to get it restored, and would have by now.
I remain in love with the early Civic. We got a couple of them as loaners when the dealer (Pontiac with little side lines of Audi and Honda) had our LeMans in for service. They were like fun little toys, but toys that did everything a car really needs to do.
That Civic sedan is mind-blowing to me, I had no idea such a thing existed.
Nice event – given there were no MX-5s, it’ll be the red Toyota Celica Liftback please
Let’s play “Was this car sold in the U.S.?”
1978 Honda Accord – Yes, although I don’t think the four-door sedan was added until the 1979 model year.
1993 Toyota Starlet – No. The Starlet was only sold in the U.S. from 1981-84.
1981 Mitsubishi Galant – No. Mitsubishi did not begin selling its own cars in the U.S. until the 1983 model year, and the Galant was not sold here until the 1985 model year.
1979 Toyota Celica – Yes.
1980 Datsun Laurel – I don’t think so; or was this related to the U.S. Datsun 810?
1978 Datsun 140Y – Yes, but it was called the Datsun B-210.
1988 Toyota Starlet – No; see above.
1991 Honda Civic – Yes.
1996 Mazda 323 – I think so, although by this time the 323 name had been phased out in the U.S. in favor of Protégé, and I’m not sure if this body style was still available.
1978 Honda Civic – Yes.
1971 Datsun 2400 – No. This looks bigger than anything Datsun/Nissan was selling in the U.S. market.
1986 Toyota Supra – Yes.
1997 Honda Prelude – Yes.
1985 Nissan Bluebird – Yes, but it was called the Nissan Maxima.
1977 Toyota Celica – Yes.
1986 Subaru Leone – Yes, but it wasn’t called the Leone; it was just the “Subaru”.
2002 Suzuki Swift – I don’t think so; the Swift was sold in the U.S. for a number of years, but I believe its last model year was 2001. Suzuki was always a fairly small player in the U.S., and would eventually withdraw from the market.
1986 Nissan Silvia – Yes, but it was called the Nissan 200SX.
1986 Toyota Land Cruiser 60 series – Yes.
1986 Toyota Starlet – No; see above.
2003 Toyota Corolla T-Sport – the Corolla was definitely sold here, but I don’t think this specific body style/model was.
1995 Nissan Sunny – I don’t think so.
1986 Toyota MR2 – Yes.
1985 Daihatsu Charmant – No. Daihatsu didn’t begin selling cars in the U.S. until 1988, and never sold anything this large in the U.S. They never really got established here, exiting the U.S. market in 1992.
1985 Toyota Corolla – Yes.
2008 Toyota Yaris – Yes.
1999 Honda Integra – Yes, but it was badged under the Acura brand.
1980 Toyota Celica – Yes.
1974 Datsun 100A – Yes, but it was called the Datsun F10.
2004 Lexus IS 200 – we had/have a Lexus IS here, but I’m not sure if we had this specific model.