After the tour along the American rides, the full focus is now on a number of European and Japanese classics and specialties that were present at the May 2026 event, ranging from slow living to living in the fast lane. Just have your pick(s), no obligation.
Starting with a 1979 Opel Ascona B two-door sedan…
…with a significant Opel engine swap.
Another 1979 Opel with an open hood, a Rekord E1 2.3 D Berlina.
Just look at that glorious, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder diesel engine. Displacement 2,260 cc, maximum power output 65 DIN-hp.
1986 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEC with an agreeable level of Miami Viceness, I certainly wouldn’t kick it off my driveway.
1986 Autobianchi -marketed as Lancia in export markets- Y10 Fire. Worth mentioning is that it’s still a first owner car.
2002 Mitsubishi Diamante LS.
1998 Toyota Celica GT.
1993 Alfa Romeo 33 Imola, powered by a 1,351 cc flat-four engine.
1987 Mitsubishi Sapporo 2400 GLS Automatic.
Imported from Norway, this 1967 Volkswagen Beetle 1500 in Ruby Red.
1981 Toyota Carina Deluxe Automatic (TA40-series).
1982 Daihatsu Charade XG Daimatic.
1967 Citroën 2CV with another ‘Ugly Duck(ling)’ in the background.
Speaking of basic transportation, here’s a 1966 DAF Daffodil 32.
After the Daffodil 32 came the 33-series, this one is from 1973. Powered by an air-cooled, 746 cc flat-twin engine. And equipped with Van Doorne’s Variomatic transmission, of course.
Let’s pick up some speed with a 1981 Nissan Skyline R30.
2002 BMW 320i ‘Lowfitment’ Touring (as in station wagon).
2005 Ford Focus 2.5 20v Turbo ST (inline-five engine sourced from Volvo). According to the sign next to the car, the maximum power output of the engine in this Focus ST is 296 hp.
We go out with a typical ‘lifestyle wagon’, a 2013 Audi S4 Avant 3.0 TFSI Quattro. In this case, the lifestyle must be living in the fast lane.
My heart goes with the red beetle. My first car was a Euro-spec ’67 1500.
My head goes with the Celica, stylish modern performance, but stone reliable.
My heart goes to the Lancia/Y10. So much fun to toss about in traffic and the single windshield wiper to drive you crazy in a storm.
My head goes to the Toyota Carina; reliable as hell. The rear resembles my 77 Corolla.
Under the hood of the Ford Focus 2.5 20v Turbo ST the lettering shows “RAM…”. Is that indicative of the turbo?
Must be a part of the brand name, Ramair: https://ramair-filters.co.uk/
Thanks for the tour with some vehicles that never have come to the U.S.
The only car I was unfamiliar with was the Mitsubishi Diamante. First registration in the Netherlands though, it must have been a gray import.
Our official Mitsubishi top model sedan was the Sigma, very much related to the Diamante, so I’ve read.
The Ascona B looks like fun, as does the Focus ST. We didn’t get the B in the USA, but I had a Manta that was great fun and the Ascona A was respected here. As much as I like wagons, I won’t take those, needlessly expensive to maintain. THE VW Beetle is attractive but the US spec 1967s had a bit more kit like a 1600 engine and backup lights, and I would prefer one of those.
A used Opel Ascona B two-door sedan, preferably with a 2.0 liter engine, that was often the preferred choice in my neck of the woods for young guys who bought their first car. Wide tires/big wheels, extra lighting, just like the one in the article.
Luckily, from 1975 onwards and way into the eighties, my whole country was littered with Ascona B’s.
The ’67 US Beetle had the 1500 engine. The 1600 came along in ’70.
I’ll take the first one, the Opel Ascona B with the 16V dohc engine swap ! The June 2025 issue of Oldtimer Praxis magazine profiled this engine, described as a C/20XE. Rated at 150 PS DIN @ 6000 RPM, it’s 196 Nm torque @ 4000 RPM significantly outpulled it’s rival VW GTI’s 168 Nm. While living in Germany in the early 1980s, I drove my sister’s Opel Manta B with the 2.0 L CIH injected engine. 110 PS propelling only about 2200 lbs delivered brisk performance in its day, with very planted handling.
I didn’t realize that the late 1980s big Mitsubishi sedan was called the Sapporo in Europe. But what I find amusing is that the “Sapporo” badge is exactly the same design as the 1977 Plymouth Sapporo coupe that was sold in the US. The badge’s script looked fine in the 1970s, but looks a bit out of place on this 1987 example.
And for me, that Lancia Y10 wins the “improbably well maintained” award!
Good eye!
That green Rekord is an almost carbon copy of the most iconic car of my teenage years, a metallic blue 2.0 gas specimen. But for the color and engine, that’s one of the cars I learnt to drive in 1981
I prefer both Opels; they had their own distinct character back then.
The Sapporo is also excellent.
The Beetle and 2CV are always very appealing to me, but I have to say that that hotted-up Ascona B is really talking to me.
How could I forget that Opel had their own diesel engine going back to 1972? Meanwhile, the engineers at Olds claimed “there were no books on how to build a diesel”. How about inviting some of the Opel engineers over for?
Something looks a bit off (non stock) about that ’67 Beetle. It’s the wheels; they’re the eight vent hole four lug wheels that arrived in ’68; the ’67 used ten vent-hole wheels with five lugs. Hmm.
The Beetle is really charming- I had the Tonka version as a kid.
Vauxhall also had a slant-four 2.3 Diesel (more anti-rationalisation mayhem) and a proposed V8 version for their light trucks. The Slobmobile guys were FoS…
Very nice selection, Johannes.
Funny how in now almost seven years in Tibet (in mean Japan) I have not yet seen a number of the domestic cars you featured here, namely the Sapporo, the Charade and maybe even the Carina.
But my vote goes to the Daf 32. When in doubt, opt for local products.
DAF passenger cars, from laughing stocks in the sixties/seventies/eighties to collectable and desirable cult classics in the decades that followed.
Yes, the DAF 32 and the 33 have a definite charm for town use. Not so sure about the motorway, but that’s what the Alfa 33 is for
DAF for town use, Alfa for secondary roads, and the Benz for the motorway.
White hen got repainted sometime into a brown chicken?
Automarrone.