CC Car Show: Underground Car Park Meet In Chiba, October 2025

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– Posted on December 11, 2025

Photo of a line of cars with Japanese license plates on display in an underground parking garage

Organizing a classic car meet in an extremely crowded city (or on the outskirts thereof) is not an easy task. In the Kanto area, i.e. the Tokyo-Yokohama cities and surrounding prefectures, one fairly common solution is to book a couple of floors in a large underground car park. One benefit is that those places can be easy to get to – this particular one was under a train station in Matsudo, Chiba prefecture. Another is that the event won’t be cancelled due to weather. And it turned out to be a rainy day.

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We’ve been here already when we had a look at the weirdo TV show Imperial last month. Located next to said weirdo Imperial was a fine 1972 Mustang Mach 1 – those imports were the exceptions rather than the rule though: most of the metal present was JDM. We’ll just wander about the place, looking at the cars as they were parked, in no particular order.

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What we have here is a little Subaru corner, starting with this pristine 1981 Sambar pickup.

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Looks like we have a 360 Young SS – the 1968-70 Super Spicy 360 with a 36hp twin carb engine. “Looks like” because the taillights are from an older model and it’s LHD, which is very odd.

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Love me an SVX or two. Which one, though? Black with sunroof and stock wheels…

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Or green with BBS wheels? The agony of choice.

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Prelude coupés of this generation (1987-91) have gotten pretty scarce on the surface world. But if you dig underground…

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The Diamante was launched at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show. This is a first-year model — it’s also the lone Mitsubishi in this car park.

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A little rotary goes a long way. The people in this classic car club seem to have a thing for dolls, miniatures and knickknacks, as we shall see…

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Case in point with a pair of ‘60s Beetles. That blue one is a little ripe around the edges, too.

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Lots of strange and interesting mods on this Volvo 1800. That grille ornament is a new one, certainly.

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A first-series (1968-72) Isuzu 117 Coupé is always a welcome addition to any gathering. These are pretty rare cars, compared to the Series II and III.

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There were a lot of Skylines, usually in packs like these R34s. I didn’t document every single one, but quite a few warranted a snap of two…

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I flubbed the front-end picture of this highly modded late ‘70s Opel Kadett, unfortunately. Those are very uncommon here, as normally GM’s purveyor of J-cars in Japan was Isuzu… [which apparently is exactly what this is, with Opel badges tacked on.]

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I find the late / facelifted model Nissan Cedric 130 to have a little less character than the earlier ones. Still, this was a superb example by any measure.

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Back when this car was new, circa 1968-69, combination turn signals and stop lights were still ok by Japanese laws. Someone elected to graft proper amber indicators on the rear bumper, like on ’70s US imports.

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Mazda Cosmo, 1969. Probably my pick of the whole bunch. I’d really like to see one in another colour than white someday.

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Sweet little Figaro. I still haven’t paid homage to this one with a CC post of my own. But others have, as it’s one of the few retro/pike cars that was exported to a few places outside Japan.

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The absolute top-of-the-range model for Y30 Cedrics (1983-87) was the VIP Brougham with the 3-litre turbo V6. This was an absolute time-warp.

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The interior full of period gadgets was crazy. Plus it had leather seats – very rare for an older JDM car.

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I wouldn’t want you to think that there were no Toyotas in the house. There were, but the more interesting ones just weren’t on this level.

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Did the NSX have red Recaros from the factory, or are those aftermarket? They kinda look like they actually belong there, for once.

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Love these Suzuki Mighty Boys (1983-88). The most perfect antithesis of the F-150.

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See, Recaros just look plain stupid in this. The roof lights are goofy, but in a good way.

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Over in the WTF section, one could find the present-day version of the Goldfinger Rolls-Royce. That or it was repossessed from some petro-monarchy.

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I have a weakness for these ‘60s Fairlady cabriolets. And I’m not the only one who thinks so, as there was more than one in this car park…

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Behold, the mighty T170 Carina (1988-92) in its fading glory. OK, it’s as dishwater-dull as a four-door Toyota can be, but if nobody saves a few of these, they will all disappear and gen Alpha will think we all rode around in AE86s and Celicas.

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An interesting pair of R32 Skylines here. I focused on the saloon, as I’d never seen one in this colour before. Actually, finding one that’s not dark grey takes some doing. And then I noted the ‘26’ script: this is the extremely rare Autech version, the only R32 saloon featuring the GT-R coupé’s turbocharged 2.6 litre engine.

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The fairer the lady, the sweeter the post. The interior was not this car’s forte – MG, Alfa and Triumph still had the edge on Nissan in that department. But everywhere else…

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Talk about a time-warp! I did not expect to find a 1987 Renault Super 5 in this condition anywhere on the face of the Earth, let alone beneath it.

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The Continental T (1996-2002) was Bentley’s standard coupé with a few key ameliorations: more powerful engine (400hp), 18’’ alloys, engine-turned aluminium dash instead of walnut and a 4-inch shorter wheelbase.

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Quite a lot of British metal was present at this little gathering. The most prestigious was probably this 1953 Bentley R standard steel saloon.

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How refreshing to find a classic Alpine A110 berlinette in a colour that is not blue, for once! This is a post-1972 model (the Citroën Dyane indicators are the giveaway) with an Alsace license plate.

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I wrote up one of these Pontiac TransAm “Knight Rider” wannabes a little while back. Didn’t realize there were so many about!

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I’m not sure I had seen an S-Type parked right next to a Mark 2 before. Interesting in many ways. The S-Type is clearly a Mark 2 derivative, but to what extent? The doors and the windshield / dash / firewall area seem identical, but there’s a marked difference with the C-pillar and the backlight, it seems. May be obvious to some of you, but I had never noticed it before.

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Strictly speaking, this is a 340, not a Mark 2. Final and best expression of the smaller Jaguar saloons, in my view. The thinner bumpers really improve the car’s look.

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When classic cars gather somewhere in Japan, there will be Minis. That’s in the Constitution, I think. And if said Minis include a ‘60s Traveller with wood trim, I will document it. That’s my personal pledge.

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Don’t use a late ‘60s Publica as a display case, dude. That’s just crass. I see the original plates have merely been covered by newer ones, so you unscrewed the new front plate to make the car look more period-correct? Nice one.

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I’ve seen exactly four Hino Contessa 1300 Coupés in my time in Japan; this was the best-looking one by a mile. Pity it wasn’t out on the surface. The interior was particularly well-preserved (or restored).

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The Michelotti-designed Coupé was added to the Hino range in the spring of 1965; this particular one is a 1966 model with the twin carb 65hp engine. Fewer than 4000 of these interesting machines were made before Hino quit manufacturing cars (at Toyota’s behest) in 1967-68.

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At a time when many kei cars were still rear-engined with two-strokes, Honda launched the Life in 1971 with FWD – like its predecessor – but now powered by a highly capable water-cooled four-stroke twin. But the runaway success of the Civic called for the kei range to be sacrificed so the company could focus on what sold best. A near-Life experience is better than no experience at all.

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What a perfect pairing! Exactly what one needs in the fantasy garage: one for fair weather, one for rainy days.

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There are far too many C10 and C110 Skylines in GT-R dress about on the streets. Probably more than were ever produced by Nissan back in the early ‘70s. Colour me suspicious. The placard on the C110 did claim that one was a genuine model, on of 197 units made in 1973 only.

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Yet another Fairlady 2000 and a C10 Skyline coupé. Nissan were clearly the ones out in front in this meet. But there was a clutch of interesting Toyotas nearby to try and level the score…

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Didn’t see that coming, did you? This unique scissor-door Celica is something of a local celebrity, not unlike the heavily customized Imperial we saw last month. The amount of work and attention to detail is jaw-dropping, as is the overall effect. The E.T. plushies are a little less necessary in my view, but I guess they do add to the fun.

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Fortunately, there was another first-gen Celica in the vicinity to act as a palate-cleanser. Paired with a fine-looking A60 Supra, as well.

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If you’re going to have a rare and desirable car like a mid-‘60s Toyota Sports 800, why not get the correct set of rims for it?

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The legendary Prince Skyline 2000GT-B was there, too. It’s a 1968 model in race-spec, including the 125hp OHC straight-6 with triple Webers.

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Many of you knew this as the second generation (1982-86) Tercel, but in its home country Toyota called the hatchback variant the (first generation) Corolla II.

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This is a 1985 model in SR trim – the sportiest and plushest variant, featuring a 90hp 1.5 litre 4-cyl. and snazzy diamond-pattern upholstery. Amazing condition on this one, as expected.

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The plain Corolla, sans II, had just switched over to FWD as well – except for the AE85/86 coupés – in the early ‘80s. The sporty hatchback was known as the FX16 in many markets, but as the FX-SR at home.

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The automatic transmission really looks out of place, but they were popular in Japan even all the way back in 1987, when this car was made. A friend of mine had one of these in the late ‘90s (albeit manual), and she drove the living snot out of it. Awesome cars, but they’re almost all gone now.

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Last Brit of the show was a fine-looking 1957 MGA. Strange shade of green on this one, more khaki than BRG.

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Top-of-the-range Turbo RS “Iron Mask” R30 Skyline saloon, anyone?

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The oldest JDM entry was an elegant 1959 Datsun 211 shod with whitewalls and, somewhat oddly, a starting handle poking out from under its grille. It’s amazing how many of these have survived to the present day. I’ve seen a half dozen in as many years, whereas I have yet to see any ‘50s Toyota out in the wild.

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Ah, the ‘80s… back when a 6-Series meant a 6-Series, i.e. two doors, a big old straight-6 and a lot of attitude. There is an M badge, but if the Internets are anything to go by, there was no such thing as an M635 CSi for the Japanese market in 1985. Probably added by the owner – only M variants and Alpinas are worthy for some people.

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If we’re being picky, this 1959 Caddy isn’t the absolute pinnacle of its kind. I mean this specific one – not too convinced about the extra gauges, for instance. But it’s damn close to perfect for what it is: pure excess and undiluted Americana.

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I was going to end things on a question mark, but I managed to ID this unusual homage to the FMR-Messerschmitt Tg 500. This is the 1998-1999 Mitsuoka K2 – one of 300 made. Amazingly, this single-seater is powered by a 1-cyl. 49cc Honda scooter engine and is registered as a four-wheeled moped. That means you don’t have to wear a helmet to drive it, but you do need a license. Make sense of that.

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Hope you enjoyed the show! The lighting conditions were far from optimal, but the overall experience was enjoyable for yours truly. Sure beats getting wet or cancelling the event in case of a downpour.

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