Remember the post I wrote about a Bristol 406? Well, this Silver Dawn was sitting next to it. Quite a sight, these were the first all-steel factory-bodied Rolls-Royces. I hope to be able to document this one more thoroughly someday like I did the 406, but this particular part of town has already yielded several exceptional finds anyway (including last Monday’s Benz 500 E, for instance.)
The same street, a few meters away, usually has another Roller. That time, it was this RHD Silver Spirit, but the cars can be covered, so I keep going back there and finding new big British beauts and hope I can snap a couple photos. On sunny days, luck can be on my side.
This other Spirit is closer to what one would expect to find, actually. The two-number (on the top line) license plate tells us that this car got into the country back in the ‘90s at the latest, and it’s LHD, like all high-end foreign cars ought to be. Yes, even British ones.
We’re on a Rolls, so let’s Royce on. Now, I’m kind of allergic to these tank-like 21st Century R-Rs, but this one was quite a sight. That matte caramel colour was certainly unexpected, but the killer detail, which is kind of hard to make out here, was the crystal Spirit of Ecstasy. Because having a metal hood ornament is beyond common, daaahling.
In a completely different part of town, I found this… er… rather challenged Range Rover.
It’s a puzzle, this one. The wheels and mirrors both seem new and wrong, among many odd details.
And in yet another area (a very chic one, obviously), this unusual Bentley wafted by. They say the customer is always right, but sometimes “they” can be very, very wrong.
We’ve seen this Morgan before, but I ran into it again and couldn’t resist…
This Austin Mini Traveller was pretty scruffy, for a Tokyo car.
Who doesn’t love a Morris Minor? First one I’ve seen in this country. Lovely, jubbly and oh-so-bubbly.
My pick of the Brits in this edition will be, uncharacteristically, a Triumph. It’s not a marque that’s usually on my radar, but I’m partial to Heralds. Loads of character, thanks in no small part to Michelotti.
Not too many interesting French cars in Tokyo, unfortunately. But every once in a blue moon, one thinks: “Hold on, that’s a twenty-something year old Peugeot 406 wagon, and the world at large needs to know about it.” The exact thought process is murky, but here we are.
Doesn’t happen too often though. They can be sneaky – I almost didn’t pick up on the incongruity of this late ‘90s Renault Twingo’s presence here, as it seemed to perfectly blend into the local scene.
Older Xantias are a different matter. This one has aftermarket wheels and is otherwise pretty straight, but that fading paintjob says a lot about the legendary build quality of ‘90s Citroëns.
Not sure why this sucker was parked with its suspension set up high like that. Maybe to ensure its sewer pipe-like exhaust stays clear of the ground. At least the interior matches the exterior…
This is only the second 2CV I’ve seen in Tokyo! The place is crawling with Minis, Fiat 500s, Beetles and Renault 4s, but somehow the tin snail is not as iconic here as it is in certain European cities. C’est la vie.
I’m starting to see these more of these new Alpine A110s…
It’s a very nice shape, for a modern car. It even works in white, which is not always the case. A rare recent win from Renault.
By contrast, the Chevy SSR was seen as a bit of a dud for GM, despite being just as retro as the Alpine. Maybe the concept didn’t make sense. Or nostalgia ain’t what it used to be.
In a similar vein, though this one actually sold pretty well, a PT convertible seen in Okinawa.
If you couldn’t tell already, the US-made vehicles seen during this spring of 2021 were, by and (extra-) large, pretty weird. I mean, even in their country of origin, how often do you see a pair of identical 25-year-old Cadillac sedans side by side? I had the Twilight Zone guitar riff in my head as I photographed this, I can tell you.
Next to that gruesome twosome, there was a fine-looking 1958 Eldorado Seville. Sadly, there was no way to go closer for a more detailed observation…
The Buick of the (bi-) month was this somewhat modded circa 1976 Regal Landau coupé. And again, it was unfortunately only visible in this rear three-quarter view. Not exactly weird, but somewhat unexpected.
This K5 Blazer was even more accessorized, almost a movie set vehicle. I saw the guy driving it, and he was definitely not some sort of ex-Marine, though looks can be deceiving… Not sure about the model year either, but that’s doubtless going to be debated in the comments.
I’ve caught these weird locally-made Lincoln “stiff wagons” a few times now, but they never fail to impress me whenever I see one. These are apparently used to move bodies to funeral homes, so they’re not exactly hearses, but definitely not ambulances either.
Speaking of the recently deceased, here’s a mid-naughties Saab 9-3 cabriolet, a rare sight in these parts. These earlier ones were made by Magna-Steyr in Austria.
So from Swedish-occupied Austria, let us move south to bellissima Italia and start, in good alphabetical logic, with Alfa Romeo. I’d not seen a first-series (1998-2003) 166 in ages, and it’s not graced these pages with its presence all that much, it seems. A shame, as this is the last of the big 6-cyl. Alfa berlinas, a long tradition of flawed gems.
I wrote up a white 1750 GTV a few weeks ago, and boom, I find another one prowling the streets. This has been happening far too much, lately. It’s not CC-hunting any more, it’s bloody Noah’s Ark.
Case in point: this is not the first Autobianchi A112 Abarth I’ve caught in Tokyo. Slight difference: this one is not a ‘70s rally car, it’s a mini-GTI of the ‘80s. It’s also a final (7th) series A112, made between 1984 and 1986, when the Autobianchi marque was on the way out.
I’ve photographed a few modern Ferraris, but decided to eliminate anything too recent from this post – I might do a stand-alone about a 21st Century Ferrari sometime. Just one exception with this decade-old black California, because I actually think this is one of the more attractive recent Ferraris and it’s not one I encounter very often. Front V8-engined, 7-speed transaxle, convertible tin-top, quite restrained PF styling – lots to like.
This F355 GTS, on the other hand, is definitely old enough to make the cut. I caught these Ferraris (and quite a few other cars in this post besides) in Ginza, Tokyo’s equivalent of Knightsbridge, the Champs-Elysées or Fifth Avenue, hence the Chanel and Cartier stores. Great place to watch the jet-set go by in their exotic wheels.
The real meat of the Italian automotive scene has to be the Fiat 500. I caught these two blue ones on the same day…
Weeks later, I found these two literally on the same street and minutes apart. Nice photobomb by the W124 wagon as a bonus!
I know I said I’d tone it down with the Pandas, but this one was so easy to photograph and so pristine, I just couldn’t help myself.
It’s an automatic, too! And it even looks like it has A/C. All with a mere 1.1 litre Fiat engine? The mind truly boggles. OK, so now I’ll lay off the Pandas. Promised.
Any Lancia is CC-fodder by default, but in finding this Musa, I managed to unearth perhaps the least interesting pre-Chrysler Lancia ever. That toothy grille and those rear lights mark it as a second series, so any MY between 2008 and 2012. Yawn.
What is the deal with all the Delta Integrales? I’ve caught quite a few in Japan by now, including a couple of immobile ones that I hope to write up for your reading pleasure in due course.
Still cannot resist this generation of Quattroportes… And there are a few on the streets here, too, so every once in a while, I just have to scratch that itch.
Tuk-tuks that look like this are necessarily made in Bangkok. I’ve encountered the odd one in Tokyo, but I found this large cache of Siamese three-wheelers in Okinawa, where the local weather seems to agree with them a lot more.
Let’s end on a symphonic note – the German cars, starting with the VWs. Nice old Typ 2 Transporter, meticulously patina-fied (patinated?), though I’d rather see it riding at stock height. If the license plate is anything to go by, this should be a ’58.
The universe saw fit to send forth many, many Squarebacks my way, these past few weeks. This one only appeared fleetingly, so it belongs here. But the others will have to have their own post – coming soon.
Why did I take a picture of this perfectly unremarkable Beetle? There was just something archetypal about it. It was relatively unmolested, had this non-too-common blue hue, tongue-in-cheek license plate, and was perfectly framed in that doorway… Do I need a reason for everything?
By contrast, this Golf cabriolet was so extensively over-customized, it needed to be documented just to be believed. The number of mods is pretty crazy, but the one I had never seen up to now (on a Golf, at least) was the LEDs replacing the headlamps.
Someday, I’ll find a very nice W126 and really go to town on it. This one wasn’t it. But there are plenty still about, so that will happen someday. Patience, T87, patience…
I’ve already caught this beauty a couple times, including when parked next to its Beetle alter ego. Seeing it sitting in the sun, absolutely gleaming and shiny like the world’s most perfect adult toy, forced me to take a few photos of it again. Probably my favourite M-B four-door ever.
What’s that red shape coming down the road? Hmm… best get the old smartphone ready, you never know!
Red is such a cliché for these late-model 356s, but at least, it helps for in-motion CC-spotting.
And to play us out, two fine examples of the BMW kind, starting with this E24 M6. At least, that what it looks like to my untrained eye…
But the real Bavarian star of this little compilation has to be this exceedingly rare (and supremely beautiful) 1967-68 BMW 1600 GT. Designed by Frua and launched in 1964 by Glas as the 1300 GT, this was one of the legacy cars that got a BMW roundel when they bought Glas in late 1966.
BMW just put their New Klasse’s 1.6 under the hood and installed the IRS in the back, grafted a double kidney grille out front and their trademark round taillights on the rear and that was that. Just 1259 of these were made in 14 months of production and, in the realm of 4-cyl. BMWs, this is pretty much as wonderful as it gets.
And that’s it for this edition of the Singles Outtakes. See you in August for the next one!
The K5 Blazer is an actual U.S. Military M1009 CUCV. The M1009 is a Chevrolet Blazer with a diesel engine. The models converted for military use were built from 1983 to 1987, and were supplanted by the HMMVW (Humvee). There were also M1008 pickup trucks, and M1010 Ambulance bodies.
Here’s our write-up on the M1009:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake-chevrolet-m1009-military-blazer-the-army-buys-an-suv/
Surprisingly, or not, just the other day I came across a number of M1009s up for auction. As of now it is down to two but a couple of days ago there were 5 or 6. https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.AdvSearchResultsNew&searchPg=Category&additionalParams=true&sortOption=ad&timing=BySimple&timingType=&category=94O
The pre-Humvee, huh? Wow. I never knew of these! Thanks for explaining to me what I’m posting — I really thought this Blazer was just “Armified” by the owner, not by the actual US Army. No idea how this is street legal in Tokyo either, though the usual added back-up light is there…
I like the pink Bentley, except for the gaudy wheels, the ruin of many a nice car.
I didn’t even notice the wheels, with that pink paint job!
I quite like the second Roller pictured, the blocky more modern shape looks good in that pale yellow/creamish color or whatever it is. Understated but still large and looking like money. Which cannot be said for the black and orange monstrosity under it which sports the color scheme more appropriate of a fifth owner early Hyundai Tiburon that’s rolling on at least one space saver with Vape smoke emanating from the window. Ghastly but just my own opinion.
Conversely there’ll always be room for another Delta Integrale on my monitor. I believe that one is the HF top dog of them all with the larger wing. Or maybe there was a further Evoluzione model or even two after that, I can’t quite recall offhand anymore…
A previous neighbor (that was at the time restoring an early Alfa Duetto with much grinding and do-rustation going on for months) treated himself to a new Quattroporte such as the one you found (it was a little out of character for that neighborhood at the time). The sound upon startup was quite intoxicating in the mornings, then followed by a deep exhaust note as he pulled up the hill past our driveway. Sublime.
Did you notice that the Range Rover has been severely shortened at the rear? The wheel hubs don’t look quite original to me. I suspect it may well be sitting on the chassis of another 4×4, although both the Montero and Trooper had six lug wheels.
Without a shot of the underside, it’s hard to say, but it’s far from stock.
I commented at the same time that I thought it was on a Defender or Discovery chassis.
Those are Discovery wheels. I’ve seen lots of Defenders with them, but not entirely sure if they were retrofitted or not.
Crossroad?
The BMW 1600GT is the most impressive catch among many others. The excessively tall greenhouses of that period is not working all that well for me anymore; they really should have lowered the roof two inches or so. Where was Bob Lutz?
Agree that the greenhouse looks oddly tall to me, either compared to my memory of what it looked like or perhaps I’m just influenced by your comment. On the other hand, the belt line looks very low, so perhaps that tall roof was needed for adequate headroom. Either way, it’s still a striking car that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen in person. All in all, I find these Tokyo sightings fascinating; I’ve only been there two or three times, and not for 15 years, but I don’t recall any Euro exotica catching my eye, just JDM stuff. Though in my frequent visits to Taiwan starting in the late ‘90’s, the Twingo was a common and refreshing sight for about 6 or 7 years.
Now that you mention it, agree that the greenhouse is too tall. However, bought my Glas 1300 GT in the early 80s partly because I thought it was beautiful, and still think so today :-). The greenhouse plus the generously equipped instrument panel gave a wonderful “baby Ferrari” feeling. The little 1300 cc engine pulled well and sounded great. Wish I still had it today. Photo is from a BMW 1600 GT, but BMW only changed the steering wheel hub, not the gauges.
Contrast this greenhouse with that of the current Camaro!
Don’t get me wrong; I love this car. These tall greenhouses were just a thing back then, and very common. It would suit me very well. We Germans/Austrians have a thing about Lebensraum 🙂
+1 on Lebensraum, peacefully acquired :-). My 1300 GT as I found it restored in Minnesota. Was living across the border in Wisconsin, no problem getting custom plates for it.
Sweet! And found in Minnesota, of all places. How unlikely.
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Beautiful car, lovely photos. Seeing the Glas/BMW and an actual “baby Ferrari” (the ASA 1000 GT) side-by-side, it can be difficult to tell them apart. The Glas is the top one, btw.
With appropriate plate
The Range Rover is a shortie. It’s been cut down and probably put on a Defender (?) chassis.
Every Rolls should have a bust overlooking its parking spot.
My admiring comment on the pink Bentley went to oblivion. The matte caramel and crystal ecstasy might be an OK drug combination with less monstrous wheels.
very impressive collection. Thank you. There seems to be all kinds of obstacles to parking in Tokyo. What is the purpose of the contraption under your favorite M B?
I think it prevents you from driving away without paying.
I was thinking it might prevent unauthorized parking. Your idea makes more sense. I wonder how it works.
I walked up to a Rolls like the white one back then and thought it was really tall. I don’t think I would have that impression now. You wouldn’t think a stuffy traditional British luxury car would have that much stylistic influence (well, before Downton Abbey), but it did have a bit.
“….Renault Twingo’s presence here, as it seemed to perfectly blend into the local scene.”
A French car, really? It’s small, it’s super cute….yeah, it’s practically Japanese already.
Speaking of small and cute, if you’ve never seen an original type Fiat 500 lately, you might be surprised at how really small it is in person. I did. They are clown car sized compared to the newer retro one. Pictures even of the two together do not quite do it. Well maybe this one comes close (and with a conveniently extra retro new one).
What a selection!
Alfa Giulio or a BMW 1600GT, which I’ve never seen one and I live less than a 1000 miles from Munich……
The Range Rover was presumably modded for fun off-roading, but I’m not clear why you would put it on a Defender chassis? Just chop the back off and trim the body to suit. Fairly common here, though not often finished as well.
The Range Rover is a “bobtail” conversion which is popular for serious offroading because it reduces the rear overhang and steepens the departure angle. I usually see that on two door models but it works on 4 door. As mentioned the wheels are base Discovery wheels which are probably cheap. The classic Range Rover and Series I Discovery use the same chassis so wheels, suspension and drivetrain interchange. I don’t know about the mirrors but they could also be Discovery parts since the front doors are also very similar. As a trivia item the flat door handles were originally Morris Marina parts.
The Triumph Herald really looks very much at home, with similar dimensions and styling to 60s Japanese cars. The Chevy SSR looks totally out of place, but it was something of a misfit at home too
Amazing, as always!
Great selection here. I keep looking at that Blazer trying to figure just how it wound up in Tokyo. Between the New Mexico Ex-Prisoner of War license plate, the Infidel sticker, the South Carolina Gamecocks sticker, and so on, someone either went to great lengths to make it look just like it came from the rural US, or perhaps it was imported recently just that way. Who knows?
And here’s a picture of a rather unusual former military Blazer I saw recently:
So much awesome my brain is frozen. I’m afraid if I ever get to visit such a great place I would fall under the spell of all these great cars and miss all the cultural attractions I came for in the first place.
“Speaking of the recently deceased, here’s a mid-naughties Saab 9-3 cabriolet, a rare sight in these parts. These earlier ones were made by Magna-Steyr in Austria.”
Looks like a loved 9-3 Cab in Lime Yellow. It was only the last year and a half that this series was made in Sweden rather than at Magna-Styer,
Clearly a pre-2008 facelift car, so made by Magna-Steyr.
Several familiar cars there Tatra thanx, I got my drivers license at 15 in a Morry thou, my first road legal car was a white Herald 1200 and I used to own a 98 Peugeot 406 wagon mine was Diablo red 5 speed manual 2088cc turbo diesel
Early clear coat paint jobs are lucky to have lasted this long most lost the clear many years ago nothing wrong with Xantia build quality there are still a lot on the road here especially the diesels.
A fine after-dinner selection Sir, from which I choose a small Twingo (we didn’t get them) and most of the delicious Alpine, though someone else can have the nose, as, in its clumsy original- A110 homage, it tastes awfully strongly of gen 6 Celica. That is an unfortunate fusion.
If any room is left, I might wash it down with a Glass (of)1300, even though I too am one might well choke a tad on the high roof.
I would certainly decline the Silver Yawn, uptight and primly styled and about as alluring a damp post-war ration book.
If you were to want more Pandas then Jonny Smith has some Late Brake Show videos with an avid Panda collector in the UK.