The domestic car post started with a twofer pic, so this one will too. The ’62 Caddy is a period import and still has its original license plates. The Continental Mk V, on the other hand, could be a more recent arrival. Perhaps our Jim “Lincolnman” Brophy had a sudden hankering and got this shipped over? Caught these in my neighbourhood American car shop, which I visit on a fairly regular basis for bargain barges.
This FWD Fleetwood sat nearby at that garage. That “bordello red” interior is something else. Not my cuppa, but I can see the appeal.
Wrote a piece about the late-model C4 recently, and tried to rehabilitate it. The response was not overwhelmingly positive, but perhaps it was down to a question of colour. How about black? Still no?
Tons of Astro vans are strewn about the local roads and car parks, so I gave up on documenting those long ago. This one stood out though, as it was a pristine early model and looked like more than a sum of spare parts.
G vans are also plentiful here; this is the first GMC-badged one I’ve caught, though. “Vandura” is such a dorky name. They really have less inspiration when it comes to GMC products…
A nice maroon really turns these into something quite eye-catching!
Winter is always great Jeep Wagoneer weather. They really have a following here. This early ‘80s-ish one had somewhat scruffy Di-noc trim, but that only adds to the originality of the beast.
This one had me audibly gasp – a ’73! Pretty darn beautiful one, too, with that period colour. Orange you glad I managed to snap it up?
Ooof! Quite a contrast, isn’t it? I’ve passed by what used to be a 1962 T-Bird many a time, but it’s one of those cars that’s always in a tarp. I was real curious about what it looked like under there, but instantly recoiled at what I saw when I finally caught it uncovered recently.
Be careful what you wish for, eh? At least now we know what it is.
This other highly customized Ford product was the subject of a post last year, but it came to my street for a visit last weekend, so I thought I’d let you know.
Ah, the good old Town Car. Cadillacs are hard to love, these are impossible to hate.
The American car find of the year so far was this 1966 Riviera. Caught it in Ginza, a super high-end area where folks like to go parading on weekends (a great place for CCs, and one that will feature prominently in this post). The owner let me take a few quick snaps, but had to leave.
Had I been able to communicate better, I would have asked him to let me take a few photos of the interior; as it was, the encounter was all too brief. I really like these Buicks. Yes, the 1963-65 Rivieras are the pinnacle of postwar GM design, but I find these almost as pleasing to the eye.
Moving on to the German cars. We know this W108 very well — I caught it parked next to a black Beetle with identical license plate numbers and it also appeared in several T87 Singles posts, as it really was a beauty. No idea what happened, but it’s now looking like this. Ouch!
This seemed like an souped-up version of the W201. A pretty dead-looking one.
This W126 was caught as I was in a car myself, so alas I could not get more pics. The green and yellow paintwork was certainly quite arresting – hadn’t seen anything of the sort since Bangkok.
Another one of those fancy Porsche-built 500Es – this one is a later car than the one I wrote up, so it’s badged as E500. Amazing how many of these are still in circulation here.
This light metallic blue works very well on the W107 — shame it’s not seen all that often. As I understand it, the JDM received the 500SL only from 1980 to 1985; it was then replaced by the 560SL.
Not many VWs to report this year so far, sadly. Just a couple of Transporters, both pre-1968. So many of these around, it’s eerie.
On the Porsche front, this rally-ready 912 was on the curbside and the driver looked like he was having an issue. He was on the curb, angrily talking on his phone. Wrong turn at Albuquerque?
Despite the lack of badges, it seems this is a pretty typical ‘80s Turbo 930. But I’m completely out of my depth here, so if you know better (or can narrow it down some), do let the rest of the class know.
Personally though the older the better when it comes to the 911 shape. This one was definitely much nicer, except brown really doesn’t work on these. Period correct perhaps, but some periods got this stuff all wrong.
In the previous T87 Singles edition, we saw a Ford Cortina Mk1 and a Simca 1000 Rallye taken in the same spot, which I promised to keep visiting. Well, here’s what I found in that parking space a few weeks ago. Will definitely continue keeping an eye on this place.
Another rarity caught in Ginza: according to Wikipedia, Alpina made 64 units of these 228hp AWD saloons in three years (1993-96), based on the E34 525. They also made 70 in wagon form, which would admittedly be even cooler.
An older Alpina rarity, but in bits and pieces.
Onward to the west side of the Rhine, starting with a lovely Renault 4. They really have a following here. Can’t understand it myself, but here we are.
Mid-‘90s green Twingo? Now that’s as French as snails on a baguette. With the best will in the world, those bumpers will always look dirty. Gallic to the end(s).
Found the Clio specialist. No self-respecting megalopolis should be without one.
Last Renault for this post: a Twizy. First one I’ve seen in Japan. Apparently, they started assembling these in Busan (South Korea) in 2019 because Asian demand was on the rise.
I keep seeing Citroën C6s on occasion. Black really goes well on these.
Back in Ginza again, hence this Alpine is backed by a Maserati. But it’s the little white car that really catches the eye, not the boorish black blob behind it.
It’s winter, so I guess a Russian 4×4 should be the car to have. And it seems someone out there thought that way and got themselves a 5-door version of the immortal Lada Niva. First of these I’ve seen in this country.
Still lots of these Volvos about. Impossible to kill, but this one looks like it came off the boat last week.
Caught this one before – it lives in my neighbourhood. But this was The Day It Snowed (a rare occasion, in Tokyo), and I managed a rather nice set of pics, if I do say so myself. So here it is again, with flurries.
The snow actually stayed and about 10cm covered the city by daybreak. It melted away quickly, but I did manage one pretty nice catch that morning. It’s tough to be the Spirit of Ecstasy, sometimes.
Plenty of Rolls-Royces in this edition, starting with this late ‘90s Park Ward Limousine, the second one I’ve caught here (or the same one again…).
Fun game one can play on a sunny Sunday in Ginza: Roller bingo. Can you get five current RR variants in one sitting? OK, starting with the Phantom – almost discreet in black…
A quirky two-tone Dawn cabriolet? Check.
I suppose this Phantom Drophead Coupé counts as a different kind of convertible…
Cullinans are quite popular, so finding one doesn’t take much doing. One more for the bingo! A Ghost? A Wraith?…
Nope, that’s a Bentley. A seriously, even dangerously blinged-up Bentley. No bingo, then. Better luck next time.
Still, lots of other British beauties were on display. A rather fetching DB11 Volante dropping in for breakfast at Tiffany’s?
Or a Rapide, sat behind a V12 Century in a side street…
The Lotus Evora 400, ladies and gentlemen. The numeric is a reference to how many hp they coaxed out of the 3.5 litre Toyota V6 sitting ahead of the rear wheels.
Enough of the Ginza scene – the 20th Century beckons nearer to home, in the form of this Europa. Yes, the very same I wrote up a while back. Still quite a sight.
There are plenty of Caterhams about and I recently caught another English kit car of that ilk, but this seems like the real McCoy: a genuine Lotus Seven… maybe. I mean, the most recent Lotus Seven is pushing 50 now, so who knows if a kit car can last this long.
This is not the first Rover 600 I’ve seen (or caught), but it’s always a strange occurrence. A school friend’s dad had a white one, about 25 years ago. He never was able to articulate why he’d bought it. The Union Jack on the roof of this one is quite literally over the top.
OK, let’s head back to the glitz and glamour of central Tokyo with this Bentley Azure, seen here on two separate occasions. Not sure what type it is exactly – it sort of looks like a Mulliner from some angles, but not all.
Moving on to the high-end Italian stuff, which is also plentiful in this area. Case in point: a Lamborghini LP 670 Super Veloce – for those who thought the run-of-the-mill Murciélago isn’t veloce enough…
Ferraris are everywhere of course, but you have to sort the wheat from the chaff. The 1994-99 F355 is not the most interesting of Maranello’s machines, but it’s old enough to make the cut.
That’s more like it! The famous 512 BB, with a 5-litre flat-12. They made just over 900 of these from 1976 to 1981.
Here it is again, moments later, on Ginza main street, with the white Azure in the background.
Spotted this 456 GT not too far from my digs. The last handsome Ferrari?
Still have a thing for these Quattroportes. This 2008-12 one was particularly nice. They are slipping into bangerdom and some uncouth second owners tend to mod, accessorize and lower them to an early grave, so finding a stock and well-kept example is always a pleasant surprise.
The definition of a boring Italian car? May I introduce the 2004-12 Lancia Musa. Yawn.
OK, these Lancia Ys are an acquired taste (especially in this colour), but at least they look like nothing else on the road.
Much better colour. Plus, this is the spicy elefantino rosso version. Hmm… same license plate as the pink car? Almost. Coincidence? Almost certainly not.
Musas are boring and Ys are weird, but the 2008-14 Delta was perhaps the last Lancia that looked interesting. They were sold as Chryslers in certain markets and were facelifted for MY 2011 to reflect this. This one is a pre-facelift car.
I wrote up a better-looking (and stationary) Alfa Giulia berlina recently, but this one was still an interesting encounter. Photo taken in Akihabara, one of the weirdest places on earth.
Regularly seeing these Bertone 105 GTVs. I don’t think one can see too many. Such a superb shape.
I thought I’d given up on Fiat Pandas, there are just too many about. But this one was another showroom-fresh time-warp stunner. Plus it’s a 4×4. How could I not get a quick couple of snaps?
A little Fiat 500, as per usual. Just a small foretaste of what’s to come for the grand finale…
Small by size, but pretty damn huge by wow factor, another Zagato-bodied Fiat-Abarth 750 (seems like a ‘57), and this time out buzzing on the street. Absolutely stunning!
Well, here’s hoping the spring will also bring its share of CCs. Same place in early May for the next episode.
I wasn’t aware the Lada Niva was ever available as a four door. Kind of like seeing a four door Jeep Wrangler for the first time, the shape just seems….off. Still prefer the two door but interesting.
And the Phantom has I think (at least in your pix of the black one) started to look cohesive to me, at least from the side. It’s certainly taken its time about that, but I suppose time heals all wounds.
I’ll fully agree with you on the Q-Porte, that is a most splendid shape. A neighbor of mine a few doors down the (old) hill had one and being outside in the mornings as he would drive it up the hill towards the main street was always an aural as well as visual treat. Perhaps the most desirable Italian car of the post 2000 era?
Quite the spread here today, Mr. T. The Tokyo-ites are out in force again it seems.
Great finds as usual. I am still amazed at the variety you see. Its like a cross section of the whole world there.
What is going on with the Lotus Seven’s license plate? . . . 7
I’d agree with you on Porsche 911s and brown. Not an ideal combo. I could probably extend that to all the 70s sports cars that got brown.
Poor T-bird.
I for one will take that brown early 911, it`s not ideal but I`d sure love to be behind the wheel of it.
I rather like the brown on that 911. Maybe one had to live through that era to appreciate it.
The tide of brown leaked right on into the ’70’s, and so I wore, lived in, rode, and was driven about in many variations on the theme as a youngster. Most of them shine out from the Polaroid photos and incringe me every time, but I have to agree that this particular shade does alright on the 911. It works.
Still, imagine a Peugeot 404 in a slightly perkier version of it, a car I walked past for 6 years to get to secondary school. It looked like a sharp-edged turd.
I know just the colour you mean, Justy. A most unfortunate hue.
Brown is very subjective, I’ll admit, but I always liked what I refer to as British Leyland Brown. It was that creamy almost milk chocolatey brown often seen on MGs Triumphs and Jags, usually with tan interiors. I thought it was nearly as pleasant a combo as BRG/Tan. Nearly, not quite. That particular Porsche’s shade doesn’t quite work as well.
FWIW, my parents had a dentist friend who splurged on a 911 around 1980 in a slightly darker shade than the subject car. It looked better than this one, I think. He actually commented at the time that he thought the subdued color smacked of “Midlife Crisis” less than the typical red or black might have. So who knows, there might be a reason behind the choice.
That blue Porsche, might be a customized Turbo but it might be a customized regular 911, and unlikely but possibly may be a 1974 Carrara RS which it most resembles based on the smooth bumpers and the long whale tail. Unlikely being those are worth a pretty penny and you never see them customized like that. Funny enough I think the side mirrors are from a GM F-body
I’m actually pretty fond of the Ferrari F355, I could do without the owner applied graphics and wing especially but I think that was the last truly good looking Ferrari, I hated the 360 when it came out. I’m not as fond of the 512BB, I’ve wavered on my attraction to them but I think the rarity is adding an unearned mystique, the styling to me looks like Pininfarina simply combined the Bertone designed Miura and Countach into one car, and the forced two tone of the separate top and bottom panels gives the body an unearned sleekness. The later 512s where the lower panels were painted body color aren’t so flattering to the design, dare I say it actually looks bloated. Gauche or not I prefer the Testarossa to them.
Oh, I wish my parking space at the house was big enough for the Mark V….:-)
The 930 could be anything but it’s not a stock 1980s model.
I don’t believe any 930 ever had the chrome headlight surrounds, nor did any 911 in the 1980s; with the black window surrounds and chrome bezels I think dates it to the mid-later 70s.
The tail wing is too large and solid color, the turbos all had a black surround.
The front bumper is likely some sort of RS tribute piece with that large opening duct.
And the rear wheels look too wide, wider than the normal 930.
Most every 930 (and non 930 but widebody such as the Turbo-Look of the latter 80s) had lots of black trim on the bumpers, lower body sections and the rock guard appliques on the rear fenders. That’s all removeable and changeable of course.
It could be anything under the hood, from a 2.7l NA to anything in between up to an actual 930 turbo engine to possibly even something much newer from a 964 or 993, turbo or not.
Clearly the owner likes it, which is all that matters. 911s are some of the most modifiable (and often most modified) cars out there…
That Zagato Fiat makes me hungry. It’s so sweet and desirable as to make my mouth water. Imagine seeing it uneaten and used for mere transport on the city streets! I’d have got a knife and fork, not my camera, so thankyou for your restraint.
And talking of photos, you may possibly have peaked with the snow-laden Spirit of Ecstasy photo, btw. It’s pretty damn fine, Professor.
Modern Rollers are monumentally eye-curling, by which I don’t mean the smoke gets in: the searing bling, the stonking lack of cohesion and the general overall horror causes the retinal reduction.
I do love to see any pic of the Rapide, though. I’ll never forget the first time seeing one next to me, stuck in traffic. I checked myself upon finding my mouth literally agape. In the metal, they are (to me) still that good. It’s true that the contemporary Quattroporte is a sweet device, but the Aston makes it seem, incongruously, both a tad demure in muscularity and a bit gaudy in details.
Driving a Mk V in Victoria BC is hard enough. I can’t imagine doing it in Japan!
I’m with you on 911s – the older the better and that brown one has Fuchs wheels as well…. but there’s also the Buick Riviera and a 105GTV in showroom condition. I’m not bowled over by the Rolls-Royces, especially the Cullinan (just gross!) or a blinged up Bentley. The Aston is neater but the Fiat 500 might be the best of the lot for Tokyo’s traffic.
And that Union Jack roof on the Rover 600 was not a factory option, in case you were wondering.
That Alpina in pieces is just sad. But plenty of great spots to make up for it.
Thank you T87, more great cars and photos. I really like the ones in motion.
I’ll bite, why is Akihabara one of the weirdest places on earth? Is it someplace I need to add to my must see list in Japan?
Akihabara is also known as Electric City. Retro gaming shops, maid cafés, huge crowds of otaku and cosplay people…
Definitely worth a visit. Sundays are busiest – and most interesting for people-watching.
Individual taste is a very subjective thing. I LOVE that T-bird resto-mod. It’s done up in my favorite color. And looks like something a Batman-esque villain might drive. I would proudly cruise around town in that beauty.