There there, we’re almost done. Just this last hundred-plus bunch of pics and we can call it a day. We will start proceedings by way of a stunning BMW M1 that I found housed in Harajuku building. I didn’t know if I would be allowed in, but managed a decent shot through the glass anyway.
A very US-market-looking mid-‘70s 2002 was spotted. The oddity is that it seems to be wearing older license plates too – did they sell these with 5mph bumpers in Japan back in the day?
The major category of BMW sightings was, without question, the E30 (1982-94), starting with the M3s.
You could pick a white one or a black one, but both had oversized rear spoilers. Meh. What else you got?
The wagon version is much more interesting, in my opinion. How do they keep those interiors looking factory-fresh 30-plus years on, I wonder?
The star of the breed is arguably the cabriolet. I mean, those are the glamour models for sure whenever they exist, but is it the best of the E30? Tough question.
What happened to these baby Bimmers, by the way? Maybe the E36 Compact (1993-2000) didn’t sell well in Japan, but when this one crossed my path the other day, it struck me that I hadn’t seen one in ages.
Lots of bugs, this season. Many, many sightings took place, here pared down to the most interesting (in my view) of the breed.
That includes drop-tops, almost axiomatically. I’ll take mine in green, please.
I’m a sucker for these earlier Beetles, though this one was trying a bit too hard.
This was a real twofer if I’ve ever seen one. The red Blazer was covered in yesterday’s post, but right opposite sat this very nice bright yellow late-model Beetle…
How late a model is anyone’s guess – I won’t try, as I always get those wrong. The RHD makes me think this one might have been sold here new.
Beetle-wise, it rarely gets better than this, though. Again, I won’t attempt to pinpoint the MY, but I know what I like, and this one is almost perfect.
Definitely sold here new, given the pre-1970 license plate. Split window Beetles are the absolute best of course, but this is a close second.
Now this on the other hand… Kill it! Kill it before it spreads!
Wonderful. The world is set right again. Let’s move on from the Beetles while we can, shall we?
There are very few Opels in Japan. Not sure why, as they seem quite the Germanophiles when it comes to cars here. Another miss by GM, I guess. Still, this Astra F (1992-98) Bertone Cabriolet did make it here, so there’s that.
But there was also this – a far less common 1990-93 Irmscher Senator B. We’re talking a 272hp 4-litre straight-6, 0-100kph in just over 6 seconds and a top speed north of 250kph. Some serious Senator!
Let’s play the black and white game, Benz Pagoda edition…
… which one would you rather? It’s a tough call.
I’ve tried to control my W123 intake – there are just too many about. But this one’s grille is a bit out of the ordinary, so in it goes.
Hard to resist these in wagon form. Especially with whitewalls.
Another round of white and black (or dark gray, at any rate) with the 2-door W124s…
Can’t say these do much for me in white, I’m afraid. A bit too pimpish.
Mind you, it seems even a W116 can look pretty dodgy with fairly little effort.
W126s abound around Tokyo, but this base model 300SE one was the best of the bunch.
Onwards to the Porsches – three sweet little 356s materialized, each in their own way. A cabriolet out on the street on a fine Sunday morning…
… a white coupé chilling in a posh classic car dealer’s window…
… and a Carrera barreling down a boulevard.
Just one 911 to report in this edition, alas. Better luck next time.
Three decades old? Nah! That 928 GTS looks like it came off the assembly line three weeks ago.
Yes, it’s a replica 904. Still very stylish, which is not always the case with race cars or replicas thereof.
Moving on to the Italian cars and straight into Ferrari territory, we begin with the F355 (1994-99). What would be your preference in this case – red with a roof…
… or yellow without? Decisions, decisions…
I thought this was a Testarossa, because I’m not all that well-versed in Ferraris. Turns out this is the 1991-94 512 TR, basically a facelifted and improved Testarossa. The things we learn, eh?
Again, not exactly a Testarossa but a (somewhat non-stock, front-end-wise) 1994-96 F512 M. Those round taillights are very Ferrari, but they look kinda wrong on this one.
Italian engineering at its finest. Most engines need at least two valves per cylinder to function, but Ferrari managed to make this 1982-85 308’s 2.9 ltre V8 work with only four valves (“Quattrovalvole,” says so on the rear there). Amazing, isn’t it? Whaddaya mean “T87, you dunce?”
These Dinos are so sexy, they should be pixelated. Let’s move on to the Lambos before I have a crisis.
Not too many Diablos (1990-2001) seem to be living in Tokyo – I’ve seen more Countachs than these.
Another rare sight: the 1981-88 Lamborghini Jalpa. It sports a 3.5 litre 250hp V8 amidships and the blockiest Bertone styling this side of a Volvo coupé.
Two Maserati saloons to finish with the really big Italian beasts. Still partial to these QP5s, but I only stop and take a pic if they’re an interesting colour now – which this one was, both inside and out.
Much less keen on these QP4s, but they do command a certain amount of respect. And one may well find its way to its own dedicated CC post sometime soon…
Just the one Lancia to share with you guys this time – the usual Delta Integrale. I know, I know. I’ll do better next time.
Fiat Pandas (1980-2003) are not uncommon here, but in such condition? As it says on the hatch, that’s fire.
Sights like this make one wonder whether they’re actually breeding 500s in this country.
I mean, these critters are just EVERYWHERE. And Turin is not exactly next door.
Not that I’m complaining – who could hate the 500? But I’m just curious: are there any left in Italy, or did they all move here en masse?
We’ve seen this one before, but it’s been a while. Based on the Fiat 600, we’re faced with the 1960-66 Abarth 850TC Berlina. That’s no 5mph bumper in the front – it’s the oil cooler.
To end the Italian section on a high note, let’s move on to Alfa. This Giulia wants to go racing. Andiamo!
Plenty of 105 Bertone coupés, as per usual. Not that that’s a bad thing.
This one helpfully bears its model numeric on the license plate. Grazie, signore. We knew that.
This one was pretty wild: it’s a 1970 Junior 1300, but it was made in South Africa, according to the owner. I was unaware that they assembled these over there.
Multiple swings and multiple misses: I just couldn’t get a full shot of this sublime 1929 Alfa 6C 1750 Super Sport. Ah well. You win some, you lose some.
Hopping over to the Froggish side of the Alps with a couple of Pininfarina-made Pugs, starting with the mighty 205 CTI. These were made between 1985 and 1992; this one is a later model.
I’ve probably said it before and will doubtless do so again, but DAMN does the 406 Coupé (1997-2003) look good in that blue. If only the dash were a little less dreadful…
This lighter blue works great on 2CVs, too. Escargot power!
It could be argued that the late ‘60s DS is peak Citroën, though the SM might also be able to claim that. Four door and 4-cyl. or two doors and a Maserati V6? Hmmm…
This is not exactly what it seems. The owner of this CX GTI elected to delete the plastic side trim (possible when the car was restored/resprayed) and slapped some early model Pallas wheel covers, resulting in a much improved look. Stamped as “T87 approved!”
Not exactly a classic as such, but it took me by surprise to see a 2nd gen (2000-07) Laguna wagon in Tokyo. They can’t have sold many in this country….
On the other hand, there are so many Renault 4s here that they might as well be naturalized as a Daihatsu or a Mitsubishi. I might put these in the JDM post next time.
How has the Dauphine (1956-68) not had its day on CC as of yet? If I ever manage to find this Gordini’s hiding place, this will be done pronto!
The most unexpected French find is without question this 1996-99 Renault Spider. Just 1800 of these mad mid-engined motors were made and I don’t think I had ever seen one in the street (even in France) before this winter. Incroyable!
Swedish delicacies for dessert? Lots to carry for this Saab 900 two-door. I smell a road trip. Or at least an elaborate picnic.
The glamorous Swede… Is that Norwegian wood on the dashboard, by the way?
The Volvo 1800E would be the other glamorous Swede, I guess. What a looker.
A couple of odds for the end, starting with this Royal Enfield Bullet. Being made since 1931, it’s kind of difficult to ascertain how old this one is, but it certainly looks like a more modern Indian-built one.
Absolutely no idea what this is, but it looks like a centenarian light car of some description. Could be British, French or something even more exotic. Or maybe something this fellow made himself in a shed?
Well, that’s all for now. The next T87 Singles edition will probably have to be in September, as I have a rather busy summer schedule. All good things come to those who wait!
Nice reportage 🙂
Two comments about the Italian cars:
Yes, they assembled several Alfa models in South Africa, the 105 coupè was among them, as it was its successor the Alfetta GTV.
Yes, there are maaaany 500s left in Italy, for sure the most common classic car 😀
WOW, WOW, and WOW! Nice tour. It amazes me to see these well kept vehicles still on the road. The interest of the Japanese to preserve and enjoy them is terrific. Thanks for your continued interest in autos. Tom
Upon seeing the pictures, I became curious about Saab 900s in Japan, so I did a bit of searching, and came across the white 900 3-door that you photographed. The owner has several videos of his 900 on his Youtube channel – definitely a great all-weather Saab enthusiast:
https://www.youtube.com/@SAAB900Japan
Well I for one LOVE that W116 with the period correct Ronal wheels
I question whether that’s a real 512M, and not just a heavily modified Testarossa or 512TR. The front end is way off(it’s actually better than the real deal frankly) and just there’s so much non factory bodywork, real 512Ms still had the Testarossa side stakes, they didn’t have a wing, they didn’t have those big naca ducts above the rear tires, and even that taillight panel doesn’t look right.
I like the 512TR the best of all “Testarossas”, that was a “just right” update of the Testarossa, the 348 style front bumper and those bigger wheels did a remarkable job of making an extremely 80s wedge design look fresh for the softer edged 90s. The M tried taking it further with the round taillights, exposed headlights and curvy F355 style front bumper but that in my opinion proved to be a bridge too far.
Note that 2002 is LHD, so along with the bumpers that suggests it’s prolly a US-spec car imported to Japan. Not clear what’s “older” about the plate design vs. the plates in other photos?
It’s the two small digits on the upper right. More recently-registered cars have three.
I’m the odd guy that has always found the Jalpa to be more interesting then the Countach even if it is just the end result of the Urraco/Silhouette lineage. You know I love all that angular ’80s crap…and this one checks those boxes in a big way. That color is perfect as well, the one understated thing about that car.
Silver on a 308 looks quite good too, actually silver usually looks great on any older car, of course too many people apparently thought so as well and then decided to make literally every car ever sold silver from some point around August of 1989 on…hence ruining a good thing as people are wont to do.
And thank you for the obligatory Hyundai Ioniq5, er, I mean Lancia Integrale.
But the little dark green Pug 205CTI may be my favorite here, in a great color, even better condition, and somehow even more accurate to the design of the tin-top than the VW cabrio was.
_So_ much motorized goodness ! .
The fuel injected Beetle isn’t a North American one or I’d says it’s a ’75 .
I like the ’63 and the ’58/’59 looks very nice too .
About that white Mercedes W123 ~ do you know how to spot the _rich_ W123 owners ? .
They have petrol engines rather than Diesels ~ this 280 with the M110 DOHC i6 engine is sweet but won’t ever willingly pass a filling station .
Your finding so many nice vintage rides it sort of looks like Los Angeles except all these are really nice, much nicer than the local So. Cal. average old hobby car .
-Nate
Nice to see there are still a few BMWs and Benz cars still running in Japan, so many migrated here to become lawn ornaments I wondered if any remained