Just like yesterday’s JDM stuff, import sightings were somewhat subdued during these summer months. But subdued Tokyo style – some things were still a little out of the ordinary. Take air-cooled VWs, for instance: I normally find a couple of Beetles and a Transporter, but the summer of 2022 was more like a Bug infestation!
I limited the bugs to the more presentable stuff – this Super Beetle, for instance, seems to have been sold here new and changed very little since.
This one had a few little oddities, but was very well preserved all around. Also looks like it might have been sold here new, given the older plate. Which is not a trivial thing, as many (if not most) of the air-cooled VWs seen here are recent imports from North America or Germany.
This exquisitely restored ’55, for instance, likely arrived here quite recently.
First-gen Transporters were also plentiful. Not strictly stock, most of them…
Some were worse than others…
Some were pretty impressively restored…
And others were just quite nice all round, frankly.
I caught this Type 82 once before; it’s a modern re-creation, but the novelty factor remains high.
Not sure if this belongs in the VW section or the Porsche one, despite what is written on the nose and tail. There are a lot of weird things on this 356A to fully pass my (admittedly limited) sniff test. But I’ll let other, more experienced noses have a whiff and voice (nasally) their views on the matter.
Well, we couldn’t keep it air-cooled forever, I guess. The 944 S2 (1989-91) is far from my favourite Porsche, but it’s already at an age that forces a certain amount of respect.
Which is not really the case for this 20-ish-year-old Opel Astra wagon, but then again there are so few representatives of this marque about Asia in general and Japan in particular that anything with a blitz is worth a snap.
I keep promising myself (sometimes in writing) that I’ll forego the W123s, because there are just too many around. But I keep running into veritable museum pieces, in great colours, so what can I do?
Less colourful, but two doors – yep, that W123 will have to be in the Singles post as well. Cannot be helped.
I wrote up a very similar 190E recently, but it had the later 2.5 litre Cosworth engine. This is the first draft. Still pretty schön.
Seriously developing a taste for the W126. Must write one up. This one would have been terrific (the blue velour interior was amazing), but it was under active surveillance…
Strangely, the W140 leaves me cold. Too bulky. For some reason, there aren’t many about, either. Maybe the Japanese M-B enthusiasts preferred the W124 instead, as there are hordes of those still around.
As per usual, the BMW contingent was much smaller, but still eye-catching. This i8 reminded me of taking magic mushrooms in my early twenties, in that it made me pretty queasy and left me giggling uncontrollably. Electric flashback!
My first BMW Z1 sighting in ages! This one was in an Alpina store, so they gave it the treatment (externally, at least). Must be the only Z1 Alpina out there, surely.
I believe this is another Volvo 850 T-5R wagon – the third sighting. Red one, this time.
Always like the odd C70 drop-top, and they don’t come much odder than this colour combo.
The strange thing about Saabs in Tokyo is that one can go literally months without seeing a single one, but I caught four during this summer. Two will be featured in their own posts eventually, but these turn-of-the-Millennium 9-3s will do nicely here.
Incidentally, why did Saab never manage to finagle a naming or numbering system worth a damn for their cars? It was all right up to the 900, I suppose, but then they just went back to a two-digit “9-X” thing until the end. Needlessly confusing, clunky, unimaginative – very un-Saab, to be honest.
My second Lada Niva sighting in Tokyo, but this time it’s the standard (i.e. short) wheelbase one, which I do like better. And with that burgundy body and those wheels, the old Soviet babushka looks positively distinguished.
This is the second Korean car I’ve ever seen in Japan. Isn’t is Ioniq? Don’cha thinq?
Three encounters of the Citroën kind to report, starting with the classic and ever so classy 2CV Charleston. They even added a third brake light, just to err on the side of safety.
Got to hand it to the Citroën designer and PR folks: they really made the most of a dying platform with that paint job.
Second Cit of the summer: this nicely restored H-van – a 1967 model, if the license plate is to be trusted.
And finally, a Series 1 (1993-98) Xantia, complete with French plates (from Brittany) poking out from under the Japanese ones.
No Renaults to speak of for this edition, so we’ll skip right to the Peugeots, if that’s ok. These 406 coupés still make my head turn on occasion. That pale blue works very well with that shape, too.
Not as big a fan of the loud yellow on this 306 cabriolet, by contrast. Uncharacteristically, this rather rare and exclusive soft-top import seems to be left sleeping outside sans protection from the elements. And it’s starting to take its toll on the old gal.
The French car of the summer was without a doubt this absolute time-warp of a Series 1 (1987-89) 309 GTI. Seems the past three decades failed to leave a single scratch on it – or inside it! Amazing.
I actually found another 309 recently, so we’ll go into it in more detail soon, but this is effectively the last Talbot (ex-Simca/Rootes) with a lion on its grille. Fittingly, this one had the classic “Peugeot-Talbot” window stickers.
Even a glimpse of a Giulia berlina is worthy of inclusion into the Singles compilation.
Still in the souped up corner of the Alfa realm with this 155. Love the giant biscione on the hood.
These GTVs are quite tasty in black. Pity there was someone inside, as it meant I couldn’t photograph the red leather interior. Great pairing.
Another “through the shop window” shot – this one was a lot trickier than the BMW, but it was a Montreal, so it’s impossible not to include here. Really wish I could catch one of these curbside someday.
I see a lot of Lamborghinis now that I frequent the Jingu Gaien / Harajuku area on a fairly regular basis. It seems there is a contest among present-day Lambo buyers to try and come up with the most garish colour for their silly supercar. Here’s a pretty egregious example.
I wrote a dedicated post about the Quattroporte V recently, thanks to finding a very nice black example. Had I taken a different route that day, that post might have been illustrated by this equally fine brown one.
The Italian of the summer was an adorable Autobianchi A112 Elegant. Looked like a very early car, probably 1971-73 — a rare Series 1, restored to near perfection.
Seems this lovely little gem was up for grabs, as well. Perfect way to stand out of the never-ending flow of Minis, Beetles and Fiat 500s.
Actually, if you want to really stand out, maybe a white 1989 Pontiac Firebird would be a better bet. I’ve seen this one three times over the summer and for some reason, it’s always in the act of being obsessively cleaned by its owner. Hence the condition of the vehicle, I guess.
I’ve been seeing a number of early Mustangs this past couple of months. As a result, I have a wealth of great Mustang photos, but little use for them as there is always something else more interesting to write about. This one I only caught in passing, so it’ll find as home here. But the others…
However, this (much more recent) Mustang also made the cut, because… well, there’s just nothing else like it. Please tell me there isn’t.
Another close encounter with those weird locally-made Lincoln “body cars,” used to ferry cadavers to funeral homes. Amusingly, the model name has been changed to plain old “Town”… By the way, are those headlight bezels kosher, or is this another local transformation?
Only one Mopar product in this edition, but it’s a pretty massive one!
It’s impossible to hunt for CCs in Tokyo and not encounter a classic Jeep Wagoneer. This one was pretty far from original, but it still looked the part.
There are always a lot of Chevrolets about the place. One of the finest El Caminos I’ve had the pleasure of running into, for instance.
The odd first-gen Tahoe can also appear on occasion. Not many look as good as this one, though. Doubt this chunky 25-year-old AWD truck-based SUV has ever seen a puddle in its life.
Same with this 1966 Corvette, but in this case, that’s because a puddle might drown the engine. What I’d want to know is why the owner of this car decided to do that to it.
Classic G-Van alert! For some reason, I really liked this one. It was tatty, and tatty is good because it’s uncommon here, especially where imports are concerned.
It’s strange how popular these are here, along with the Dodge/Plymouth equivalent. Ford vans, on the other hand, are very rarely seen, except very recent ones. Maybe it’s just a case of Ford not bothering to offer these for sale on the Japanese market?
Always plenty of Caddy sightings in Tokyo and this summer was no different.
Not sure at all about this one, through. Looks like a Chevy in drag to me – like a Cimarron, but bigger.
It would be great to see this Fleetwood Brougham from all angles, as it was sold new in Japan. The amber turn signals and the Yanase sticker in the rear window do not lie.
The winner of the Detroiter of the summer award has to be this 1976 Eldorado gliding under the gingkoes.
We’ll have to end things on a British note. As seen behind the Eldorado, the Jingu Gaien alley was not just lined with gingko trees, but also with Caterhams.
And the odd Mini to boot, of course. Make that a pair of boots.
Money can’t buy taste. What it can buy is a metallic lilac 12-cyl. Bentley coupé.
Here’s an antidote to that eyesore of a Bentley: a scrumptious first generation Range Rover (1993, it seems?) in a cool and calming shade of green.
Never realized how spacious the rear seat seems to be in these things. The red carpet really ties the cabin together, though.
Another British icon: the FX4 taxi, born in 1959 as an Austin but built until 1997 under various badges.
Seen at the same place, which is a sort of Ye Olde England-style restaurant/pub/ballroom complex: a Rolls-Royce Corniche. Pretty sure they use this and/or the FX4 cab for weddings.
We’ve seen this exact car before. I crossed paths with it again on a rainy Sunday – worst oxymoron ever – and thought it looked even more British (and, dare I say, attractive) drenched in raindrops.
Remember the thing about money and purchasing taste? Like how they’re not really related and such? Another example for you.
For a country of rabid Anglophiles like Japan, it’s odd that I see so few MGs. This must be the third or fourth in two and a half years, which is not a lot.
Jaguars, on the other hand, are always around. Still have to find a decent XJS to write up – this one was ok I guess, but the owner returned and took off before I could capture more.
The XJ40s I see on occasion here are usually badged as Daimlers, interestingly enough. There aren’t too many of these in their home market, as I recall, but it seems the fluted grille really added cachet to these cars, in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The star of the summer, by a wide margin, was this Aston Martin DB4. I only managed one pic, but sometimes that’s all you need. What a sublime machine.
Will September and October bear better and more fruits? We’ll know in about sixty days. Till then…
Great collection.
Nothing says old meets new as much as an air-cooled bug with a COVID mask hanging from the light switch.
Regarding the lowered Corvette, it’s what I say to young people who start to regret their teenage acquired tattoos: “It must have seemed like a good idea at the time”.
“… Will September and October bear better and more fruits? ”
Funny you should mention bearing fruit because parking under ginkgo trees in a convertible in Autumn needs some care to see if the trees are male (ok) or female (not ok if about to drop their fruit). Of course I’ve read that ginkgos can change sex, but not immediately.
And that DB4. I’ve never seen a DB4 (or similar) roaming free anywhere, ever. Such a great find and color.
Wow, what a great first thing in the morning post ! .
I hope some day you chase old Motocycles and post thrm up .
I’m off to devour the W123 Mercedes thread .
-Nate
I think that the Town Car’s headlights are the correct ones for the RHD export market, they’re just a placeholder with little fixtures mounted inside and probably the easiest way to do that. They do look very weird and cobbled together, though.
I like that car, though. Using an uncommon imported luxury car, carved up, with the steering wheel on the wrong side to transport bodies when not a part of the funeral itself is interesting when minivans are more common there even than here.
Your posts are always a tasty buffet, although I particularly appreciate the Peugeots, the Autobianchi, and the Montreal.
Took me a minute to figure out why “rainy Sunday” is an oxymoron. 😉
The Range Rover’s ample rear legroom is because it’s a LWB version; all of the additional 8″ of wheelbase went to more rear legroom.
C1, C2 and C3 Corvettes like that were very common back in the 70s, when they were pretty cheap. Many/most that survived were restored back to original condition, but kudos to this owner for keeping it as a genuine period piece.
Yeah I find that a very era correct street machine, reminds me of the 67 Dennis Hopper drove in king of the mountain, only much nicer.
Wow nice crop of cars, you see more air cooled VWs than I do and I work in traffic, we have those Opels in 3 flavours Opel Vauxhall and the local rebadge Holden, you cant hurt 90s on PSA cars by leaving them outside factory galvanising fixed that I do like those 406 coupes nicer than the 407 which are easier to get here I looked at one recentlyon a local used lot, LOL turned out to be ex Japan, keep em coming.
It’s amazing how much money those old VW vans are worth. Especially the 23 window models. Nice bunch of cars.
I don’t remember those wheelcovers on US Fleetwoods. You ignored the photobombing ’59!
Ralph: You are talking about the white Brougham (Fleetwood) or the black front drive Fleetwood? If the black one, those were basically on most all of them. If the white one, which is the one I think you are talking about, they look like some strange combination of covers that were available here and an older style allow rim from the 50’s or 60’s. I’ve never seen those before either.
Below is the closest I could find to the white car’s. Perhaps the owner added the color. Probably 95% of them had fake wires.
The ’76 Eldorado had black centers on their wheelcovers, but an image search shows many people had them repainted body color, as seen on the convertible above and as was standard in ’77.
That ’59 has had its 5 minutes of fame already in the last edition (and at least once before that too…)
But if I ever were to catch it parked out front, you bet I’d snap away and post it on CC. Best variant of the 59 Caddy plus excellent colour, IMO.
The gray interior on the Grand Wagoneer is interesting, hereabouts the most common seem to be the Burgundy, then the light Tan, then Brown, but very rarely Gray to the point that I can’t recall ever seeing one that way.
I’ll take the combo plate of 944S2 with two sides of Autobianchi and Alfa Giulia from this month’s special menu please. And perhaps a small plate of 190E 2.3-16 to finish things off afterward. Thanks! (I do wonder what the chef’s recommendation would be though…)
Hehehe… The chef will also take the Autobianchi, but with a side of DB4 and ’55 Beetle. A sliver of 309 GTI for dessert, though I really shouldn’t.
What a smorgasbord, thank you! I like to take that Autobianchi for a spin, I’m sure it would be a hoot to drive. It also has the ‘whats that?’ factor.
Small correction to another brilliant post: the 850 is an R – the successor to the T-5R with 10 more horses and an alcantara interior with leather accents instead of the other way around. Both have the deep front spoiler but different anthracite 17 inch wheels – 5 spokes on the T-5R and 7(?) spokes on the R.
The T-5R was only available in yellow, black and dark green, so if it’s red, it’s not a T-5R.
I’d take the C2 ‘Vette. Looks absolutely awesome with the lowering and widebody treatment. Just mean.
That’s the setup Ford put on final-version Town Cars exported to countries where US-spec headlamps aren’t accepted. The pre-facelift export Town Cars had a composite headlamp with projector low beams and reflector high beams behind a common lens, made by whichever small-time company put in the lowest bid. After the facelift, Ford bought self-contained 90mm headlamp modules—Hella units or cheaper knockoffs—and just made a cheap bracket and chromed-ABS bezel for them, as seen on the car in this post. That saved a lot of money and effort; they could just install whatever lamp modules would meet the needs of the destination country.