CC Outtakes: T87’s Singles Collection (June 2020) – Part 1: Japanese Cars

Another month, another compilation of Tokyo CC sightings. Let’s start by taking a little Cappuccino, shall we? That’ll give us a bit of pep to start the post. Bon appétit !

Staying with Suzuki, here’s a late model second generation Jimny (1990-95) that has had a few curious personal touches, starting with the paint job. These wheels are also interesting – they look like they should be on a Citroën 2CV rather than a kei 4×4.

Interior is standard ‘90s Jimny, except the steering wheel of course. This one has the 3-speed auto, but a 5-speed manual was available. The latest Jimny, launched two years ago, hails back to this one in many ways. It’s not exported beyond a few Asian markets yet, as far as I know. Maybe I should do a post on that sometime.

Ok, let’s front-load the weird stuff then. Here’s a Daihatsu Midget II trapped in a net. Talk about a catch.

The Mitsuoka Viewt of the month – I like the British racing green on this one, really goes well with the mock-Jag physique.

Our second Mitsuoka this month is a Ray. Initial cars were based on the Mazda Carol, but this 1999-2002 series II four-door is a modified Daihatsu Gino. Less trouble-prone than a Wolseley Hornet / Riley Elf and roomier inside – what’s not to like?

Mitsuoka number three is a recent Ryugi wagon — though not a hybrid, this time. They’re still being made today, I believe, but are not seen in great numbers: this is only the second one I witnessed in the past twelve months.

Barbie’s Suzuki- or Subaru-based VW van makes an appearance. Sore eyes just got sorer.

The last time I saw one of these Takeoka Abbey cars, it was slowly turning to dust in a yard somewhere in Gunma Prefecture. Haven’t seen many 50cc microcars in Tokyo, but that’s probably because they’re so easy to hide.

Taking it to the extreme, weirdo-wise. Not sure what this dekotora madness is based on (Mitsubishi?) and really not sure what the heck those things are on the roof. Could be the warp drive.

By comparison, the 2000-01 Toyota Will VI is almost normal. Almost.

Same with its immediate successor, the 2002-05 Will Cypha. Very appropriate colour – you wouldn’t want anything too discreet on a car like this.

What a sorry sight. This 1989-92 Chaser X80, kitted and customized to near spaceship level, is slowly going to seed, its dreams of galactic exploration in tatters.

The AE86 Corolla of the month – a Levin liftback this time, and quite a lovely one at that.

And this would be the FWD successor, the 1987-91 Corolla AE92, in sporty Sprinter Tureno trim.

From roughly the same era (1985-89), but with a bit more prestige, a 2-litre T160 Celica came out to play in the rain. June is quite a wet month here, so even interesting cars cannot always be kept dry.

This is a 1995-2001 Crown S150 saloon, which in and of itself is not particularly noteworthy. But this one is a private taxi, which makes it one of the oldest active cabs in my area and something of an oddity. I had seen it about, but it looks like I caught it at home this time.

From 1991 to 2018, the Crown Majesta was the highest grade of Toyota saloon available for private use (the Century is not bought, it’s offered). This is the third generation S170 Majesta (1999-2004), probably a 6-cyl., as it lacks a V8 badge. These are surprisingly rare here now in their market of origin, whereas I used to see many in Rangoon. Guess they all migrated south.

The X70 Mark II wagon of the month – with a giant mustachioed chef’s head looking on. Because Japan.

Finally, to put a bow on June’s contingent of Toyotas, this cute little P60 Starlet came my way. Looks like a 1980-83 model, just prior to the Starlet switching over to FWD.

Over to the Nissan side of things, I caught an early model 1982-86 Pulsar N12 poking its head out…

More interesting (to me anyway) was this 1989-91 Pao. They’re not all that common and this is the first one I’ve managed to capture. Lovely detailing on these. The quasi-obligatory baby blue suits it well, too.

The 1988-94 S13 Sylvia, known as the 240SX in the US, is the embodiment of the 30-year-old classic RWD coupé. And is therefore has quite a following – more so than its overgrown successor, in any case.

Just as classic – even more so, in fact: a 1987-91 Cedric Y31 Brougham saloon, the original version of the Y31 taxi that still prowls the local pavement in substantial numbers.

And this is the follow-up: the 1991-95 Cedric Y32 hardtop, showing its age. And set against a rather grimy backdrop, too. Tokyo back alleys are not all manicured gardens and wooden temples…

Another couple of consecutive generations of the same nameplate: this is the C34 Laurel (1993-97), a Skyline with a different body.

And here’s the C35 Laurel, made from 1997 to 2002 – the eighth and final generation. They’re attractive cars, but they lack the Skyline’s charisma and are far less common nowadays than old Skylines.

The final Nissan this month is a Homy van. This generation came in late 1980 and lasted until mid-1986, but this one’s square lights make it a post-1983 model. A true time-capsule, and one I’d never encountered before.

I just wrote up one of these C30-series Mitsubishi Jeeps. Found this one in early June, but there was no way I could get anything but a quick snap out of it. A lot of them were two-toned like this one.

This one was impossible to photograph from any other angle – the front end was covered up. Which is kind of a shame, as you don’t see 1971-75 Galant FTOs every day. This one is the super-caliente GSR (if the badge on the rear is to be believed), originally with a twin-carb OHC 1.6 providing 110hp to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual. It’s like a miniature Boss Mustang.

Not sure why I keep running into dead Isuzus — I’ve reported about a Bellel on a spike, a clapped out Florian and two biodegrading 117 coupes so far, and now this! Here lie the rusty remains of a late model of the well-known GM world car known here as the 1974-87 Isuzu Gemini. Not sure of the exact year — it’s a post 1983 in any case, given the absence of fender mirrors.

It’s strange how few photo-worthy Hondas have crossed my path so far. This month was different. For starters, this wagon caught my eye the other day. The more I looked at it, the more I wondered if I’d ever seen one before.

And I probably hadn’t, because the sixth generation (1997-2002) Accord wagon was strictly a JDM thing, apparently. The wagon was available with the 2.3 litre engine found on the Odyssey, so this Accord has pace to match that space. This one has the post-2000 facelift grille.

Hondas are better in small packages, though. It was their thing for the longest time. The 1991-96 Beat is always a joy to see. Caught this one in traffic, but managed to find it again parked shortly thereafter. The difference in size and styling between that mid-engined kei roadster and the whale-like Toyota Alphard next to it is shocking.

Ah, the old dependable Civic hatchback. I had a quick look at the model’s Wikipedia page and was surprised to learn of the four-door notchback, which looks like a completely different car. Never saw those in Europe or anyplace else – but they’re so anonymous, I could have not registered them. The three-door hatchback, now that was “the Civic.” These were very popular in Europe back in the day (1989-95), so bumping into one looking so fresh brought back a flood of memories.

And finally, a sweet little Z360. Honda made these zany FWD mini coupés from 1970 to 1974. Export models could get a 600cc twin, but JDM cars made do with 360cc only. This is a post-1972 car, it seems, due to the honeycomb grille.

It’s a damn shame I never worked up the courage to trespass into that garage (it’s not too far from here I live), but there always seems to be someone in there – sometimes working on this car, too.

See you tomorrow for the gaijin mobiles.