Blast from the past! In the mid-‘90s in France, our neighbour had an Alfa 164 and seeing one twenty-five years later in this context was very odd. His was black with alloys, which looked better than this all-gray ensemble, but I’ll take it.
I caught this 2000 GT Veloce (from my balcony) a bit too late, but even in this far away and fuzzy form, it’s just too beautiful to leave out.
The first series of the modern (1998-2004) Multipla, on the other hand, is not what you might call beautiful. It is, however, one of the weirdest-looking Fiats ever made, so it absolutely had to join this post.
Maseratis are almost common in Tokyo. This drop-top GranCabrio version, though, is a rare sight. And rather a pretty one, too – especially in that dark maroon.
Which is more than I can say about the dreaded 1992-99 Ghibli II. These are rare cars and I’m not a fan, so I thought seeing on in Bangkok last year would fill my lifetime quota. Not so, of course. Could fate send me a Mistral, a Khamsin or a series 1 Quattroporte next time?
I caught and posted this (probably fake) Cobra in last month’s sum-up, but it was at rest in its lair. This month, it just burbled past me on the street one morning. The driver stopped at the curb, hopped out and crossed the street to talk to somebody. The car was just sat there, unoccupied, the engine running.
Leaving one’s car or bike idling at the curbside or in a parking lot is a common occurrence here. I have yet to get used to it. Was I tempted to hop in, grab that Nardi wheel and drive off, Thelma & Louise style, into a V8-powered spree of open-topped lawlessness and abandon? For half a second, maybe.
Another car I’m really unsure about. Is this a Caterham, a Panther or one of the dozen other Morgan / Lotus Seven wannabes out there? Not my bag.
Genuine Lotuses are not uncommon, as we’ve already established (and will again soon in more detail). The Toyota-powered Elise / Exige, which have been in production for over two decades now, are especially popular here. Even down by the railroad tracks.
I hadn’t seen a Bentley saloon in a while – it’s all coupes and Bentyagas these days – so I snapped this one in traffic. This is a recent Mulsanne; I later learned that they’re discontinuing these this year, along with the 6.75 litre V8, which the Crewe factory has been making since 1959. So here’s to the oldest V8 in continuous production.
I have zero knowledge about two-wheeled Triumphs, but this one seemed interesting and old. Can the CCommentariat identify it? Is the front wheel supposed not to have a mudguard like that? Depending on the road and the weather, that must be a bit messy…
Someone around here likes both classic Minis and front-engined Porsches. Kind of an odd mix of genres, but evidently it works for some.
Another group shot, taken in a very fancy part of town. I didn’t dare get too close, lest I set off some sort of alarm or something – it seemed like a “release the hounds” kind of place. Plus, I wanted to get those four cars in one pic. Latest Century, AMG versions of the SL and the G-Wagen, and Maybach 650: that’s a million-dollar four-car garage right there.
Maybe the Pagoda I caught (and panned) a couple months ago was a particularly awkward one. Dressed in black with Euro headlights, it’s not a bad-looking car. Plus this angle sort of fixes the roof’s excessive height.
We’ve met before, haven’t we, Miss yellow Benz W114? Yes, I remember now, about two months ago – at your place. Nice to see you out and about, and to get a look at your handsome rear end.
This E30 saloon was so incredibly clean, like it had just been imported from its native Bayern…
Same deal with this -02 from the late ‘60s / early ’70s. Well, it’s 99% likely that it was restored at some point, given the reputation these have as regards rust, but it sure looks great now (from afar). That medium gray colour really suits it, too.
The good old second gen Jetta. Familiar to all, regardless of where we were when these came out – a true global car. As always, this Japanese-spec model in absolutely pristine condition, which I’m pretty sure is part of the definition of the term “Japanese-spec”. Not sure why it has that license plate, as it’s clearly a post-1988 car.
June 2020 was not a good vintage for French cars, unfortunately. One curio though: this old-fashioned Citroën sign was sighted in the area. This is the marque’s pre-PSA logo, used back in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The sign looks suspiciously well-preserved to be that old, but you never know. The Subaru one looks like it dates back to the ‘80s or ‘90s. No representative of either marque was to be found in the immediate whereabouts. Weird.
Even in a drought of French vehicles, hardly a month goes by without a Renault 4 sighting.
On the other hand, June provided a bumper crop of American vehicles. I had found a 1965 Chevrolet El Camino a few months back, and it looks like the owner has a thing for mid-‘60s Chevies. This customized 1964 Impala coupé was also there – I just hadn’t seen it behind the pickup.
I’m sure many of you will find this C5 Corvette common beyond belief, but I see more Bentleys or Maseratis than C5s in my neck of the woods. Besides, I have a bit of a soft spot for this generation, especially in black.
Another Buick “Regal Estate” with the de rigueur plastiwood flanks. The immortal A-Body wagon is alive and well in the Land of the Rising Sun, hauling a bunch of things that just can’t fit in the missus’ kei car.
Speaking of wild wagons of the West, were you aware that the 2001-10 PT Cruiser was something of a hit in Japan? Chrysler apparently shifted over 10,000 of these here, which is a pretty good score for a quirky American wagon. Retro styling is always appreciated by the Japanese customer.
I’ve seen a few about, but this yellow late model example, festooned with a record number of aftermarket embellishments, just had to be shared with a wider audience.
In the minivan department, another heavily modified Mopar creation was unearthed this month, in the form of this early ‘90s Dodge Caravan. Atrocious, but then again, it’s just an old Caravan. We’ll get over it.
On the other hand, this early ‘90s Chevrolet Astro seemed impeccably preserved and completely stock. Still not my cup of tea, but I’m glad it’s found a good home.
Now that’s more like it! Correct me if I’m wrong, but this looks like a 1969 or 70 Ford Econoline. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen one in the metal before, but these are somewhat familiar for being extras on the American shows that I watched when I was a kid, dubbed in French on the state-run TV (three channels, that’s all you got!). I might have seen these on The Six Million Dollar Man, The Streets of San Francisco or Starsky & Hutch.
Or am I thinking of Scooby-Doo? This green Mystery Machine, with a half-century of labour under its belt, has an appropriate amount of patina on the outside, as well as wear and tear on the inside.
Finally, a Continental Mark V – sans vinyl roof, strangely enough. Even with those silly wheels, this gargantuan Broughamtastic late ‘70s shape is still striking.
It was a dark time in Detroit when these came off the assembly line, yet they still had plenty of the old magic. Appropriately, I caught this one as the sun was setting. The symbolism was a bit on the nose, but then there was never anything too subtle about these cars anyway.
Here’s hoping July will bring a good CC harvest!
I am all over that Ford van – those have gone almost extinct in salted-road territory. That interior shows that this was one of the high-spec versions, with the fancy woodgrain on the door panel and the two-tone vinyl on the seat. I spent a lot of time in a stripper version of one of these, and lemme tell ya, this is what luxury looks like. 🙂
That Mark V sans vinyl roof is really nice. If only you could get the painted roof and no opera window.
Some great finds there, thank you! My god thats one ugly power pole outside your balcony!
Excellent finds and pics. With its ‘desert’ colour scheme, and body-coloured wheels, the PT Cruiser looks almost like a WW2 staff car.
I love that Ghibli II, and find it a superb shape, however I do have strange tastes sometimes, also being a fan of all the others you mention. I’d much rather look at this than the current Ghibli for example, the disjointedness is precisely what makes it interesting. Could the Maserati BiTurbo be the car body/chassis that has been redesigned and re-engineered into more different models than any other out there whilst overall selling in the smallest total volume?
The rest of the selection is interesting as well, even the C5 Corvette. I don’t know about everyone else but around here you tend to see whatever the current generation is most often in daily traffic and then anything more than one or two generations older than that is usually relegated to the garage and only sees to come out on special days or occasions even though C5s are cheap as chips these days.
The Triumph motorcycle is from the classic era, early-mid ’60s Bonneville. No, they came with fenders.
That powerpole outside your balcony is impressive. I’m surprised Japan hasn’t gone all underground with utilities, like in Europe.
That Multipla is one truly hideous Fiat!
That red taxi in the last photo looks like a Toyota Corona from the late ’70s or early ’80s. Did that retro style linger until recent years in Japan?
To me, it seems that Japan may be one of the rare places where the Multipla fits right in… among other quasi-retro, quasi-spaceballs vehicles. Definitely an acquired taste – for the very few.
The Multipla makes more sense when you drive one – but the Honda FRV did it better.
The red taxi is a Nissan Cedric Sedan, produced from 1987 until 2014.
Almost all JDM taxis or ‘business sedans’ pretty much remained stuck in a conservative late-80s timewarp (this Nissan, the Nissan Crew, Toyota Comfort, Toyota Crown Comfort, Toyota Crown Sedan, plus the rare others from Mazda, Mitsubishi etc. that died in the late 90s). These models were replaced in the last couple of years by the Toyota JPN Taxi and Nissan NV200 Taxi (converted by Autech), although I believe the Nissan is not common.
What a coincidence! I saw Ford Econoline like in the photo above but in silver colour today as I walked around in Schwabing neighbourhood in Munich.
I’m always glad to see one of those Regal Estates, even if it’s a long-distance balcony shot. I can understand the cross-cultural appeal of the A-body wagon, with its wood sides and anachronistic charm. But I’m perplexed by someone similarly preserving the Astro. Great vans, with a good reputation, but I’d love to know how/why folks on a another continent would develop an interesting in them.
Interesting about the 6.75L V8 — Since I don’t pay much attention to ultra-luxury cars, I actually hadn’t realized that engine was still being used. Well, it’s had quite a run!
These “singles” posts from Japan are my favourite posts on CC at the moment, such a wonderful variety!
I’s love to see more Renault 4s around here, and I haven’t seen a Multipla of that era for quite a while. I would be very happy to own either.
If you’re thinking American TV shows and that generation Econoline Raymond Burr in Ironside is the one that immediately pops to mind.
You likely remember the Econoline thanks to the Bond film Diamonds Are Forever:
They did screwy continuity in the film however; note the not same shade of green:
The open sports car is a Caterham 7 of some type. There is a bewildering range to choose from, from nigh on 50 years of production. Engines range from the obvious (Ford and Rover 4 cylinders) to the surprising – Honda Fireblade.
One often cited as the pick of the range is the 160, which has a 600cc turbocharged Suzuki Kei car engine, and can actually qualify as a kei car if detuned.
Model names are based on the bhp/ton, hence the 160 name. The range tops out at the 620R – do the maths…..