CC Outtakes: T87’s Singles Collection (September-October 2023) – Part 3: Foreign Cars (German, Italian & French)

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– Posted on November 3, 2023

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Onwards to the final instalment of this customary outtakes series and we’ll kick things off with a gorgeous VW Type 3 combi. Easily in my personal top three for air-cooled Volkswagens, this. The other two would be the Karmann-Ghia Type 34 and older Beetles, if you must know.

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This one is pretty close to perfect, in my book. Older would be even better, of course.

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A little younger than the black one, but still pretty ancient. And it was sold here new, back in the late ‘60s. The colour is the main fly in the ointment. Not a fan of those fog lamps, either.

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Same colour issue here, but compounded by a myriad of others. Still, it’s a cabriolet and it’s in great nick. Swing axles and roundabouts.

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The usual throng of Transporters was there, of course. This one was uncharacteristically tatty, at least on the outside.

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For once, the black bumpers have the T87 stamp of approval. As does the entire vehicle, for that matter.

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This one looked like it developed a suspicious interest in potted plants. You’re not going to find anything in there worth smoking, dude. Give it up!

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The sole water-cooled VW will be this very presentable mk2 Jetta. To which I can only add: meh. Let’s move on to the BMWs.

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Sweet little E30 with the smaller (if not quite the smallest) 4-cyl. – perfect for Japan. But some folks here also went for the bigger ones…

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…Especially if they still fit within the limits of the local tax band system, which this E28 did. So there are plenty of those about as well.

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Oversized BMWs are less common, of course. But some do exist, like this E24. Pity they invariably get shod with ugly oversized rims as well.

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Saved the best for last, naturally. The fender mirrors look pretty organic on a car of this era.

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What happened in the merry world of the three-pointed star these past couple of months? Quite a lot, actually. Let’s start with the SLs – very nice shade of green on this Pagoda…

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Less crazy about the silver, but it is a Benz SL, so that does go with the territory.

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Plenty of R107s to report, too. All of them are later models, though.

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Make that a very late model. These cars are pretty ageless in profile. And without the chunky US bumpers.

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With 240hp under the bonnet, the 500SL was the most powerful of the breed, but was not sold in Japan officially. This one must be a grey market model, though the license plate looks like it’s as old as the car.

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Nope. Not going to say anything about those wheels. Don’t even try. Zip it. Just enjoy the rest of this W114 coupé.

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If it weren’t for that satanic license plate, this could be the very same W123 wagon I wrote up back in 2020.

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Not many W140s in these parts, so a quick pic was warranted. But then the AMG badge got my attention. As did the V12 script on the C-pillar. But Wikipedia says no AMG V12 for the W140 saloon, only the coupé. This is a head-scratcher. Or just someone slapping badges on an old S-Class?…

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Gah! My eyes! So much money, so little taste.

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Can’t pass up an early 911, even if it has a piece of toilet plumbing for an exhaust.

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A well-hidden Japanese market Porsche 356B “60” (i.e. 60hp DIN, the base model) was uncovered. Not totally uncovered, but visible enough. One must take what one can.

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The Porsche of the (couple of) months was a gem of a 356 SC. The luggage rack looks like a miniature pipe organ.

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It took a little legwork to driveby-shoot this little beauty, but well worth it.

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It’s time to switch to the Italian section, starting with this scrumptious little antipasto an Autobianchi A112 Abarth that whizzed by, one fine day.

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Just cannot seem to be able to avoid these Delta Integrales. Hope you won’t mind.

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If you’re not married to the red, how about a dark grey? Not bad either, isn’t it?

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Fewer Alfas than usual, this time. But some. Not the best version of the Spider, but that dark red sure works well.

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I’m partial to the 166, especially pre-facelift cars (1998-2003) like this one. Interesting that it has a similar maroon as the Spider. CC works in mysterious ways.

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It just wouldn’t be right not to have a Bertone 105 coupé. Have no fear, Tokyo will provide.

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Why do I keep running into these horrid so-called Ghiblis? Enough is enough! And with gold wheels, to add insult to injury.

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Ah, the Diablo SV. Such a discreet and understated motorcar.

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Can you believe I found another Dino 208GT4? These are very rare and most stayed in Italy, but it looks like a few were sold in Japan back then as well. The first one I found was yellow – this black one was even nicer.

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The wedgy designs of the ‘70s are not always easy on the eye, but this one sure is. Bertone for the win!

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There were a lot of prancing horses on the Jingu Gaien, that Sunday. But none were as significant as this BB.

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Same place, different Sunday, very different Ferrari. The F40 (1987-92) was the last one launched prior to Enzo Ferrari’s passing. Quite the testament.

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From the fantasy world of the red supercar we return to gritty reality in the shape of a yellow Fiat Panda 4×4. Jarring transition though it may be, the truth is that there were a lot more Fiat sightings this time than usual. And we have to start somewhere, so it might as well be at the very bottom of the range.

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Yellow Fiat number two couldn’t be more different than number one. Not all Coupés are this well-preserved, even in this country. Don’t worry, that’s it for “modern” front-drive Fiats. Only classics from now on.

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We will start small and slow with the 500. They’re everywhere. And iconic.

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This could have been a kei car (at least, that’s what I thought when I spotted it in the distance), but it turned out to be my first 850 sighting in the wild of the concrete jungle I call home.

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On the other hand, there are other 600 Multiplas about – one will have its CC at some point. But they’re incredible vehicles nonetheless. A true master class in how to do a lot with not very much.

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Something pretty special: a 1948 Fiat 1100 racer. Not your run-of-the-mill grocery-getter – there’s not a lot of cargo space, for a start. Just the bare minimum to be street-legal.

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Why did he not park that gorgeous Dino on the curb and give me a chance to give it the attention it so clearly deserves? Life is unfair.

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I was wondering about the Peugeot 405 – or rather, the lack thereof – in Japan. Well, we have proof positive that at least one has made it to 2023.

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Plenty of 2CVs puttering around town, of course. Not nearly as many as the Minis, Fiat 500s or VW Beetles, but they’re still a relatively frequent visitor.

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I’m surprised how many seem to have been sold here new, like this mid-‘80s Charleston.

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This particular shade was known as Bleu Célèste (celestial blue) in the Citroën catalogue, by the way. A very apt name, as these photos can attest.

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Still running into the odd C6, once in a while. I wonder how many were sold in Japan It was a major dud pretty much everywhere, yet there are quite a few to be found here, at least in Tokyo.

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Xantias were somewhat popular here in the late ‘90s; we’ve seen a few already. Wagons are less common though. And this one has had a bad brush with something that did not agree with its world view.

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I was in the middle of kicking myself for having missed a superb mid-‘60s DS wafting by, when this first series CX floated into view. Gotcha! At least, there would be one classic hydro Citroën for the latest T87 Outtakes.

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The Renault haul was, not unexpectedly, heavy on the 4s. This first came in the form of a pretty tatty late model GTL, taken virtually on my front door.

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The sun was working against me on this black TL, but it was a far more interesting find, being an old dash MY 1978-80 example.

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Eagle-eyed readers (geddit?) will recognize this as a Renault 21. First one I’ve caught out here, I believe.

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But let’s end things on a higher and fresher note – something Alpine-scented, for instance? The GTA (1985-91) was nothing more than a re-hash of the A310, but the design still looked pretty good for its age.

Well, that’s it for this edition of the T87 Outtakes; the next one will take place in January 2024. Now back to our regularly scheduled CC program.

 

 

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