T87 Singles Collection, Winter 2025 Edition – Part 2: Foreign Cars (British, French & American)

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– Posted on April 2, 2025

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Welcome to the import section of our little tour. Let’s jump right in and ogle some 55-year-old fiberglass in the shape of a lovely Lotus Elan. I must have gone past that car dozens of times, but never saw it because it was always under a tarp. Then, one fine day…

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They venerate Lotuses here, but that doesn’t mean they don’t go for a few mods on occasion. Bet this one is faster now than when it was born.

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I’m no good at identifying Esprits, but would this be an X180 Turbo from about 1988-89? The lack of a rear spoiler is notable, almost as much as the JPS livery.

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We have a few MGs to review, of course. This prewar beauty is, I believe, an F-Type with a tiny (1271cc) 6-cyl. engine made in 1931 or 32.

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I wrote up one of these MG TCs not too long ago, but if I had seen this one first, I think I’d have gone with it.

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Perfect restoration, very nice colour, spirited temperament – T87 approves.

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No approval will be granted to this late-model US market MGB, however. Interesting to see the confrontation with the Mazda roadster that took the MG’s place…

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I’ve seen a few Ginettas at the Meiji Jingu Sunday meets by now, but they remain a bit of a conundrum: are these old cars with modern touches, or are they just plain new(-ish) car made to look like classics?

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Looks like the genuine article – that tailpipe is a bit weird, but aside from that…?

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Hard to believe this TVR Speed 6 is a quarter century old.

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A couple of late-model E-Types for you: would you rather go for this white roadster…

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…or this US market red coupé? Tough choice, isn’t it? Let’s take a look at the coupé a bit more.

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Those massive front bumper overriders look dreadful, but that profile and that dashboard still have the Jag magic.

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A superbly-preserved XJ40 is always worth a quick snap.

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A Daimler Double-Six, on the other hand, is worth a bit of legwork.

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We’ve already had the pleasure of seeing this Zagato-made Aston before, but given that we crossed paths again, I thought another look might be warranted. Conclusion: it’s still weird.

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This is essentially the same car, but with the standard Aston Martin body. Easier on the eyes.

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R-R Phantom VIIs are rather extreme even in standard trim, but this one took things to a dark place. The Flying Lady mascot looked like it was made of frosted glass.

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The Bentley Azure (1995-2003) is not be the best-looking car with a winged B on its nose, but it sure has presence.

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The better Bentley sighting was this drop-dead gorgeous S2 Continental coupé, no contest.

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I really hope I’ll see it again – hopefully not in motion. The proportions of this two-door design are a significant improvement over the four-door Flying Spur we saw recently.

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Before we move on to the Froggish stuff, a quick tour of this adorable Triumph motorcycle. I do hope someone with the knowledge will ID it and let us know what it is exactly, because it’s beyond me.

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Ah, the immortal Renault 4. For once, this one looks like it would in its home country – faded paint, replacement panels, rusty bumper. A perfect re-creation of the genuine article.

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The Recaro seats are a bit much, but the Alpine steering wheel cannot be faulted. Bravo!

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See, this is all wrong and tasteless, like pasteurized cheese. Too clean, too straight. They never looked like that, even on the showroom floor.

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Sporty little Renaults have a small but dedicated following here. These Super 5 GTs were imported here back in the late ‘80s / early ‘90s; a few have survived to tell the tale.

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In most European markets, these were just known as the Twingo RS. In Japan, the magic Gordini name was applied in 2011-12 to add a dash of nostalgic exclusivity.

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Alpine A110s did not look like this in 1967, except maybe racing variants. Impressive example, nonetheless.

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I do have another A110 in my files, so no worries, a full CC post about these is on the cards for this year.

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The lone representative of the Citroën marque shall be this dignified early ‘70s DS 21 with a vinyl top and SM stainless steel wheels.

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The Peugeot of the season will be a ravishing 406 Coupé in the best colour these ever wore, the bleu Byzance.

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We seamlessly move from blue Peugeots to blue Ovals, crossing the Atlantic while we’re at it. This very clean Ford van bears a temporary license plate.

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I like my ’67 Mustangs plain and unmolested. Add a nice blue colour and a fastback roof, and what we have is a winner.

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Aha! The white Park Avenue pokes its grille outside again. Nice to see it’s still out and about.

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We’ve seen this one before, but always on the move. It finally landed (butt first) last week so I could capture the interior. Smokin’, isn’t it?

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This is more a preview than anything else. Both of these classy Caddies were extensively photographed and will have their day on CC at some point.

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I don’t know what I hate more: ‘90s cars with 22-inch rims or these.

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Why didn’t Cadillac do a Blackwood? Because it would have been a joke. Maybe not as funny as this, though.

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The sweetest-looking El Caminos were the late ‘60s ones, in my opinion. And this one’s being legitimately used as a pickup truck, too.

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Not sure what the 69 on the license plate is referring to, as this Scottsdale is more of a late ‘70s truck.

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The Chevy of the season has to be this ’66 Impala convertible. Great addition to that collection of lilac cars we’ve had on CC of late – though this one is not AI-generated.

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I was a little slow to the draw on this Excalibur. But a drama had just unfolded at the other end of the tree-lined avenue, so I was a little distracted.

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Our friend in the DeLorean saw that the avenue was being closed off, so he did a U-turn. He still wanted to park his pride and joy at the curb, though. He went up the road a few feet, stopped and quickly engaged reverse to parallel-park in front of that white Lotus…

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…and smashed, with a painful “crunch” sound, into the front end of this huge Alphard van that had crept up behind. This photo was taken a few moments later, after the DeLorean was parked and the Alphard moved in front of it. Both drivers were on the phone (with their respective insurers, I suppose).

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The Alphard’s grille was a bit worse for wear, of course. But it handled the shock pretty well. And it’s all replaceable at your nearest Toyota garage anyway.

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The DeLorean’s right-rear quadrant, on the other hand, was going to need a bit more work. It was entirely this poor DMC12’s fault. Guess that cool louvered rear end doesn’t help much with visibility. But then I am saying that with the benefit of hindsight.

 

See you tomorrow for yet another helping of imports!

 

 

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