T87’s Singles Collection, Spring 2026 Edition – Part 3: Foreign Cars (Mostly German)

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– Posted on July 7, 2026

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Sorry I had to pause the delivery of this trimester’s Singles Collection, but there were two factors to contend with: current scheduling issues on my end and the gargantuan amounts of photos to be processed, notably as relates to German cars. Scores of BMWs, boatloads of Benzes, fleets of Porsches and a veritable infestation of Beetles. These two split windows (one of which we’ve seen in great detail not long ago) were just the tip of the iceberg.

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Some members of this Beetle invasion were a tad on the ripe side. But that was a minority…

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I scored a major haul of air-cooled VWs in and around this parking lot, one Sunday morning. Clearly, some sort of get-together was going on.

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Not every single one was outstanding – some were just nice and clean…

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Very interesting colour choice on this oval window with fabric top. I’m guessing this is a fairly recent US import, judging by the turn signals.

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On colour alone, this ’66 might be my pick of the bugs.

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Seems that roof racks are a popular accessory in this particular Beetle community.

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I’m certainly no expert, but I doubt this one would have come off the production line looking exactly like this. That strange dash was apparently used in Brazil in the ‘80s/’90s.

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This is what a late ‘60s Japanese market Beetle should look like: no bumper overriders, RHD and pretty damn basic.

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There were other air-cooled VWs besides Beetles at that little meet-up (and elsewhere around town, of course). The other Transporter photobombing this one may have its day on CC at some juncture…

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Many of these are static displays for stores and/or coffee shops around town. There are worse ways to retire.

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T1s are routinely given the rusty/patina look. Some of them are more advanced/ripe than others…

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Yeah, that’s more like it… if you’re into that sort of thing…

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Novel way to position the tailpipe there, through the rusted-out rear panel.

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Only one K-G to report, but it certainly had its quirks!

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Love the air bag gag. Less enthralled by the big muffler, but hey, swing axles and roundabouts.

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Blue Type 3 notchbacks are not routinely encountered in Tokyo, right? Right?

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Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. Kind of depends what you mean by “routinely.”

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Three’s my limit, though. I think I’ve made my point.
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A fine 1967 Squareback will make for a perfect pause in the air-cooled madness – we’ll get back to it when we look at Porsches.

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First time I’ve seen the Oettinger version of the T3.
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A few Golfs to round out the VW part of this post, starting with this immaculate Cabrio.

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The GTI got a 16-valve 1.8 litre engine for MY 1986. But maybe the best A2 Golf was the one that came from the Alps…

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That’s the third Golf Country I’ve unearthed in Tokyo. Body by VW, drivetrain by Steyr-Puch – a crossover before crossovers were a thing.

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I have questions. Why is this Isetta stuck in this building lobby? Why is there a Yamaha racing bike in there with it? Bonus question: can they be rescued?

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Lots of -02s to get to, which is always good. This one’s originally from the US, I think…

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The highly desirable Tii, in the metal! Not crazy about the front spoiler, but otherwise excellent.

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Most cars look bad with 5mph bumpers. The BMW 2002 looks ridiculous.

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Woah, is that a 1997 3.0CSi? No, just a random license plate number, which looks like it’s original to the car.

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This M-odified E28 is also a Japanese market car. But I think we can do better.

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The ultra-rare Alpina version! Now we’re talking best of Bayern.

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As luck would have it, I found the E30 version as well.

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Very discreet “M” markings on this one, and not much of a body kit. Is that how they should look?

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I mean, this M-less four-door has more extra bits on it, by comparison. Such as a rear spoiler.

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One final Alpina before we move to other German delights. This is the 1988-92 B10 3.5, one of 572 units produced.

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I must confess I drew a blank on this one when I saw this rather frightening thing. It’s an Appollo IE (Intensa Emozione), built in Baden-Württemberg since 2019. It has a mid-mounted 6.3 litre V12 derived from Ferrari and can probably go very fast indeed. Only 10 have been made thus far. This car was part of a pretty outstanding display at Bingo Sports, a famously exclusive auction house – more on that below.

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Another Bingo Sports display was this curious-looking Porsche. This is one of 19 Porsche 356 B “Carrera GTL Zagato Sanction Lost” made in Italy over the past few years. It’s a 1959 Zagato design that never saw production, only to be actually manufactured (on genuine Porsche 356 B chassis) 60-odd years later. Interesting concept.

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Here’s one that kept its original body, seen at the Nihonbashi classic car show. Not that it was the only one encountered…

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Lovely cream-coloured 356 C, found close to Tokyo Tower.

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Same same, but in black – what’s your preference?

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Actually, a nice dark green might be the better option. And it’s an SC, so what’s not to like?

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It’s hard to improve on an early model 912.

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OK, it’s not like I exactly hate later 912s, but the early ones’ three-dial dash is just irresistibly basic. And the more dynamic 912 script looks better too. Details matter.

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I know I tried to keep the 911s to a minimum last time. It was a little more difficult this spring, even though I applied some pretty severe criteria.

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Early targas just look so good. What can I do? Ignore them? Just wouldn’t be right.

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That’s a ’71 model, if the license plate is any indication. Still pretty much perfect, though trouble would be coming soon enough.

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I’m no 911 expert, but I’m aware that this ’73 Carrera RS might get some of you salivating profusely. Pavlov’s Porsche.

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Shoutout to Jim Klein, who gave me a lot of help on this one. It’s a 930 Turbo Flachbau (“Slantnose” or Flatnose), most probably a 1989 model. I think I’d seen one of these before, but never registered how rare and expensive they are. Pretty ugly, too.

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No front-engined Porsches to report, but a 914 or two to round off the count. Perfect period colour on this 4-cyl. example…

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The far more exclusive 6-cyl. version was there too.

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“Exclusive,” in this instance, does not mean “more luxurious.” Just a lot more oomph.

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This Maybach 62 is taunting me, as it’s routinely parked in front of this gas station. There are just too many eyes on it to do a proper photo shoot.

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And there are those cones in front of it that would ruin the all-important profile shot. Ah well… I’ll just have to be patient.

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Down in Benz country, the spring was sweet and often open-topped.

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OK, I genuinely don’t know what happened there. Looks terminal.

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Ah, that’s better. Pristine condition, massive V8, sunroof, no B-pillars… T87 approves.

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There were a lot of SLs about, including the usual C107 contingent. These are two different cars, though it might not appear so at first glance.

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Classier in black, and the 500 SL badge (which is not super common, in my experience) made this one stand out.

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These earlier alloys do suit the car better, though.

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Just like for Porsche 911s, I do try to keep the W123s to a manageable number. Encountering a coupé does call for a quick snap or two, of course.

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I likewise have a weakness for W123 wagons… mea culpa…

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This is not the first W123 specialist I’ve come across in Tokyo. Lots of wagons in this one, apart from that 230 saloon (and the R107 in the garage).

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The annual Nihonbashi show had a number of excellent highlights – this 1973 W114 Coupé being one of them.

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We’ve entered the Pagoda section, folks. There’s no going back.

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Not super keen on the sealed beams, but the colours (both the body and the fabric top) on this late model are sublime.

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Mind you, this one’s not bad either.

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The sole 2.3 litre model found was cream-coloured with a brown top.

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I still haven’t seen a 300SL in the wild. Someday, I’m sure. In the meantime, here’s that legend’s little sister.

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We’ll end the post on a couple of W111 coupés – the cream of the crop, as far as I’m concerned.

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Late V8-powered model there, obviously of North American origin. Glorious cars by any measure.

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Let’s end on a “huh?” with this Steyr-Daimler-Puch-branded G-Wagen. Looks suspiciously recent to be sporting the S-D-P insignia, but who knows. And in a city where standard or AMG-badged G-Wagens are basically everywhere, this does help to stand out of the crowd.

 

See you tomorrow for more imports!

 

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