T87’s Singles Collection (Summer 2025 Edition) – Part 1: Japanese Cars

By
– Posted on September 30, 2025

IMG20250907115935 edited

Well, well, well. It’s been a minute – a full season, in fact. It’s been a hot one in Japan. They set new heat records this year. Luckily, I escaped to Europe for most of August, so there will be a few LHD cars with weird plates in this Singles edition. Not this superb circa 1990 Toyota Mark II X80 Grande, though. It’s about as JDM as they get.

IMG20250713130309 edited IMG20250713130248 edited

And here’s its sister model, the X80 Chaser.

IMG20250720090301 edited IMG20250720090320 edited IMG20250720090330 edited IMG20250720090310 edited

So many AE86s around, so few are worth the time to take a few pics. This one, though far from stock, was better-looking than most.

IMG20250921090902 edited IMG20250921090910 edited IMG20250921090920 edited

The oldest Toyo of the summer was this mid-‘60s Corona. With a horseshoe for good luck.

IMG20250907095744 edited IMG20250907095746 edited

Speaking of Coronas, we’ve seen this one before – I wrote it up, as a matter of fact. Beautiful specimen, though, isn’t it?

IMG20250703121317 edited

OK, this is not on my radar usually, but stick some giant chrome fender mirrors on a mid-naughties Corolla and you’re going to catch my eye. Some folks here were really into these, weren’t they?

IMG20250703130216 edited IMG20250703130221 edited

They look so natural on a ‘90s Century, though. It’s a ‘60s design, which helps.

IMG20250718142342 edited

Some of those wacky WiLLs still puttering about. The VI saloon is now 25 years old, by the way. I’m sure a few of the nicer ones are getting snapped up by US importers.

IMG20250703114049 edited IMG20250703114039 edited

Quirky little things, to be sure. But how will they hold up in a crash against an F-150?

IMG20250907101631 edited IMG20250907101621 edited

The WiLL Cypha is younger by a couple of years, so they’re not going anywhere yet.

IMG20250706085318 edited IMG20250706085405 edited IMG20250706085416 edited

In the two-door Toyota category, we find a very customized 1977 Celica notchback. I like the green.

IMG20250803092131 edited IMG20250803092144 edited

Celica convertibles are rare here – probably because they were made by ASC over in the US, so they would have been pretty expensive when new.

IMG20250914082704 edited

Third gen Soarers are getting scarce. Great design for the time, I have to admit.

IMG20250704120319 edited IMG20250704120337 edited IMG20250704120329 edited

This is the second time I’ve encountered this thing, and I’m still not sure what it is. It’s parked within the Toyota section here, but I really have no idea. [NOTE: I now have an idea, thanks to Eric703: this is a 1986-92 Nissan Atlas Loco. So there we have it. Wrong hunch.]

IMG20250805154611 edited IMG20250805154617 edited

Classic Japanese metal is not exactly plentiful over in Europe, but there were a couple of outliers. This tasty FJ Land Cruiser made for perfect summer transport in northwestern France, for instance.

IMG20250823152556 edited

Similarly, I found this very clean Mitsubishi L300 pickup truck in Switzerland. A facelift version of these is still in production in the Philippines, but this one is from the ‘80s. A Nissan 180 SX is hiding behind it.

IMG20250823163753 edited

Same day, same location and a 3rd gen Delica wagon showed up.

IMG20250725100139 edited

Back in old Nippon, a late ‘90s Legnum was uncovered. Great-looking car, but a weird name if I ever heard one.

IMG20250706100159 edited IMG20250706100151 edited

Not sure where those rotary-dial wheels come from, but they look pretty cool on a GTO.

IMG20250703104953 edited

Deep-sea oddities like this 1999-2005 Mitsuoka Galue II can lie in wait and surprise the casual Tokyo traveller who takes a wrong turn. Nightmare fuel!

IMG20250713102644 edited

Not many Le Seyde “Dore” convertibles exist – it’s certainly the first one I’ve come across. Five hundred of these were made in 1991-93; unlike most Mitsuokas, they are LHD because they are based on (of all things) the 1979-83 Ford Mustang.

IMG20250915082911 edited IMG20250915082923 edited IMG20250915083019 edited

There are those who feel that driving a Mitsuoka Ryugi isn’t special enough. What solution is there but out-and-out customization?

IMG20250713083427 edited IMG20250713083442 edited IMG20250713083456 edited

Motorcycle break! Hands up who remembered that Bridgestone used to manufacture a whole range of bikes? I believe this is a BS90 from the late ‘60s.

IMG20250706082943 edited IMG20250706082956 edited IMG20250706083030 edited

The oldest Japanese vehicle of the entire season was this amazingly original 1948 Fuji Rabbit.

IMG20250928085050 edited

These Dax are hilarious. So tiny! These were made for such a long time (1969-99) that it’s well beyond me to pinpoint when this one might have been built.

IMG20250713083537 edited IMG20250713083607 edited IMG20250713083546 edited IMG20250713083528 edited

Classic as they come: a mid-‘60s Honda Dream CB72 Super Sport. But enough about bikes, let’s get back to four wheelers, shall we?

IMG20250909111846 edited

Not ready for prime-time, this little N360 III. Still hanging in there, just barely.

IMG20250725103002 edited

This early ‘90s Acty van is in a similar predicament.

IMG20250907120213 edited IMG20250907120227 edited

On the other end of the timescale, brand new from Damd Design: the Denali, for your Honda N-Van.

IMG20250914081737 edited IMG20250914081804 edited IMG20250914081753 edited

Love me a little Honda City, especially the chunky Turbo II.

IMG20250713094350 edited IMG20250713094412 edited IMG20250713094426 edited IMG20250713094357 edited

Need to move a pile of boxes in a jiffy? The perfect automobile solution for this problem has to be the City Cabriolet, apparently.

IMG20250915084438 edited IMG20250720084455 edited IMG20250720084446 edited IMG20250720084401 edited

The glorious 1985-89 Accord Aeroback, ladies and gentlemen. In black with tinted windows, looks a bit like a race-ready hearse.

IMG20250914082457 edited IMG20250914082415 edited IMG20250914082443 edited IMG20250914082429 edited

Late model NSXs (with the non-popup headlights) are the exception rather than the rule. Never seen one opened up like that, though I assume there is a trunk at the very back as well.

IMG20250803100944 edited IMG20250803100956 edited

A lovely little Honda Beat followed by a 2nd generation RX-7. What is this, a time warp back to 1992? Nice transitional setup to leap from Honda to Mazda…

IMG20250725101704 edited IMG20250725101628 edited

A couple of retired early ‘90s Bongos were spotted. This was the 3rd generation (1983-1999), but since Mazda only replaced the front half of the van to create gen 4 (1999-2020), which was also sold as a Mitubishi, a Ford and a Nissan, this rear end is pretty ubiquitous around here.

IMG20250725102253 edited IMG20250725102235 edited IMG20250725102221 edited

Seems some people take advantage of the summer months to do a spot of curbside restoration. In JDM-land, these were called Familia, but many overseas markets knew this as the Mazda 1000/1200/1300. This is the 1300 deluxe “van” version, so probably a later model. This generation Familia lasted from 1967 to 1973 as a saloon / coupé, but the van version carried on until 1978. And the pickup was built in Thailand right to the mid-‘90s.

IMG20250914111417 edited IMG20250914111432 edited

You might have known this as the 626, but the JDM name was Capella. This is a very well-preserved 4th gen liftback variant, made sometime between 1987 and 1992.

IMG20250727124805 edited

The only Subarus I caught over the summer were of the 360 variety. Well, actually, I caught this early model beauty twice.

IMG20250720083034 edited IMG20250720083101 edited IMG20250720083047 edited

Here it is again, snug as a bug in a rug amidst the sauna-like conditions of Tokyo in midsummer.

IMG20250727084054 edited IMG20250727084104 edited IMG20250727083941 edited IMG20250727084015 edited

This one is a few years younger, but quite a bit worse for wear. Interesting way to transport a bicycle.

IMG20250928084741 edited IMG20250928084727 edited

Things were calm on the Isuzu front. Did just about manage to score one – the usual, but the beloved late-model (1978-1981) 117 Coupé.

IMG20250928084751 edited IMG20250928084755 edited IMG20250928084809 edited

Leather seats? Well, that’s highly unusual. Stance looks a little off on this 117, too. Hmm…

IMG20250725112245 edited

No Daihatsus to speak of, but a number of interesting Suzukis were on offer. Behold, the mighty 9th gen Carry, still slaving away after 30 years on the job.

IMG20250914111052 edited IMG20250914111105 edited

Love me a Modest kit, especially in such an unusual colour.

IMG20250725113532 edited IMG20250725113555 edited IMG20250725113542 edited

The 2003-05 Suzuki Twin is awesome in normal times. But in this shade of green? It’s like a self-propelled edamame.

IMG20250909111851 edited

No idea how old this snowmobile is, nor how it came to be stuck near Ikebukuro. This town really is full of surprises.

IMG20250731084605 BURST000 COVER edited IMG20250731084616 edited

Took a little sleuthing, as there were no badges on this old van, but I did figure it out: it’s a Nissan C20 Sunny Cab. These were also sold as the Cherry Cab, but they are all Sunny (i.e. RWD) underneath. The square headlight bezels and chunky grille make this a (rusty) 1975-78 model.

IMG20250907111244 edited

Same bones as that dead van, but truly iconic in this pickup guise. Hence why they’re still everywhere.

IMG20250727130231 edited

Nice 2nd gen (1985-94) Vanette, still working for a living. Photobombed by a 30ish-year-old BMW E34, too.

IMG20250720095111 edited IMG20250720095147 edited IMG20250720095124 edited

The 240Z was only available in Japan between 1970 and 1973. Otherwise, the domestic Fairlady Z was only available with a 2-litre engine. So this here is a pretty rare variant.

IMG20250713094521 edited IMG20250713094511 edited

Gotta have a Silvia or two in the Singles Collection, of course. This S13 has had a bit of a close encounter with something very orange.

IMG20250910105418 edited

Not sure how this guy managed to get an “S 14” license plate – pretty sure that’s not legal. And that spoiler should be outlawed, too.

IMG20250921083516 edited

Skyline-wise, there were few good finds. The usual C10 “GT-Rs” – not sure how kosher these are, really.

IMG20250725093228 edited IMG20250725093247 edited

And R31 Coupé that, for once, is not dark gray? Colour me amazed!

IMG20250725104106 edited IMG20250725104125 edited

The C35 Laurel (1997-2002) is like a Skyline R34 that went to private school. RWD, straight-6, frameless windows – a distillation of the best of ‘90s Nissan.

IMG20250706113133 edited IMG20250706113122 edited

Ninety-nine times out of 100, Cedric Y31 sedans were and still are fleet cars. Here’s the 1% that was sold to a private individual.

IMG20250907075830 edited IMG20250907075911 edited IMG20250907075900 edited

There is no Cedric above the Y30 wagon, though.

IMG20250720105058 edited IMG20250720105037 edited

I always find it weird to see these N15s badged as Pulsars. I knew them as Almeras. What were they called around your neck of the woods?

IMG20250803100706 edited IMG20250803100702 edited

The last true Bluebird was the U14 (1996-2001), sold only in Japan. We have here the spicy-sporty 190hp SSS model, too. But the chunky design does let it down.

IMG20250713110409 edited IMG20250713110358 edited

Oddly attractive, those R10 Preseas. Based on the Sunny platform, these were direct competitors to the Corona Exiv as lower-tier “hardtop” sedan. A very ‘90s invention.

IMG20250713103400 01 edited IMG20250713103404 edited

First generation Cimas (1988-91) don’t typically have fender mirrors. But the client is always right… Right?

IMG20250803073551 edited IMG20250803073559 edited

Let’s end this first of three parts on a princely 1965 Gloria, if that’s ok.

 

See you tomorrow for part two!

Subscribe to email notifications
Become a Member