Classic Japanese Cars

**Polyal** · 09-12-2008, 11:37 AM

I dont know if its just me but I have been noticing alot more classic Japanese cars being restored and looking fantastic. The older corolla's, celicas and RX7's really scrub up alright with a bit of TLC.

Admittedly the thread with the 240Z on here got me thinking that some 60's, 70 and early 80's Japanese cars look great. I thought a thread with your favorite ones would be good. A time when a small car wasn't a FWD econo-box. Imagine how well Corolla's would sell (moreso) if they where RWD!

Can the "Jap-Crap" opinions please be left out, I love my V8 but I also love throwing about a smaller sports car aswell.

A couple of my favorites:

Early Supra's, dont know why, maybe it reminds me of a Ferrari from the front

Celica's like this, mini-mustangs! Fender mirrors are kind of cool too.

**Polyal** · 09-12-2008, 11:42 AM

Mazda RX3 GT...

tankclare · 09-12-2008, 12:25 PM

I also love the little Mazda RX3's.

Also can't miss the Datsun 1600. Especially if its got a decent powerplant in it.

Datsun 240z. Awesome looking machine.

Old school Nissan Skyline HT 2000 GT-R

axeray · 11-12-2008, 10:05 AM

Awesome thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by tankclare

Datsun 240z. Awesome looking machine.

How can you go past this? Nice machine

Bossxr8 · 11-12-2008, 11:03 AM

Had a carshow at work a few days ago and there was a late 70's Corolla with an LS1 in it. Crazy how easily the engine seemed to fit in the bay. Bar the fat rubber on the back it was a total sleeper.

**Polyal** · 09-12-2008, 12:46 PM

Yes the older Skyline coupes are great, and would be worth a fortune now too.

So much more character than the newer stuff!

Fev · 09-12-2008, 01:07 PM

I love all the old school jap coupe's, they're just so mean looking and they have a lot of character. Definately gotta be a 2 door with huge guards and Wantanabe's

Toyota Sprinter AE86 GT-Apex

Datsun Z

Datsun S130

Nissan R31 Skyline GTS

Toyota 2000GT RA25

Nissan KGC10 GT-X

Mazda RX3

loosey · 09-12-2008, 02:04 PM

My all time favorite would be the very first Celicas

Mazda Roadpacer anyone? haha.

Quote:

Nissan R31 Skyline GTS

Thats a DR-30...

Fev · 09-12-2008, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motionless_xe

Mazda Roadpacer anyone? haha.

Thats a DR-30...

oh, my mistake.

Mazda Roadpacer.. horrible cars lol.. only like 1100 sold apparently.. who the hell would put a 13A in a bloody huge commodore! worst idea ever!

nugget378 · 09-12-2008, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fev

oh, my mistake.

Mazda Roadpacer.. horrible cars lol.. only like 1100 sold apparently.. who the hell would put a 13A in a bloody huge commodore! worst idea ever!

Mistake number 2, its not a commodore...

Fev · 10-12-2008, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nugget378

Mistake number 2, its not a commodore...

eh.. i think of all of them like that.. just a habit

xbgs351 · 09-12-2008, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motionless_xe

Mazda Roadpacer anyone? haha.

I saw one on the weekend.

BFZ Wagon · 09-12-2008, 04:50 PM

Mazda Roadpacer anyone? haha.

Roadpacer.... You're not taking the Roadpacer... I just polished the mirrors on the mudguards!!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

The 70's were certainly interesting!! Bit of a weird idea though.. Sending a big heavy HJ Holden (minus the Engine & Transmission) to Japan and Mazda putting a Rotary engine into it.
They were a bit of a slug apparently & also were VERY thirsty!

The ones I've seen for sale on the Japanese Auction sites, still fetching big money. I guess coz they're rare.

Walt Kowalski · 09-12-2008, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BFZ Wagon

Mazda Roadpacer anyone? haha.

Roadpacer.... You're not taking the Roadpacer... I just polished the mirrors on the mudguards!!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

The 70's were certainly interesting!! Bit of a weird idea though.. Sending a big heavy HJ Holden (minus the Engine & Transmission) to Japan and Mazda putting a Rotary engine into it.
They were a bit of a slug apparently & also were VERY thirsty!

The ones I've seen for sale on the Japanese Auction sites, still fetching big money. I guess coz they're rare.

And to some outside Australia a little bit Cadillac-ish?

Walt Kowalski · 09-12-2008, 06:01 PM

Thinking of jap classics brings back (scary) memories of the 1968/9 Prince Skyline GTR - the model before Datsun bought Prince and claimed the Skyline name

It had triple triple carbs and no brakes and even worse handling. The axle tramp king as I recall.

Dad used to get some pretty cool cars from his boss back then and the Prince Skyline GTR was a scary one.

I personally love most of the old Dattos and had a 1968 1600 - the model with the clapper wipers and have always hankered for a 240Z.

However I don't think you can beat the Series 6, 7 or 8 (1992 - 2002) RX-7 FD.

If you don't think its a (future) classic think of this.

Its still the fastest production car ever at Bathurst. Terry Bosnjack November 1997 did a 2.27 from memory.

Compare that to the 2007 winning BMW 335 Twin Turbo winning cars with a fastest lap of about 2.32 and the 2008 winning Evo 9RS achieving a 2.32 also from memory.

5 seconds is a long way at Bathurst and the little RX-7 did it in 1997.

Surely a classic.

Mine cost under $10,000

lotus · 09-12-2008, 06:25 PM

[QUOTE=motionless_xe]My all time favorite would be the very first Celicas

Have the same model and colour in my shed (not a GT though) and in the process of restoring it. Has an origional 88,000 mls. Not much for a 72 model!!

**Peuty** · 09-12-2008, 01:41 PM

Speaking of Jap cars, what is that video in your signature Fev? I don't get it?

Fev · 09-12-2008, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peuty

Speaking of Jap cars, what is that video in your signature Fev? I don't get it?

Its a Toyota Supra modified by the tuning garage Top Secret in japan. the owner (of top secret) smokey nagata, the guy who's driving it.

A Toyota Century V12 engine has been fitted to it, along with twin turbo's, it makes 850hp and i think its a 7spd manual.. Smokey has some facination with going fast.. super fast.. and he built it to break 400km/hr. It reached 420km/hr - on the street.. well the highway..

just a favourite car of mine at the moment..

dusty86 · 09-12-2008, 02:07 PM

sprinter love

not a very good pic though

SVD · 09-12-2008, 03:20 PM

ive got two of these bad boys at home outside in the shed, one's original, one will have a newer skyline motor with some other performance bits

Just not GT-R's

XRQTR · 11-12-2008, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVD

ive got two of these bad boys at home outside in the shed, one's original, one will have a newer skyline motor with some other performance bits

Just not GT-R's

My heart is a flutter, I had a 110 many years ago, was Lagoon Green (BMW) auto, with a 12" sub on the shelf, hottest damm pizza delivery car ever seen around St Albans. You knew when your pizza was their you could hear the bass from 2 streets away LOL.

I wish I never sold that car

:

Fairlane · 09-12-2008, 04:23 PM

Got a few guilty Japanese pleasures here.

Got quite a soft spot for old Toyota gear. Old KE10 Corolla 2 doors, KE20's and 1960s Corona's and well i have a unexplainable love for all the Toyota Crown's & Century

Hard for me to say no to one of these. Classic Styling, lots of chrome yet uber advanced and with a 5.0l V12.

Walt Kowalski · 09-12-2008, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fairlane

i have a unexplainable love for all the Toyota Crown's & Century

Hard for me to say no to one of these. Classic Styling, lots of chrome yet uber advanced and with a 5.0l V12.

So is this Jap Rolls a Century/Crown or what?

I've never seen one.

Does it have a separate chassis?

Is it suitable as a basis for a hot rod?

I like it.

Fev · 10-12-2008, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munroman

So is this Jap Rolls a Century/Crown or what?

I've never seen one.

Does it have a separate chassis?

Is it suitable as a basis for a hot rod?

I like it.

That would be a Century, couldnt answer the other things though, i suggest looking through some Jap toyota forums - hopefully they're in english and see what you can find out. usally modified to be jap style lowriders (Ie VIP style)

Pretty cool eh?

Fairlane · 10-12-2008, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fev

That would be a Century, couldnt answer the other things though, i suggest looking through some Jap toyota forums - hopefully they're in english and see what you can find out. usally modified to be jap style lowriders (Ie VIP style)

Pretty cool eh?

Yeah they are Century's. Pretty sure they have body on frame as the Crowns did until only very recently.

There are quite a few in Australia, there was a 1968-1997 model and then a post 1997 model which looks exactly the same. The older ones had a pushrod v8 which was around 4l. There are a few in Australia, most are 1980s ones brought under the old import rules, whilst the others are personal imports from Jap businessman.

dub racing · 09-12-2008, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fairlane

Got a few guilty Japanese pleasures here.

Got quite a soft spot for old Toyota gear. Old KE10 Corolla 2 doors, KE20's and 1960s Corona's and well i have a unexplainable love for all the Toyota Crown's & Century

Hard for me to say no to one of these. Classic Styling, lots of chrome yet uber advanced and with a 5.0l V12.

Gee that pic of the KE-10 reminds me of how much fun my first car was ,it was a KE-10 with a 13b bridgeport didnt look much different to photo still had 1200 badges but had some fat hotwires on back .Geez i smoked so people in that car ,which they could never believe they just been blown away by this liitle corrolla .
cheers mark

**Peuty** · 09-12-2008, 04:46 PM

What with all the fender mirrors?

**Burnout** · 09-12-2008, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peuty

What with all the fender mirrors?

Those mirrors are fitted standard on Nipponese Cars; they are illegal out here & don't conform with ADR's.

**Peuty** · 09-12-2008, 04:58 PM

I was under the impression that Mazda bought all the tooling and made the cars themselves?

TZENU · 09-12-2008, 05:02 PM

Ol boy used to own an 83 crown many moons ago.. Very nice for the year! and plus i reckon its got enough room to fit a BB!