I’ve featured Kamepo‘s amazing side-by-side videos a few times before and this week he outdid himself with a side-view video of the Tokyo Monorail! It’s taking a drive on the Shuto Expressway route 1, where the monorail follows the route side-by-side.

The Tokyo Monorail rides alongside the Shuto Expressway route 1
The Tokyo Monorail rides alongside the Shuto Expressway route 1

Highlights

There are only a total of 16 cars to spot in this video as its total length is only 3 minutes. I think, in addition to the monorail, the double E-class, Toyota Stout, Nissan Laurel C32 and Toyota Sprinter Carib are the highlights of this video.

Double Mercedes E-class

Two Mercedes E-class sedans are passed right around the same spot!
Two Mercedes E-class sedans are passed right around the same spot!

At first, the double Mercedes W124 fooled me into thinking that the front viewing camera was synced with the side view camera. It must have been one heck of a coincidence to pass one at almost the same time. Once you realize the first one is white and the second one dark grey it’s quite apparent they are actually different.

Toyota Stout K110

Toyota Stout K110 pickup: a direct relative of the Toyota Hilux
Toyota Stout K110 pickup: a direct relative of the Toyota Hilux

It took me a while to figure out the Toyota Scout at 1:50. The first thing I wrote down was Toyota Hilux, but this seemed to be wrong as it wasn’t lifted. I then looked into all sorts of pickups from Nissan, Mazda and Mitsubishi before realizing the first Hilux models were actually lifted Toyota Stouts. Then it all made sense again!

From the opposite lane, we can see a third-generation Isuzu Elf truck. I try to ignore opposite lanes in Kamepo’s videos as there are usually too many cars passing by to keep track of them. So count this as a bonus spot! Also 17 seconds after the Stout, a fourth-generation Isuzu Elf will pass the car on the side-view camera.

Nissan Laurel C32 hardtop

A beautiful Nissan Laurel C32 hardtop passes the camera car
A beautiful Nissan Laurel C32 hardtop passes the camera car

I simply love the simplicity of the Nissan Laurel C31 and C32 generations: simple 3-box design and both have beautiful hardtop variants! An excellent example of these hardtops can be seen passing the camera car at 2:30. I suspect it’s the top-of-the-line Medalist trim level, but I can’t confirm this as the wheels are obfuscated.

Toyota Sprinter Carib AL25

The last and final highlight is the Toyota Sprinter Carib AL20 at 2:40. It is part of the Toyota Sprinter lineup, contrary to the rest of the world where it’s called the Tercel 4WD.

Toyota Sprinter Carib 4WD AL25, also known as the Tercel 4WD abroad
Toyota Sprinter Carib 4WD AL25, also known as the Tercel 4WD abroad

This car has a very interesting history as it was actually a testbed by the design team of the fifth-generation Corolla. The team started a feasibility study by combining the front of the new front-wheel-drive Tercel with the rear of a fourth-generation Corolla. It worked perfectly in front-wheel-drive form. As the Tercel features a longitudinally mounted engine, this created a theoretical vehicle that could be four-wheel-drive. The team created one and convinced the management it would actually be a viable product. This definitely deserves its own post!

Kamepo’s video

You can watch the complete video below:

Map with car list

Just like last time,  I have created the exact same route on a map and added all the cars that I identified:

A complete list of all the cars I found interesting in this video can be found here:

  • 0:18 – Forward cam – Mercedes E-class W124
  • 0:23 – Side cam – Mercedes E-class W124
  • 0:30 – Forward cam – Volkswagen Golf mk2
  • 0:33 – Side cam – Mitsubishi Galant Σ / Eterna Σ
  • 1:00 – Forward cam – Toyota Crown Pillared Hardtop Royal Saloon S80
  • 1:12 – Side cam – BMW 3-series E30
  • 1:50 – Forward cam – Toyota Stout K110
  • 2:05 – Forward cam – Nissan Laurel sedan C31
  • 2:07 – Side cam – Isuzu Elf 150
  • 2:10 – Forward cam – Suzuki Alto CA71
  • 2:13 – Side cam – Toyota Mark II GX81
  • 2:20 – Forward cam – Honda Accord CA sedan
  • 2:30 – Side cam – Nissan Laurel C32 hardtop
  • 2:30 – Forward cam – Toyota Mark II GX81?
  • 2:40 – Side cam – Toyota Sprinter Carib AL20
  • 3:09 – Forward cam – Honda Vigor CA1