My favourite Showa-nostalgic Youtube channel Kamepo posted another video: the Shuto Expressway on the Shunjuku route. This time you get a comparison between 1993 and 2024 and there are a lot of interesting cars to spot!
Highlights
The highlights of this video are a Mazda RX7 FD on a flatbed, a French Citroën BX GTi 8v, two Toyota Prius-es (or Priora in Latin) XW50 and XW60, a Subaru BRZ ZD8, an Autozam Revue and also a Honda Integra coupé DA5.
Mazda RX7 FD on a flatbed
I would call this a very lucky shot for Kamepo: when driving up the onramp, you can see a flatbed truck carrying a white Mazda RX7 FD. It’s too far away to see the model year of the FD, but incredibly lucky to spot this one right at the start of the video!
Citroën BX GTi 8v
It may sound weird to see an oddball as the Citroën BX in Japan. However, it actually makes a lot of sense if you know that the French government mandated a quota. To allow Japanese import cars to be sold in France, a similar number of French cars had to be sold in Japan. Japan bypassed this quota by producing cars locally in Europe, opening up factories in Portugal, UK and Ireland. This meant Peugeot and Citroën sold many cars in Japan during the 1970s till the mid-1990s and this Citroën BX is one of them.
The BX in question is an early GTi, so it features the 8-valve engine and not the later 16-valve. The engine is a 1.9 litre Peugeot engine that was also present in the Peugeot 205 GTi and 405 SRi. This engine has a healthy output of 122 hp and the BX could reach a speed of 198 km/h.
Two Pioria XW50 and XW60
Only a few seconds apart from each other, we can see two white Toyota Prius-es. The former is a fourth-generation Prius (XW50) and the latter the latest fifth-generation Prius (XW60). I have to admit that I personally loathe the fourth generation and love the looks of the fifth generation.
A nice detail is that, in the 1993 video, you can see a Toyota Corolla FX E80 driving at the same spot as the first Prius. These cars are 30 to 35 years apart, but you could reckon the Prius is the grand-grand-grandchild of the Corolla FX!
Subaru BRZ ZD8
At first, I thought it was a Toyota GR86 and, luckily, I got corrected by xraider927 and he pointed out it actually was a Subaru BRZ.
Autozam Revue
The Autozam Revue (sold as the Mazda 121 in some countries) was a small little fun car produced by Mazda. My brother used to own one about 20 years ago and in the Netherlands, we used to call them a Bowler’s hat. It’s one of those remarkable easily recognizable cars that you simply don’t see anymore. There was even one where the entire canvas roof could be rolled back to make it a cabriolet. Mazda was really on top of their game in the early 1990s!
Honda Integra Coupé DA5
There are actually two Integras in this video: one sedan and one coupé. Here in Europe we never got the sedan and only the coupé was sold. I’m actually quite fond of the coupé as a colleague of mine owned one and she drove it to work every day. Savage!
Kamepo’s video
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:
- 0:23 – 2024 – Mazda RX7 FD on flatbed truck
- 0:27 – 1993 – Toyota Crown Super Saloon S120 sedan
- 0:48 – 1993 – Toyota Crown S110 hardtop
- 0:52 – 1993 – Honda CRX EF
- 0:57 – 1993 – Citroën BX GTi (8v)
- 1:22 – 1993 – Mercedes S-Class W126
- 1:36 – 1993 – Honda Integra sedan DB1
- 1:39 – 1993 – Lexus LS500 XF50 taxi
- 1:44 – 1993 – Volkswagen Jetta A2
- 1:52 – 1993 – Honda Integra coupe DA5
- 2:00 – 1993 – Mitsubishi Chariot N30
- 2:11 – 1993 – Toyota Corolla FX E80
- 2:16 – 2024 – Toyota Prius XW50
- 2:24 – 2024 – Toyota Prius XW60
- 2:33 – 1993 – Subaru Impreza Sports Wagon GF
- 2:38 – 1993 – Toyota Sprinter E90 sedan
- 2:48 – 2024 – Suzuki Jimny JB74W
- 2:56 – 2024 – Toyota Alphard AH30
- 2:58 – 2024 – Nissan Cube
- 3:08 – 2024 – Toyota Noah R60
- 3:15 – 2024 – Toyota Noah R80
- 3:26 – 2024 – Toyota Alphard AH30
- 3:37 – 2024 – Subaru BRZ ZD8 (I originally said Toyota GR 86, but xraider927 corrected me)
- 4:20 – 2024 – Fiat 500 Abrath
- 5:32 – 1993 – Subaru Sambar KR
- 5:36 – 2024 – Toyota Alphard AH30
- 5:40 – 1993 – Nissan Safari Y60 (Patrol)
- 5:47 – 1993 – Toyota Lite-Ace M20
- 5:58 – 1993 – Toyota Sprinter E90 sedan
- 6:18 – 1993 – Mitsubishi Strada K10 (Triton)
- 6:33 – 1993 – Mercedes E-Class W124
- 6:40 – 2024 – Daihatsu HiJet S700
- 7:03 – 1993 – Mazda Bongo
- 7:34 – 1993 – Autozam Revue
- 7:50 – 1993 – Toyota Carina ED T200
- 7:51 – 1993 – Toyota Chaser X80
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