Remembering Japanese cars from the past

Author: banpei (Page 1 of 313)

EV charging spot hogging 1990 Mazda Miata – Down on the Street

I already found this electrifying Mazda Miata a few years ago. Back then, the parking garage where I also found the Estima and some other cars converted 8 parking spots on the first floor for electric charging.

The first time I spotted this Mazda Miata NA hogging an EV charging spot
The first time I spotted this Mazda Miata NA hogging an EV charging spot

Almost every other weekend I would spot this Miata hogging one of those spots. It’s quite interesting because I could see the benefits of an electrically powered Miata: lightweight, good balance and high torque would be awesome. However, as this car was never connected to the charging port I reckoned it wasn’t converted. So what was the reason for this person to park his/her Miata in those charging spots? I can think of a few.

The first reason: a wider parking space

The second time I spotted this Mazda Miata NA hogging an EV charging spot
The second time I spotted this Mazda Miata NA hogging an EV charging spot

The first reason would be the convenience of a larger parking space. This parking garage was built in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Back then cars were much smaller than nowadays. According to Andy from Big Car, the average parking spot in the UK has grown. The same applies to this garage: parking spots are quite narrow and also the corners are quite tight. Often when I encounter a large SUV in the opposite direction, we can’t pass each other in the corners and one of us has to wait for the other to pass. I sometimes have to skip a parking spot because someone parked their car up to the line of the spot, making my spot too narrow for my 2013 Honda Civic.

The electric charging sports are much wider as they must be large enough for modern electric cars or plug-in hybrids. These cars tend to be much wider than the 1970s/1980s cars. In this garage, they converted from the usual 3 parking spots between pillars to only 2 spots. Could this have been the reason for the owner to park the Miata in a larger electric charging spot?

Second reason: conveniently close to the exit

The third time I spotted this Mazda Miata NA hogging an EV charging spot
The third time I spotted this Mazda Miata NA hogging an EV charging spot

The second reason I can think of is that these electric charging spots are located conveniently. The spots are located on the first floor, while on Saturday mornings I often have to drive to the third or fourth floor to find a spot. These spots are also located opposite the staircase and lift, so it’s much quicker to exit the building from these spots. Could this then have been the reason for parking the Miata in such a spot?

Conclusion

I think we’ll never know the true reason. I haven’t seen the electrifying Miata over the past three years. Perhaps the owner got scolded by the owner for hogging these spots or perhaps moved on to a true electric vehicle?

And before I forget: this Mazda Miata was originally sold in the US or Canada in 1990. It was imported into the Netherlands in 1997. It still has MOT until September this year, so the owner still hogs EV charging spots wherever he/she can!

What’s up with this Suzuka Carol Levin AE86 wheels? – Commercial Time – WTF?!

I’m sure you must have a couple of WTFs in your head by now: a Suzuka Carol Levin AE86? Isn’t that supposed to be a Mazda Carol or a Toyota Corolla Levin AE86? No, it isn’t in this advertisement:

Suzuka Sangyo Carol wheels advertisement with a Corolla Levin AE86
Suzuka Sangyo Carol wheels advertisement with a Corolla Levin AE86

Whacky advertisement text

The Japanese writing reads:
You might call it a space technology
but this wheel holds the
“romance of driving” of a new era
.
Right, so these Suzuka Carol wheels are supposed to be space technology that holds the romance of driving in a new era?

What are Suzuka Sangyo Carol wheels?

When I searched for Suzuka wheels, I could only find cheap knock-off wheels that are called Suzuka. I found via Kyusha Shoes that Suzuka Sangyo is the brand that made the Carol wheel. What I also found out is that Suzuka Sangyo actually was the brand behind the Long Champ XR4 wheel and the wheel was manufactured by SSR. This really surprised me as I was under the impression it was SSR who manufactured and sold it. Anyway, I digress…

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Sleek SPEED AE86 Gauge Cluster – AE86 Trivia

A few weeks ago I found a comment in the comments section of the AE86 gauge cluster trivia page that there was a Sleek Speed AE86 gauge cluster for sale on Yahoo Auctions. Unfortunately, I missed the auction, but fortunately enough the pictures were shared via a drive. I updated the original AE86 Trivia page and didn’t think of it until I spotted the same cluster for sale again!

Sleek SPEED AE86 gauge cluster with 240 km/h speedometer and 10K rpm tachometer
Sleek SPEED AE86 gauge cluster with 240 km/h speedometer and 10K rpm tachometer

The cluster is not for the faint-hearted as it’s for sale for 158,000 yen (just over 1000 dollars), which is steep. Then again, the digital gauge cluster already sets you back well over 300 dollars nowadays and it might be difficult to find another. The cluster is a modified GT or GT-V cluster as it doesn’t feature the door-warning and tail-light burnout warning lamps.

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Datsun 240K GT sedan C110 bridging the gap in Düsseldorf – Family Album Treasures

Today’s Family Album Treasure Datsun 240K GT C110 isn’t part of someone’s family album. That’s because it’s an official press photo by Nissan/Datsun Germany! And the amazement over this photo doesn’t stop there either as I have so many questions about it! Let’s start to unravel this mystery photo!

Datsun 240K GT HGLC110 - Nissan GMBH press photo
Datsun 240K GT HGLC110 – Nissan GMBH press photo

Datsun 240K GT HGLC110

Let’s begin with the Datsun 240K GT, this car is actually a left-hand-drive export model of the Nissan Skyline C110. The trim level is mostly similar to the Japanese GT, but thanks to not being obstructed by engine capacity taxation, it features the larger 2.4 litre L24 engine. HGLC110 is the official code for this particular C110. Another major difference is the location of the steering wheel and the driver seat. These are now on the left side of the car. This makes this car super rare as there were only a few thousand in left-hand-drive produced.

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Rock’n Roll Works Equipped with the American Dream – WTF?!

This Work Equip advertisement is another wacky magazine advertisement from a random Japanese magazine. It’s just mindboggling what the designers must have thought when they composed this advertisement. Let’s go over all those texts in the advertisement!
City after dark is our stage!
You look so fine tonight!
Let our dreams run all through the night
I’m your heroin
May I sit next to you?
We’re the real Rock’n Rollers
Come with us, Equip!
You, get off!
American Dream, you are going to be us

Work Equip magazine advertisement featuring the band Serika with Dog
Work Equip magazine advertisement featuring the band Serika with Dog

I’m quite puzzled by the I’m your heroin May I sit next to you? I could interpret this in various ways. Also, by the absence of a female person in this advertisement, the meaning of heroin makes me fear the worst!

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BJDM Toyota Carina: a Bulgarian interpration of JDM – Carina Sightings

My first reaction when I found this Toyota Carina GL TA60 for sale on a Bulgarian classifieds site was WTF?! But don’t let the looks at the front deceive you: this was done by a genuine enthusiast. Someone who really loved this Carina. Let me go over it completely.

The modifications on this Bulgarian Toyota Carina TA60 can be considered polarizing
The modifications on this Bulgarian Toyota Carina TA60 can be considered polarizing

The Carina

Let’s begin with the base of this car: it’s a 1982 Toyota Carina. As it features headrests on the rear seats and has a carpeted boot, it has to be the GL trim level. It features the 1.6-litre 2T engine, so we can narrow it down to a TA60. The seller mentions it’s a 5-speed manual, so its gearbox is a T50. In one of the photos are some German documents, so I suspect it originated from Germany many years ago.

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