Remembering Japanese cars from the past

Author: banpei (Page 2 of 314)

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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The impulsive Impul March K11 and Impul March Classic – March-athon

Today I’ll feature the Impul March and Impul March Classic variants of the Nissan March K11. As I mentioned in the previous post about the March-athon, I would step away from the factory variants like the Tango, Rumba, Bolero and Polka and move on to another variant. As the title suggests, we’re moving towards a company called Impul.

Introducing the Impul March and Impul March Classic Neo-Retro Sport
Introducing the Impul March and Impul March Classic Neo-Retro Sport

But before we dive into Impul and the March, I’ve asked ChatGPT if it could make a joke about the Impul March as well:
Why did the Impul March challenge the Nissan March White Limited to a race?
Because it wanted to see if its “impulsive” modifications could outpace the pure, pristine white beauty – but it quickly realized that even with all its upgrades, it couldn’t “march” past that classic elegance!

It’s scary it remembers that I asked it to make a joke about the Nissan March White Limited well over a month ago. At the same time it’s amazing how capable ChatGPT is in understanding what a Impul March is and how to incorporate this into a joke.

Hoshino Impul Co. Ltd.

For those less familiar with the Impul brand. Hoshino Impul Co. Ltd. was founded by racing driver Kazuyoshi Hoshino in 1980 and is often shortened to Impul. Hoshino was a famous Nissan works driver and he decided to hop on the aftermarket parts bandwagon.

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It’s been 7300 days since I last heard your 4A-GE scream – Friday Video

Today’s video features a Finnish two-door Toyota Corolla GT Twin Cam 16 AE86 in Supra White and, unlike the title suggests, no 4A-GE screams in this video. Nevertheless, this video is a must-see! Let me explain why!

7300 päivää - Toyota Corolla GT AE86
7300 päivää – Toyota Corolla GT AE86

A rapper, a DJ, a tango dancer and a singer

The song itself was written by Finnish rap artist HesaÄijä (Marios Kleovoulou) and DJ Oku Luukkainen. The song itself is about HesaÄijä’s first love Korhosen Taina. Also, I don’t speak Finnish, so I have to admit I first wrongly assumed the title 7300 Päivää meant something like 7300 rpm screaming 4A-GE. But that turned out to be a very wrong assumption as it translates to 7300 days. You can find the full lyrics of 7300 Päivää here.

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