Remembering Japanese cars from the past
Jrotaro just uploaded these amazing drift videos that were shot yesterday at the Mount Fuji drift course:
The Fuji drift coursee is right next to the Fuji International Speedway, if you keep track of the background in this video you can clearly see the entrace gates.
A couple of 4A-GEs together gives such an amazing sound! It almost sounds like a swarm of attacking hornets. :P
Suzumebachi attack!
Direct link to videos: AE86 drift ガレージU and AE86 drift ガレージU 富士ドリフトコース
I just realized I almost skipped the Miata Hunt this month! :o
So here they are: a silver NB and two red NAs!
2009 Silver Mazda MX5 NB
Yes, you read that right: 2009! When I looked it up I also had a big WTF…
I always look up info on the Dutch licenseplate registration, but that database contains weird things from time to time. My best guess is that the MX5 was registered in late 2006 (entries next to its registration show late 2006 as well) and when the car switched owners the record was wrongly updated in the database. However the NB was only produced till 2005, so there must have been some slow selling of the old stock due to the introduction of the new model. Still very confusing. :P
Another confusion was this 1991 red MX5 NA: it was parked about 10 meters from the spot normally another red Miata NA is parked!
1991 Red Mazda MX5 NA
The only reason I noticed was that this red NA is a MX5 and the other one is a Miata. Curious how I could make that difference so quickly? The Dutch law bides all domestic cars should have long plates, while import cars can have smaller plates if long plates do not fit (see also below). The MX5 clearly has the longer plates and that was quite unexpected when you pass the same car every day. ;)
Last but not least: another confusing Miata!
1992 Red Mazda MX5 NA
This one is another red Miata. You can see this one has smaller US-like plates.
First of all: this is about 500 meters from the one parked above, so I expected it to be the one that is normally parked at the spot in the picture above. It was not the same car, so that was another confusion…
Then when I was just about to leave I noticed the car was being used by some dad to pickup his son from cram-school. How cool is that?
Now this was a big WTF for me: a Toyota Levin AE101 based Nissan Skyline BLRA-3 lookalike!
Toyota Sky-Levin BLRAE101
I can understand a replica car, or even a front end swap (hey, I like those things!) but a lookalike car of a 60s Michelotti design on a 90s car from even a different brand and call it a Sky-Levin? No sir, can’t make any sense out of that!
We all know the first generation Isuzu Gemini was based upon the Opel Kadett C (third generation), but what I didn’t know was that Isuzu actually upgraded its specs to Japanese standard:
Yes, that’s a Kadett C with not only headlight washers but actually double headlight washers! Now that’s something you can misuse to squirt on girls! :D
Isuzu also prolonged the Gemini beyond the FWD Kadett D by giving it a mild facelift. To prove they did a great job on that they launched this comparison commercial:
Now if it also could also fly as good as the Space Shuttle it would be even better than the 1982 Pontiac Trans Am. :P
How much bigger is a Lexus GS300 than a Carina TA60?
Just about this much bigger:
Toyota Carina TA60 and Lexus GS300 JZS147
That is indeed my Carina. On one of the rare occasions when I went to work by car (I live at 5 minutes walking distance from work) and returned to my car I found one of my colleagues parked his Lexus GS300 JZS147 next to my Carina. I just had to take a quick snap!
Music from commercials always have been successful if the product caught on. This was especially the case for the Nissan Skyline in Japan: apparently there were many vinyl records, cassette tapes and CDs sold with the music of the Skyline commercials.
Kayou is a collector of these items and put pictures of them on Minkara:
Nissan Skyline Turbo vinyl record
Click here if you are curious how the Nissan Skyline Turbo sounds,
And what would a collection be without the full Paul Newman cassette collection?
Nissan Skyline Paul Newman cassettes
See here for some of the different Paul Newman commercials.
And let’s not forget the most important one:
Nissan Skyline Ken & Mary CD
Ken and Mary! You can find their commercials here.
I really envy Kayou: gems like this swap hands for loads of money on Auctions Yahoo nowadays…
© 2025 Banpei.net
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑
