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2024 is here! – Happy New Year

January 1, 2024 / banpei / 0 Comments

It has happened: 2023 rolled over and now it’s 2024! Happy New Year!

What better way to celebrate New Year than with a few more AI-generated automotive artwork? I used the phrase “1992 Nissan Skyline GT-R with New Year fireworks. “Happy New Year” in bold white letters near the top.” to generate the following image:

Happy New Year with AI-generated 1992 Skyline GT-R — Happy New Year with an AI-generated 1992 Skyline GT-R

That certainly does look like your typical Nissan Skyline GT-R mashup! I see bits and pieces of the R32, R33 and R34. The headlights and grill are clearly R34 items, but the side markers are R32. The bumper is clearly an R34 item. Also, the body shape behind the windshield is R32. But it is uncanny how well AI is able to render a Skyline that is universally accepted as a Skyline! (does that make sense?)

I did generate another one:

Again, anyone looking at this car will instantly recognize it as a Skyline. However, this one is a bit weirder than the previous one. The headlights have the R34 items mashed up with the R33 ones. The grill is also somewhere between the two generations. The bumper is clearly R34-inspired. It is also weird that it just says “Happy” and not “Happy New Year”. Maybe the New and Year are rendered behind the Skyline?

Any thoughts for the upcoming year?

I don’t really have any idea what the upcoming year will bring. On one hand, I’m happy I restarted the blogs as I once again have the creative freedom and write my thoughts and observations down. However, it does take some toll to keep the blogging going. I have more than enough ideas, but simply not enough time. That’s why I’m considering taking it a bit easier in the upcoming year and, perhaps, lowering the number of posts to three to four per week. I’ll also take a few days off in early January, so I expect postings will start again from January 8th onwards.

Nissan March Autostrada (facelifted) — The March-athon will continue!

I will continue with the March-athon throughout January. My curiosity for AI will also remain a thing and I’m really curious how that evolves over the next year. Finally, more content of my Carina will follow as there are many plans I have for the car!

First wash of the Toyota Carina in 5 years! — The Carina Saga will continue!

Happy New Year and let’s hope it’s a good one!

Is the owner of this Toyota GT86 a disabled driver? – Down on the Street

December 30, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

We all have a stereotypical view of disabled drivers and this Toyota GT86 doesn’t fit in that view! I had the same thing about 13 years ago with a Subaru Impreza GT Turbo, which turned out to be a genuine disabled person. I have met a fellow AE86 owner who also genuinely drives around with a disabled driver’s permit. So why don’t people with sportscars fit this view we have about disabled drivers?

I personally think it has to do with the prejudice we have on disabled people: they have difficulty getting in and out of cars and have difficulty walking at all. However, this view is wrong. Very wrong! Some disabled drivers actually don’t have the issue of getting in- and out of the car and walk perfectly straight, but have difficulty managing distance. Hence they do need the disabled driver’s permit. So what about this Toyota GT86? I spotted it driving towards the disabled parking area near the local city centre. Naturally, I followed it and watched the driver exit the GT86 and walk towards the city centre. I quickly took one photo from where it parked:

Toyota GT86 parked in the disabled parking area

A funny detail: the Toyota Estima I featured three weeks ago was parked on the third floor in the parking garage above the store in front of the GT86. But I digress…

I crossed the street to take another photo from the other side. After crossing the street, I wasn’t able to take another photo as pedestrians were flocking the sidewalk and I had to wait about 15 to 20 seconds for them to pass. Then, even before I could take a photo, these two walked up to the car:

Pre-production Corolla Levin SE AE85 – Friday Video

December 29, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

One of the highlights of this year was a WhatsApp call from Daniel ‘O Grady out of the blue about an early Corolla Levin SE AE85 he found. I was doing my usual Saturday groceries and just parked my car in a parking garage. Daniel was very agitated about this car as it had such a low frame number.

6600 kilometer Toyota Corolla Levin SE AE85

During the call, it dawned on me that such a low frame number meant it was actually a pre-production run. Last year I created an overview of the AE86 and AE85 frame numbers and a lookup function. One of the things that surprised me was that the AE85 production in May 1983 started at 180, while AE86 production started at 1. There are no records of the pre-180 frame numbers in the EPC either. This means these cars have been assembled in pre-production.

Carina TA60 Station Wagon with an interesting front spoiler – Carina Sightings

December 28, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

I was thrilled to finally find a photo of a Toyota Carina station wagon TA60. It’s the exact same model and trim level as my dad’s Carina back in the 1980s! The biggest difference is the colour: this one is bright red instead of my father’s topaz-bronze Carina.

Compare that to this red Carina station wagon from the German brochure:

Nissan Skyline GT-ES C210 Japan – Picture of the Week

December 27, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

After an extra long Christmas weekend, all we can do is just sit down and be a couch potato. So why not just stare at this beautiful cutaway drawing of a hardtop Nissan Skyline C210?

Nissan Skyline GT-ES C210 hardtop cutaway drawing

The fifth generation Skyline was also better known as the Skyline Japan. It received this nickname due to the Nissan TV ads emphasizing the Japanese origins of the Skyline by ending the ad with an American voice-over saying “Skyline…Japan”. A collection of ads can be found below:

Merry Christmas with AI-generated AE86es

December 24, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

Tonight is Christmas Eve and that means spending time with family, eating dinner, opening gifts under the Christmas tree and family and I’m really looking forward to that! I’ll be offline for a few days and I wish you a Merry Christmas! But I didn’t want to leave you empty-handed and present you with a gift as well!

I thought the best way to express that was by looking at the current state of AI and generating some Christmassy pictures with an AE86. For all four images, I used the following term: “White Toyota Trueno AE86 with popup headlights, Christmas trees and snowy landscape”. I did two in comic/cartoon style and two in photo-realistic style.

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