Banpei.net

Remembering Japanese cars from the past

Page 183 of 318

Carina Sightings: Ukrainian Carina GT


Two weeks ago Andrew sent me a picture of his Carina GT and asked me if I was interested in more pictures and info regarding it. Of course I am! ;)
Ukrainian Carina GT AA60
Ukrainian Carina GT AA60

His Carina GT is a 3A-U powered GT model and was delivered originally to Krivoy Rog city in the Ukraine in 1982! I didn’t even know it was possible to buy anything else than Russian cars like the VAZ range. The 3A-U powered GT model is a bit puzzling, however the car has a GT cluster (with an oil pressure meter in the middle) and it was an export model so the designations could be different from the JDM badges.

When the first owner passed away the car remained in storage and was not abused untill his children were old enough to make some small damage at the front of the car:
Ukrainian Carina GT AA60
Ukrainian Carina GT AA60

The car was sold and eventually Andrew bought it in 2007.

The car is in immaculate condition and almost looks as if it was new:
Ukrainian Carina GT AA60
Ukrainian Carina GT AA60

However there is one modification made by Andrew: he moved the fender mirrors to the doors to improve visibility. I can imagine that: the fender mirrors are not well known for the area they cover to the rear. On the other hand: they are rare fender mirrors!

Here is another detail of when the car was imported:
Ukrainian Carina GT AA60
Ukrainian Carina GT AA60

Apparently the Hyogo Toyota dealer made a deal with the USSR to import a batch of Toyotas. Nice to see this car survived that long! :)

Ultimate yakuza boss car: Koenig Specials SL500

And now for something completely different: the ultimate Yakuza boss car in the early 90s!

I can still remember gluing together my Koenig Specials Ferrari Testarossa. Given that the Testarossa was already an amazing car, the Koenig Specials version was even wider, had a bigger air intake on the side and who cares about popup lights if they create drag?
I think the same applies to this SL500: compared to this Koenig Specials the AMG version of the SL500 is meant as a grocery shopping car for elderly women! :D :D

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 Banpei.net

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑