Remembering Japanese cars from the past
My heart jumped a bit when I saw this CA18DET powered Carina sedan on Youtube:
I don’t understand much from the Malay language but looking at all that shine under the bonnet it surely must be an impressive Carina! :)
Judging from the two tone paint on the bumper it could be based upon a GT-R or a GT-TR.
Any Malaysian visitors know more about this Carina? :?db
Well actually it looks like that, but IRL this Skyline DR30 lineup is not in Dubai or any other tropical place. They are parked next to an exclusive resort (??????) near Minamichita town in the Aichi Prefecture.
Tropical Skylines
Found here
I remember this song by Jean Michel Jarre quite well from my childhood. What I didn’t remember was that it actually is full with several Datsuns, like a Datsun 510 and 260Z. So if you can stand the cheesy looks by Jean Michel into the camera you can actually enjoy a representation of the cars in the USA in 1978:
Following up yesterdays post: here is a car chase from one of the older Bassie en Adriaan episodes when they still loved the Simca based Matra Rancho. Basically when the clown and acrobat find out they are being followed by a Datsun 260Z with some thugs inside.
In this scene the bad guys chase down a Simca Ranchero with their Datsun 260Z on Zandvoort circuit. The 260Z is going sideways many times but fails to overtake the Ranchero. Why they were doing 360s every now and then is a mystery but they finally spin out at the exit to the paddock.
Be prepared for some real 70s drift action (with long a haired acrobats wearing sunglasses with a funky 70s tune in the background) between a Matra Rancho and a Datsun 260Z on the Zandvoort circuit:
The music during the chase is Musical 2000 by Los Pekinekes and is really fitting the scene and atmosphere very well. The band Los Pekinekes is a Spanish band from the late 1960s and was very fitting as the story of the TV series was the two travelling to Spain to recover a lost treasure.
Also a noteworthy to mention: this isn’t the only Datsun used by the thugs. In the other episodes a Nissan Cherry and Violet are being used as chase cars and in another one they (casually) drive a Laurel. After these series Bassie en Adriaan started to drive the Prelude and the thugs started to drive Ladas. I suspect that was no coincidence. :P
The two protagonists are two brothers, Bassie and Adriaan, and they made the TV series on a shoestring budget. The Ranchero was their stage car (they used it IRL to travel to the circus) and the Datsun 260Z was Adriaan’s (the acrobat) personal car. The stunts were performed by the instructors of the sliding/skid school (Rob Slotemaker) located next to the track.
Unfortunately the original video got removed from Youtube due to copyright claims, but recently it has been uploaded on their official channel:
Direct link to video: Bassie & Adriaan – De achtervolging op het circuit van Zandvoort
About 50% of the Initial D fanboys who buys a 3 door Trueno AE86 convert it to a Fujiwara Tofu replica and the same applies to the Delorean, Pontiac Trans Am, Dodge Charger and the GMC truck. I can understand all this since they all originate from inspiring heroic movies and series. What I can’t understand is this Bassie en Adriaan Honda Prelude:
WTF: Bassie en Adriaan Honda Prelude
A Bassie and Adriaan Honda Prelude, including the caravan! WTF!?
For the people unfamiliar with Bassie and Adriaan were a Dutch circus duo who starred in their own (children) television series. To illustrate it a bit more, here is on of the intros:
And it doesn’t get much better than that! :D :D
So the car does come completely with the matching caravan:
WTF: Bassie en Adriaan Honda Prelude
I’m not sure it is the real deal because I was unable to match the licenseplate of this Prelude with the intros of the series. The cars used in the series were all owned by Adriaan (the acrobat) and he did swap the Prelude quite regularly for a newer one, so it could be that the Prelude Mk II was superseded by this Mk III. But the seller does not mention anything if it is the real one or not, so I can’t tell if it is actually a replica or not. (but I do suspect it)
What the seller does say is that it is being sold off because his hobby got a bit out of hand. Now what would he mean with that? Either having too much Bassie en Adriaan stuff or having too much Preludes and caravans?
Additionally you will also get this cute Robot called Robin in the deal:
WTF: Bassie en Adriaan Honda Prelude
And no: it is not able to wash the car for you: the robot was limb during the series. ;)
The Prelude has always been serviced by the official Honda dealers:
WTF: Bassie en Adriaan Honda Prelude
Imagine driving this thing into the Honda dealership and requesting for the regular service interval. I think that would give a laugh or two! :D
WTF: Bassie en Adriaan Honda Prelude
The caravan also has the later type official logos, so perhaps it could be the real deal after all.
WTF: Bassie en Adriaan Honda Prelude
Just imagine cruising the Dutch highways with open windows, having the wind blow through your hair and getting laughed at by about everyone in the other and opposite lanes. Who wouldn’t? :P
Anyway, you can buy it here:
Bassie en Adriaan Prelude @ Marktplaats
(just in case it gets deleted, here is an image of the ad )
Fourty two years ago there was a businessman returning home from his work in his new shiney Nissan Skyline GC10. Judging from the short nose it is almost certainly powered by the G-15:
It is also funny to see the comparison with the Japanese Grand Prix winning Nissan R381 #20. That would certainly be a good reason to wear those leather gloves during daily commute. ;)
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