Remembering Japanese cars from the past
I’m sure that the phrase More Collage Excess Prelude by First Molding will be identified as being written by AI if you pass it through an AI checker! These random words aren’t as random as you might think!
The company in question is called First Molding. No, that’s not a spelling error, it’s the American spelling of the word moulding. The name has been derived from the company’s origins.
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My favourite Showa-nostalgic Youtube channel Kamepo posted another video: the two-kilometer-long Tokyo Expressway KK-line. The Tokyo Expressway has a rich history and already dates back to 1951 when the first plans were drawn up. In 1959 the first section opened up and it was fully opened up in 1966.
Kamepo describes in the video that most of the expressway is built on top of commercial buildings or that the commercial buildings have been built underneath it. The 1960s were definitely strange times!
As this section of road is only 2 kilometres in length, there aren’t that many cars to spot. Unlike my usual spotting, I have also included some cars from the opposite lane. I normally omit to spot these because they are very difficult and hard to distinguish as the frames get very blurry.
Yet still I managed to find a couple of highlights: a diesel powered Nissan Cedric or Gloria 430 wagon, a Nissan Cedric Y30 taxi, a duo of Toyota Carina A60s, a Honda N-WGN and a Nissan Skyline Ti C210/C211.
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When I watched a compilation of 1998 Mitsubishi Mirage Dingo ads I thought it was quite strange. It wasn’t just the fact that the styling got bland after the facelift, but also the choice for the Dingo name. If you are unfamiliar with the dingo, a dingo is an Australian dog. So what’s so strange about naming a family car a Dingo then? Let me explain!
First of all, there is a very famous dingo we all know and love. His name is Goofy and he’s Mickey’s best friend. The issue with Goofy is…well, he’s goofy! He’s not the brightest, he’s clumsy and he often messes up things. So naming your car a dingo might be a bit clumsy.
Some projects turn out to be too big to ever pass the finish line, but this Finnish Lexus-powered Carina doesn’t seem to fit that category. However, it’s still an unfinished project that is almost there.
The ad describes it as follows:
Project carina. 2.0 direct weave from lexus. Immobilizer on, has been tested. A mild project. Not inspected. Good basket.
Normally a basket-case would never be good, but this Carina is an exception to that!
Fitting a 1G-FE 6-cylinder engine is possible on the Carina TA60 as the A60 Celica XX also featured the 1G engine family in Japan. Sourcing a cross-member from Japan for it should be possible. However, I’m not sure if the current owner went through all that trouble though.
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I had two WTF?! moments in this Japanese Mazda Capella ad with French actor and playboy Alain Delon. One of them is the corny scene set in France. The second is the Alain Delon lunging at the girl on the rollerskates. Let me explain!
You can watch the whole ad here:
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It has been a while since I posted in the AE86 Wall of Shame. It’s not that I ran out of pictures, but rather more other interests took priority. Today I have another Dutch beauty for you: a white Corolla GT Twin Cam 16 AE86 including period-correct 1980s stickers and a Corolla FX AE82 front end! That surely looks goofy!
I presume the front has been swapped for the AE82 front end because of a minor front-end collision. As the left-hand-drive headlights are difficult to obtain, it would have been a very expensive accident. The much cheaper and more obtainable AE82 front end has been crafted onto the AE86.
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