Remembering Japanese cars from the past

Tag: irian jaya (Page 2 of 2)

Irian Jaya: Corolla Levin AE92 racer

On our way to the magnificent view over Jayapura on the highest mountain in the neighborhood I spotted this Corolla Levin AE92:
Toyota Corolla Levin AE92
Toyota Corolla Levin AE92

Not the supercharged GT-Z model, but at least it has a 4AGE heart beating under that bonnet.
The huge 16 inch wheels with a thin tirewall look a bit out of place here: the road conditions around Jayapura are quite bad so I reckon they won’t survive long…

Irian Jaya: Mandala Motor

This photos was taken from the bus somewhere outside Jayapura when we passed Mandala Motor. I already spotted them a few times and they had a vast number of wheelporn in their workshop.
Mandala Motor
Mandala Motor

The convertible appears to be a VW bug that was modified with a Celica Z10 nose by Lipu…

Irian Jaya: Corona and Corolla touge monsters


On the day of arrival I took a small stroll around the hotel area and encountered these two touge monsters!
Toyota Corona T120 and Corolla KE35 touge monsters
Toyota Corona T120 and Corolla KE35 touge monsters

On the left a Corona T120 sedan with … rims and on the right a two door Corolla KE35 on RS Waranabe rims with a bit more wild modifications than the Corona.

I had the pleasure of seeing the Corolla pass by for work on another morning stroll and its raspy exhaust noise was as enjoyable as the looks of it.
Toyota Corona T120 and Corolla KE35 touge monsters
Toyota Corona T120 and Corolla KE35 touge monsters

On the last day I made another morning stroll but did not meet the owner so I just put a Bosozoku Style sticker under the windshield wipers of both cars. 😉

Irian Jaya: Bemo taxi busses


Just got back from a two week trip to Manokwari and Jayapura (Irian Jaya aka New Guinea) and I did find loads and loads of old J-tin! I spotted many old Coronas (T80 to T120s), Kijangs (especially the first three generations), Chasers and Mark IIs (X70/X80/X90) and loads of these tiny taxi busses called bemo for your everyday transportation. The drivers tend to outdo each other with modifications and I’ve sat in some very very bizarre creations already!
Bemo taxi minibus in Jayapura
Bemo taxi minibus in Jayapura

A ride costs next to nothing (2000 rupiah), you can hop on whenever you see one and they take you along on the main routes. You can also hire one for a personal destination but you can expect to pay a lot more than the 2000 rupiah…

Also at the terminal you can find loads and loads of these busses waiting for a ride:
Bemo taxi minibus in Jayapura
Bemo taxi minibus in Jayapura

Most of the busses for short distances are either the Suzuki Carry (or Suzuki Every) or the Mitsubishi Colt (Mitsubishi Minicab), but some other brands and models are also used for mid range transportation.

Bemo taxi minibus in Jayapura
Bemo taxi minibus in Jayapura

Some of them are really shabby and you really get the feeling they will fall apart while they master another hairpin of the many touges around Jayapura!

Bemo taxi minibus in Jayapura
Bemo taxi minibus in Jayapura

But most of the drivers are really creative and improve their rides every day…

Bemo taxi minibus in Jayapura
Bemo taxi minibus in Jayapura

Most of the time they start with a bunch of deep dished wheels at the rear that stick out of the bodywork with at least 3 inch. Later on they do the same up front, followed by big wings and spoilers. Steering wheel, audio, tsurikawas and dash bling are mostly done in the later phases followed by big foglights.

Bemo taxi minibus in Jayapura
Bemo taxi minibus in Jayapura

I’ve given away a couple of the Bosozoku Style stickers (only whenever I really liked the car and driver) so in case you are visiting Jayapura anytime soon you can spot one on a bemo!

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