Tag: Japanese
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Strangest Samurai?
We like the Suzuki Samurai. It’s a serious underdog but has serious off-road capability. So…what happens when you remove a Samurai’s performance underdog nature and off-road ability at the same time? Short version: The front end was extended to fit a bored and stroked small block Chevy and it’s now a RWD-only vehicle. Hmm. If…
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Subaru GL Convertible
Proposed US regulations killed off much of the convertible market for the late 70s and early 80s. This is why targa tops, t-tops and those strange semi-fixed-roof cabriolets were so relatively common. We all know the free market is always smarter than regulators, and proof came in the growth of coachbuilding during the same period.…
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Best of the worst of the breed? 260Z 2+2
The 1973 model year was the low point for Datsun Z performance, as emissions regs choked down the 2.4L I6 and its bumpers started to grow. 1974 brought even stricter regs, so Nissan’s answer was a bump to 2.6 liters to try to offset the performance impact. 260Zs were indeed quicker in a straight line…
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Forbidden Fruit: Mazda / Autozam AZ-1 Kei car
Anyone reading here probably knows a thing or two about Kei cars, the tiny Japanese treats which get around certain Japanese tax laws. This Autozam AZ-1 has a bit of a confusing lineage, given Autozam is a Mazda brand but the car was design and built by Suzuki, who also sold a version. Regardless, we…
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We’re in love: 1978 Datsun 200SX five speed
We’ve thought of this car as “so ugly it’s cool” ever since a friend down the street had one very similar to today’s subject car. These days, the styling is growing on us in its own weird way, plus it’s clear that the F10 will always be the ugliest Datsun (barring anything new out of…
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Quickie: Datsun 1200 two-door sedan
This is a cool little 1200 with four-speed and which was apparently refurbished a while back. It shows well now, though we’re not sure the red dash trim is original. Click for eBay ad $1,525.69 with six bids, reserve not met and $3,700 BIN price Drummonds, TN 08/18/2013 update: SOLD for $3,600 with 14 bids.…
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Subaru GL10 Turbo AWD project
This rare beast was partially disassembled at one point and this is your opportunity to build it back up the way you want it. The only downside here is the automatic trans, so you might as well do the swap “while you’re in there.” Apparently, Subaru offered a pneumatic suspension, and this one has it.…
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Holy Grail of oddness: Honda S800 Coupe
Anyone with any automotive street cred knows exactly what a Honda S2000 is and why it’s a great car. You have to go up a level to know that the S2000 was inspired by Honda’s first production car, the S500 through S800 series. Seemingly very few, however, are aware of the coupe versions of the…
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Quickie: M-m-m-my Verona
We featured a picture of a Suzuki Verona the other day. Edmunds has a good write-up on this short-lived experiment, but suffice it to say it was the result of one of GM’s many theories on what to do with Suzuki. This particular theory involved importing cars from GM-owned, Korea-based Daewoo to sell as Suzukis.…
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Mazda’s 80s Rally Homologation-mobile
These days, US customers can choose between the WRX/STI and the Evo for Japanese rally-inspired street cars, but, for years, both were forbidden fruit on these shores. That doesn’t mean there were no choices, however, as we did get the Celica All-Trac Turbo, Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 and our feature car, the Mazda 323GTX. With 130…