Tag: Japanese
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When Twelve Hunnit Meant Sunny
I really like Datsun 510s, but those were ‘discovered’ some time ago. The little 1200 – the Sunny in some markets and also called the B110 – hasn’t been discovered to quite the same extent, yet, despite some mechanical deficiencies vs. the 510, it’s a cool, lightweight little car and, yes, it features rear-wheel drive.…
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The Late 80s Puked All Over a 70s Datsun
The seller doesn’t specify and claims this is a ’75 model, but I’m pretty sure it’s a 1978ish 510. Bad news is the post-1975 model year would mean smog checks here in CA. Good news is this car appears to be in really good shape and has a clutch pedal, just with an interesting interior…
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Never Heard of It: Mitsubishi Minica
Microcar + four on the tree = win? The seller claims this is the only Minica in the US, but I don’t know how to verify that. I can say I’ve never seen one. Apparently, this was a Japan market microcar and lasted a few generations. This was the first, however, and this sedan was related…
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210 Times Two Equals 4:20
This is one of those funny times when two of a car not often seen pop up at the same time. In this case, it’s two Datsun 210 GX hatchbacks. Two 210s equals 420, so we recommend buying both. Both of these are fairly rough, but both sellers claim they run. One has been in…
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1974 Civic 4WD
The seller’s brief introductory description says a lot: “1974 Honda Civic. All Wheel Drive, VTEC, 6 speed manual transmission, cruise control, power window on passenger side, air conditioning.” Yes, this car was put together with a 1990 Honda Wagovan and a 1974 Civic and it has a 6-speed manual trans. Most important is that power…
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Pre-Maxima, Stick Shift Nissan Luxury
Well, make that Datsun luxury, given the year. Anyway, this isn’t our first 810, but it’s the first with a clutch pedal. The seller claims the engine ‘runs strong’, but there’s a hard to decipher statement about “been stopped” elsewhere. I’m not sure how to interpret that, but I can say this is no concours-ready…
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Good, Honest CVCC
For a long time, any 70s Honda spotted on the road was a beater, with only the occasional exception. Will the rise in Japanese collector car values keep them coming out of the woodwork, or will this be a rare sight in the future? The seller claims 85K original miles on this one, which means…
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A Truly Swift Swift
It’s no secret to anyone who follows Oddimotive that I, your humble host, love hot hatches and pocket rockets. That is to say, I love the performance versions of various shitboxes. This is a favorite and even has a cool legal tie-in. The previous-generation Swift was available in the US as the Chevy Sprint with…
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Pre-Brat Subaru Pickup
We’ve featured more than a couple Subaru 360s since the glorious birth of Oddimotive, but we’ve never previously featured the truck version. These strange little haulers were part of a family that included a coupe, ‘sedan’ and a tiny van. The signature front end and suicide doors are thankfully present here. The rear engine, however,…
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Semi-Custom Honda AZ600
The AZ600 was the “sport coupe” version of the N360/N600 microcar – arguably Honda’s first mainstream production car. These featured various air-cooled twin cylinder engines, with the 600 indicating 600cc displacement here and in all US versions. Most of these don’t play up the sport theme too much, but here we have the first I’ve…