Cars on the Street in Tokyo

Awesome.

My friends at GermanCarZone.com would love this thread

Originally Posted by hypersonic

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Awesome.

My Spammers at SpamZone.com would love this spam

Fixed.

LOL, yeah it was pretty shameless wasn't it

But seriously, it is a great forum -- like this one

Ok, getting back on topic... The thing about Tokyo is that very very few people own a car because there's generally no need, and also it's very expensive. So there is a small parking garage at my work, but the only people that get a parking space are director level or higher. Most of the vehicles there are the typical late-model German or Italian cars, but there are a couple I found particularly interesting. One is a mint condition Dino GT. My humble photographs doesn't really do it justice; the paint actually looks a bit glossier in person. Also, a farily modified 2000 RX-7 type RZ. The last RX-7 sold in the States only until 1995, but they produced them in Japan until 2002. The later models had many improvements -- much more power, upgraded suspension and improved reliability, so it's a shame these didn't make it stateside. This particular model, the type RZ, was a special edition model of which only a few were produced.

Originally Posted by A Y

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If you're looking at the Elise or Exige, make sure you get in and out of the car a few times before deciding anything else. That tends to be the first deal breaker for many people. The ride is the second.

I think the ride is exactly as it should be. Getting in and out...that's why I bought a Miata instead.

Originally Posted by Nantucket Red

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For Vaclav in memory of his "Trad Cars of Europe" thread lost in the Great Crash of '06.

I've always thought it would be a fun project to take an old Volvo 122 and turn it into a hot rod. What do you think the biggest engine that would fit under that hood? A Rover V8, maybe? A Nissan V6? Volvo's biturbo straight six?

Originally Posted by Southern-Nupe

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The weight distribution is what set the RX-7 apart, IMO. The Miata, while a fun drive, still has that classic front-engine roadster feel. I like my engine as close to the middle as possible, and if it can't be actually mid-engined, the RX-7s tiny rotary shoved way up in the engine bay is the next best thing.

The Miata has 50/50 weight distribution and a front-mid engine (engine ahead of the front axle) too.

While roughly half a world away from Tokyo, here are some shots I took of mine at my parents' house after I moved back to the States and bought it. I guess some may see it as "feminine" but in my experience either one gets (as Ken W. Purdy put it) pour le sport, or one doesn't. It's a 2001 Special Edition, which means it came in British Racing Green paint with tan leather, a wood Nardi steering wheel (best steering wheel ever!) and wood Nardi shift knob, a wood e-brake handle, and fake wood on the dash. The hardtop was a factory option. The grille, Panasport wheels, and cat back are aftermarket. It's probably as un-feminine as a Miata can get.









At the time, we were a green car family, though I'm the only one who still has one.

Originally Posted by Mustapha

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but since this thread is Japanese oriented and increasingly towards underappreciated vintage Japanese machines I will say that the Subaru SVX needs to be part of this whole discussion as well.

IMO, the SVX is a clutch pedal away from greatness. (Ditto the somewhat contemporary Mercedes 300CE.) It's one of my favorite looking coupes of all time, but I cannot imagine driving a car with an automatic transmission.

Been a long time since I posted anything and I've got a backlog, which is fortunate seeing as how my little digital p&s has died.

Audi R8

Not a Lambo fan, but what the hell.

Who doesn't love a Lotus Elise?

The Diablo is stunning.

The picture of the Audi R8 doesn't do it justice.

Personally, I find Rolls in general to be ungainly, unlovely things. This one is particularly elephantine.

Similar proportions but vastly uglier. This Japanese monstrosity attempts and fails to take styling cues from Jaguar.

Are there any of those '70s, early '80s Mercedes SLs in Japan?

Originally Posted by LabelKing

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Are there any of those '70s, early '80s Mercedes SLs in Japan?

Not all that familiar with Mercedes models, but later I'll post a series of photos from a street display the Ginza Mercedes showroom put on last spring.