Sunday, April 8, 2018

Road-worthy Vehicles


I was expecting so much more. Experimental cars the rest of the world doesn’t see. Cutting-edge fuel cell vehicles. Tricked out Tokyo Drift boy racers. Classics from Japan’s heyday. A Datsun 240Z maybe?

Ho hum. 

95% of the cars on the road in Japan are utilitarian, cute/bland, boxy, neutrally-hued, mini-peoplemovers. The one bland and boxy car that warmed the cockles of my heart was Japan’s ubiquitous taxi, the Toyota Crown. All the taxis seem to be 1980s Toyota Crowns and they are all seemingly tricked out by the drivers’ grannies by sporting lacy antimaccassars. 


The following also caught my eye for either cuteness, retrovibe or the next Honda coming to you.

Honda N Box: 


Suzuki Lapin (with rabbit hood ornament) 


Retro Mini Knockoff: 


1960 Datsun Fairlady (from the Kyoto car show): 
And best of all, the 1990s Mitsuoka Viewt, deliberately created to mimic a 1960s Mk2 "Inspector Morse" Jaguar in pint-sized form. 



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