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Photography by Abhi Chatterjee and Chris Gonzalez
Is the Honda Civic a collector car? A silly question, of course, because the right Civic is most definitely a collectible, as evidenced by the recent Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS) Street Neo Classics ’80s and ’90s event. Toyota Supras, Mazda RX-7s, and Nissan 300ZX models rubbed shoulders with rare, modified, and race-tuned versions of Japan’s best vehicles from more than 30 years ago.
As JCCS says, “What hot rods were to the 1950s, what muscle cars were to the 1970s and early ‘80s, these cars are to our modern era.”
The JCCS always puts on a great show, and this event was no exception. It was a welcome trip down memory lane, and the cars in attendance provided more than enough ideas to fuel a weeks’ worth of Craigslist browsing to find something for next year…
I love these old Japanese cars. It’s what I grew up with. But holy cow! What a crappy set of photos!!!! There was only ONE front 3/4 shot of a car. Everything else was artsy/fartsy shots of bumpers, carbs, and shift knobs. I wanted to see some CARS! The head on and rear view shots were ok but not full cars. I was so disappointed.
You know, I am all for american muscle, I don’t think you could ever imitate the sensory overload you get with those old machines. However, you have to take into account that these are so insanely impressive with what power output they can make reliably, without having to sent it to some super speed shop. And then there’s the ingenuity. I become a total fangirl if I ever hear about any FC or FD RX-7. I LOVE Wankel rotary engines, the engineering is fascinating. I love the challenge they bring to the table. Sure they are not without their faults,… Read more »
Correction, the article is here: http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/a26254/regular-car-reviews-ford-falcon/
Beautiful. Im from a different world (I have a tr3a) but I just love these Japanese classics. Very happy to live in a future that looks like this.
Nostalgic Japanese cars are awesome. Cool to see them here, too.
As much as I love the exotica of ferraris and porsches etc there is something special about cool cars that the majority of people can afford. I recently restored an 6cyl e21 BMW and got ever pleasure I needed and at the end of the day I wasn’t scared to drive it and it wasn’t too valuable….. It sounded great, wasn’t the fasted but it was cool
Great set of photos! I think the aesthetic and the culture surrounding each successive era of classic car has to do as much with nostalgia as it does with which cars are attainable for each generation of classic car owners… The common trait between the hot rodders in the 50s, the classic muscle during 80s and today’s classic import culture is that for each generation, the cars that define the culture were inexpensive and easily available. It is heartening to see the younger (my) generation of classic car lovers embracing and maintaining these classics with such enthusiasm. (Also here is… Read more »
You’ve expressed your opinion douglas.. all good.
But I think petrolicious is about having an appreciation for a range of cars and styles. Im a classic VW man but as I get older I appreciate many different brands. I really like the early japanese stuff, its cool in its own right and a big part of Australian history in particular.
Meh, none of them get my blood pumping.
Give me some flat head V-8’s , lake pipes, or F5000 sounds any day.
Sorry kids, stick shift person stuck in a turbo charged, fart can exhaust world 🙁
Judging from the prices of Datsun 240Zs and 510s, 1st gen Celicas, 4th gen Supras, pre RX-7 Mazdas, etc. I’d say the future is here.