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The Big 2 Japanese cars were Toyota and Datsun (Nissan) for many years. Honda was a Johnny Come Lately that took America by storm and knocked Nissan to #3 status forever.
I remember the first Japanese vehicle I saw was a Datsun pickup. I was taken aback by the large odd name on the tailgate, the size of the truck, and the COLOR it was (BRIGHT blue). That was around 1964. Little did I kn ow I would own one of it's great great grandkids, and it would be the most reliable vehicle I ever owned!
My first real sports car was an '89 Chrysler Conquest. Quite a fun little car in its day. I lived in a small town in downstate IL at the time, and a local down there cruised around in a 944. We ran into each other a few times and did some stop-light battlin'. I wish I didn't have to get rid of that car. Unfortunately the vast majority of them have been relegated to parts-donor cars to keep the dwindling fleet of running StarQuests on the road.
A couple years later I got a '92 Eagle Talon TSi. It was a pretty fun car too but I never realized how rough it was until I replaced it with a WRX, which is by far the best car I ever owned. Wish I still had that little bruiser too. It made my brother jealous when I got it. Now he has one and I'm the jealous one.
In 1987, I had the opportunity to purchase an 1986 Mitsubishi Galant that had been driven by executives of Mitsubishi USA. In my opinion, this was one of the nicest looking of the mid 80's Japanese four door sedans. In addition to being nicer looking than your typical Camry, Legacy, 626, etc, the car was loaded with technology, as evidenced by a leveling air suspension system.
That is exactly why I didn't purchase the car. At the time, Mitsubishi was not well established all across the US, and North Carolina was one of the areas not very well represented by Mitsubishi dealerships. I didn't want the hassle of having a car that at the time, I knew little about, and that might possibly be hard to find service or parts for.
I purchase an 88 Camry a few months later, but I have always wanted one of these Galants. However, trying to find one of these 85-87 sedans or the subsequent Sigmas that were made through 89 or 90 is proving to be very difficult.
The Big 2 Japanese cars were Toyota and Datsun (Nissan) for many years. Honda was a Johnny Come Lately that took America by storm and knocked Nissan to #3 status forever.
I remember the first Japanese vehicle I saw was a Datsun pickup. I was taken aback by the large odd name on the tailgate, the size of the truck, and the COLOR it was (BRIGHT blue). That was around 1964. Little did I kn ow I would own one of it's great great grandkids, and it would be the most reliable vehicle I ever owned!
I had a Road & Track from the early '60s that had their annual new car lineup. THis issue was full of the new imports for the time, and most were European, but they had a sidebar on the new Datsun cars arriving in the US. They talked about how, unlike a lot of European imports, Datsun was spending time and money setting up a nationwide parts distribution network before even setting up their first car dealership. The commentary was that with forethought and determination like that, the Europeans needed to watch out for the little Japanese newcomers. How prophetic!
One of the most popular cars at any amateur road racing event is the Miata.
They run a spec series called of all things "spec Miata" If you think the Camaros out number everybody at the drag strip you would be amazed at the number of Miatas at any road course event. These cars are almost indestructible. While they are not the fastest they sure are the most popular. Cheap and reliable is the name of the game in for fun road racing.
One of the most popular cars at any amateur road racing event is the Miata.
They run a spec series called of all things "spec Miata" If you think the Camaros out number everybody at the drag strip you would be amazed at the number of Miatas at any road course event. These cars are almost indestructible. While they are not the fastest they sure are the most popular. Cheap and reliable is the name of the game in for fun road racing.
Yeah, but I don't count them as "classic" Japanese cars. It's throroughly modern (even if it's a reinterpretartion of the Lotus Elan of the '60s). I'v espent a lot of time with Miatas on the track, and they are definitely fun, but too new for this thread.
I was trying to go for more of a "this is what Japan brought is in the '60s and '70s" which is why I also didn't do anything on the MR2s and later turbo Supras.
My favorite early Japanese cars were all Datsun (aka Nissan). The B210, the 200SX (odd styling made it stand out), and the early Z cars. It's sad that we don't see more of these cars still on the road today. My parents had a two door B210. It had great MPG and was nimble for it's time. We had to trade it in for a larger car since my sister and I were getting too big for the back seat. So my mom went from a 2 door Datsun B210 to a Chrysler Cordoba.
I had a '76 B-210. Notch-back. I LOVED that car and so did my friends. Had a fabulous blue interior that I called Nagasaki Naugahyde. Great fun to ride around in. But it had one fatal flaw: If you punched it, it said, "Do not do that. I am a 4 cylinder automatic. If you want to go fast, upgrade me to a "Z"."
I had driven many MGs and Triumphs throughout the 60s, but in a spate of insanity, I decided I wanted a 240Z the second year they came out. I kind of missed having it snow and rain INSIDE the car so I sold it and bought a TR-6 which I still own.
The 2000GT bears repeating. It's a gorgeous car and would probably be drooled over by Ferrari or Jaguar fans if it had a prancing horse or leaping cat on it.
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Classic Mitsubishi Galant
