Forgotten 70’s and 80’s Japs

[gtd2000]

Japanese cars always piqued my interest.

Wouldn't mind another little Mitsubishi Mirage to see how it faired today...

[gtd2000]

Mind you, my second car was far superior and drew lots of looks back in the 80's

 

[Tamworthbay]

18 minutes ago, gtd2000 said:

Mind you, my second car was far superior and drew lots of looks back in the 80's

 

Celeste? I nearly had one as my first car but it was sadly terminally rotten. Always wanted one.

[nigel bickle]

No

No one seems to have mentioned early “ Zuzu’s?  “

Have an early Florian.....

 

 

 

 

[gm]

On 2/12/2020 at 11:31 AM, sierraman said:

Did they actually sell the 929 coupe in the U.K.? As in the funny looking one from about mid 80’s? 

My grandparents street always had loads of old batteredJapanese tin, the guy across the road had one of those 323’s with the round headlights in seventiestastic gold. 

I found one in the scrappies a few years back, bit of a mess but a very cool interior

(edit) just noticed this one is LHD 

[gtd2000]

8 hours ago, Tamworthbay said:

Celeste? I nearly had one as my first car but it was sadly terminally rotten. Always wanted one.

Yeah Celeste 2000GT, was a pretty decent car overall.

[Skut]

6 hours ago, gtd2000 said:

Yeah Celeste 2000GT, was a pretty decent car overall.

My dad always stuck two sacks of gravel in the boot of ours in winter. Reckoned it helped with traction. 

[Tamworthbay]

6 hours ago, gtd2000 said:

Yeah Celeste 2000GT, was a pretty decent car overall.

I am truly jealous, the one I nearly bought belonged to mate who was a year older than me. I had been in it loads and learnt to drive in it on Asda car park. I have only seen one in the last twenty years, an immaculate red one owned from new by an elderly couple who were very surprised that I recognised it. I periodically look them up on eBay but they seem to have completely disappeared.

[Billy - Medhurst]

For some reason I did all ways like this style of Toyota Corolla.  I took these pictures in 2007 and it may have been the last time I saw one of this type.

[gtd2000]

1 hour ago, Tamworthbay said:

I am truly jealous, the one I nearly bought belonged to mate who was a year older than me. I had been in it loads and learnt to drive in it on Asda car park. I have only seen one in the last twenty years, an immaculate red one owned from new by an elderly couple who were very surprised that I recognised it. I periodically look them up on eBay but they seem to have completely disappeared.

I was extremely lucky with mine, it was honestly in perfect condition and totally rust free.

When I bought mine, I was in the army and I'd returned to Germany from Canada (BATUS).

I'd actually seen the car advertised on the noticeboard at the Roundhouse (Bergen Hohne) before we went to Canada and was very pleased to see that it was still up for sale.

Turned out it was a female Major that owned the car and she only generally used it for trips back to Inverness, as she had a staff car. It looked in pretty poor condition with more green than silver and an interior covered in mildew!

I cleaned the car up myself and it honestly looked brand new. A few of my mates asked if I'd just bought a new car?

The Celeste was really just a Japanese Capri with more show than go but it was a lovely car to drive and proceeded pretty well on the Autobahn with an indicated 126MPH being the top speed. I'd regularly sit at an indicated 120MPH without any drama. 

The car was absolutely reliable but it definitely needed much better brakes, they were pitiful to be honest!

I had dreams of fitting a Starion engine but that was a simple pipe dream.

I did see one, for the first time in decades, last year at a garage in Longtown on the way to Carlisle on the A7. It was a green on,e with the earlier inverted L shaped lights.

 

Here's a few of the remaining pics that I have of it.

 

 

 

 

[gtd2000]

2 hours ago, Skut said:

My dad always stuck two sacks of gravel in the boot of ours in winter. Reckoned it helped with traction. 

The problem I had with traction was the Firestone Firehawks that were fitted to the car, they were horrific in damp/wet conditions.

Absolutely useless in snow!

On the plus side, they did manage 40,000 odd miles before replacement!

[Austat]

A favourite of mine, 1982 Mitsubishi Lancer EX 1800/2000 Turbo:

[sierraman]

And of course the mythical Lonsdale YD41!

[808 Estate]

I always liked the Datsun Laurel. Had a good "yank tank" look to it.

[Richard_FM]

The bigger Japanese cars seemed look very American until the late 1980s,  though normally a few years  behind style wise.  The Datsun Gloria still had early 1970s coke bottle sides at the end of the decade.

Oddly most of the bigger Japanese cars weren’t sold in the USA at this time.

[Sir Snipes]

Yeah the Japanese auto industry has always been heavily influenced by, or at least aimed their cars toward, American sensibilities.

[alcyonecorporation]

not got owt

[Austat]

Mitsubishi Colt Galant GTO:

They were sold in the UK, but only in very few numbers:

[Shite Ron]

On 2/12/2020 at 9:08 AM, Austat said:

Are there any Mazda 1800s left in the UK?

Apparently only two according to this advert:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-of-2-remaining/313360122231?hash=item48f5b80177:g:JpIAAOSwIy1f6Hgh
 

It seems Tadhg Tioger was correct with his reply below, although Alex Brooker may contest this claim:
Probably fewer than the fingers on one hand

Sorry for the late reply but have only just read this thread.

[Austat]

12 minutes ago, Shite Ron said:

Apparently only two according to this advert:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-of-2-remaining/313360122231?hash=item48f5b80177:g:JpIAAOSwIy1f6Hgh
 

It seems Tadhg Tioger was correct with his reply below, although Alex Brooker may contest this claim:
Probably fewer than the fingers on one hand

Sorry for the late reply but have only just read this thread.

This would be the second one I believe, an earlier 1500 unless there's another 1800 variant:

 

[Shite Ron]

2 minutes ago, Austat said:

This would be the second one I believe, an earlier 1500:

 

That looks really nice, I am surprised how stylish these are. Seventies Japanese cars never looked quite right to me but this is very nice. I had never heard of them until I saw the ebay one.

[Austat]

5 minutes ago, Shite Ron said:

That looks really nice, I am surprised how stylish these are. Seventies Japanese cars never looked quite right to me but this is very nice. I had never heard of them until I saw the ebay one.

There was a Beige one parked outside my primary school, I remember passing it a few times and I recall the paint was pealing off revealing that some of the panels where a pale pink colour. Not at the same spot nowadays but probably in a local garage since I last saw it around ten years ago.

[antony denman]

here my money pit or classic ,needs a clutch been bit lazy was bit ill,hopeing soon to get it back on the road,

[Austat]

2 minutes ago, antony denman said:

here my money pit or classic ,needs a clutch been bit lazy was bit ill,hopeing soon to get it back on the road,

Is this a Montrose? Or don't they have slightly different front ends.

[StescoG66]

2 hours ago, Austat said:

This would be the second one I believe, an earlier 1500 unless there's another 1800 variant:

 

More than a faint hint of Maserati Quattroporte/Lancia Flavia about that in my mind. Like it, and totally forgot they existed. WOnder if that guy near St Andrews has one decomposing in his extensive collection.............

[Reluctant Adult]

2 hours ago, Shite Ron said:

Apparently only two according to this advert:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-of-2-remaining/313360122231?hash=item48f5b80177:g:JpIAAOSwIy1f6Hgh
 

It seems Tadhg Tioger was correct with his reply below, although Alex Brooker may contest this claim:
Probably fewer than the fingers on one hand

Sorry for the late reply but have only just read this thread.

“Recently been restored” = why it has high underseal tide marks on both front & rear valances...

[antony denman]

its a montrose 626 its a facelift one,mines 1982 one off the last,early ones had different fronts chrome bumpers,

[GrumpiusMaximus]

My partner's Dad likes to talk about the 2.0 Mitsubishi (Lancer, I think) that he had in the early-90s.  Unfortunately got binned in an accident down some local lanes (I know the spot well) but he consistently talks about how good it was compared to most of the other cars he had.  I think his favourite was the G-Reg 3.0 (N/A) Alfa 164 but the Mitsubishi was right up there.

I quite fancy something like that...

[taranaki]

Forgotten 70's Japs, you say?
Hiroo Onoda, an army intelligence officer, caused a sensation when he was persuaded to come out of hiding in the Philippine jungle in 1974.

[antony denman]

rember my grandad on about him,still thought war as on,brill he existed