Forgotten 70’s and 80’s Japs

[GrumpiusMaximus 6814]

Camel's 'Nude' is a concept album based on his story.  If you're into semi-obscure Prog...

[StescoG66 14]

On 1/6/2020 at 7:34 PM, DVee8 said:

Datsun Bluebird sss coupe.

Why oh why have I taken sooo long to find this thread...... I loved these (not that colour though.....), and did flirt with the idea of trying to find one not too long ago. I remember seeing one a maroon outside a cottage near Drumoig a few years back, by the time I got round to going to enquire it was gone........ Rarer than an honest politician it would seem.......... Love the old Japanese stuff and have quite a history of Datsun/Nissan in both my history and the family. 

Warning - Long boring list alert......

HGA679N - Datsun 120Y 2 door saloon

TGE414R - Datsun 120A FII Coupe in pale metallic green

GGA788T - Datsun 140Y Coupe in metallic jobbie dogleg 5 speed and reverse buzzer -cool as fuck to the 10 yr old me....

Sold to make may for YSU 689S Sherpa camper, less said the better.......

Then a succession of 910 Bfuebirds

VGG766W - Silver 4 door 1.8GL 4speed

FGD515X - Dark blue 4 door1.8GL 5 speed

PGA655Y - Light blue big bumper 1.8GL 4 door

C495SSG  - Nissan Bluebird 2.0GL 

then I started driving

E509XYS - light blue NIssan Sunny 1.3LX 3 door

E754ASU - white Nissan Micra 1.0L (mums car)

G125SGD - white Nissan Sunny 1.4LS 3 door (that 1.4 12 valve engine was a little treasure....)

G303THS - dark green Nissan Sunny 1.6GSX 5 door (dads car - 1.6 12 valve that was nowhere near a sweet as the 1.4 I had)

J210FGE - red Nissan Sunny 1.4LS 3 dr 16V that was a bag of shite - carb and cat couldn't be made to run right. Horrendous misfires.

+ J613ESU - black Nissan Sunny 1.6GS 5 door (dads car - strangely no cat on this one......)

H303CNS - grey Nissan Primera 2.0eZX 4 door - absolutely fantastic car, I should never have sold it........

R651MRS - Black Nissan Primera 2.0GX 5 door (dads car)

N268JFC - burgundy Nissan Micra 1.3GX (H303 sold for this due to impending house purchase)

L390XSU - red Nissan Primera 2.0eGT 5 door (written off by driving like a total fanny.........)

X507FBL - Silver Nissan Almera 1.8 Sport

SC04NJN - Grey Nissan Primera 2.2DCi 5 door (bag o'shite, my last Nissan. The DCI sttod for daft cunt inside by the time I finished with it....)

SE02MGO - gold Nissan Primera 1.8SE 4 door (dads car)

SC09FMY - burgundy Nissan Micra 1.2 3 door (mums still current car......)

I may have missed a couple.......... Pics of some somewhere, but god knows where.........

 

[DVee8 18421]

5 hours ago, StescoG66 said:

Why oh why have I taken sooo long to find this thread...... I loved these (not that colour though.....), and did flirt with the idea of trying to find one not too long ago. I remember seeing one a maroon outside a cottage near Drumoig a few years back, by the time I got round to going to enquire it was gone........ Rarer than an honest politician it would seem.......... Love the old Japanese stuff and have quite a history of Datsun/Nissan in both my history and the family. 

Warning - Long boring list alert......

HGA679N - Datsun 120Y 2 door saloon

TGE414R - Datsun 120A FII Coupe in pale metallic green

GGA788T - Datsun 140Y Coupe in metallic jobbie dogleg 5 speed and reverse buzzer -cool as fuck to the 10 yr old me....

Sold to make may for YSU 689S Sherpa camper, less said the better.......

Then a succession of 910 Bfuebirds

VGG766W - Silver 4 door 1.8GL 4speed

FGD515X - Dark blue 4 door1.8GL 5 speed

PGA655Y - Light blue big bumper 1.8GL 4 door

C495SSG  - Nissan Bluebird 2.0GL 

then I started driving

E509XYS - light blue NIssan Sunny 1.3LX 3 door

E754ASU - white Nissan Micra 1.0L (mums car)

G125SGD - white Nissan Sunny 1.4LS 3 door (that 1.4 12 valve engine was a little treasure....)

G303THS - dark green Nissan Sunny 1.6GSX 5 door (dads car - 1.6 12 valve that was nowhere near a sweet as the 1.4 I had)

J210FGE - red Nissan Sunny 1.4LS 3 dr 16V that was a bag of shite - carb and cat couldn't be made to run right. Horrendous misfires.

+ J613ESU - black Nissan Sunny 1.6GS 5 door (dads car - strangely no cat on this one......)

H303CNS - grey Nissan Primera 2.0eZX 4 door - absolutely fantastic car, I should never have sold it........

R651MRS - Black Nissan Primera 2.0GX 5 door (dads car)

N268JFC - burgundy Nissan Micra 1.3GX (H303 sold for this due to impending house purchase)

L390XSU - red Nissan Primera 2.0eGT 5 door (written off by driving like a total fanny.........)

X507FBL - Silver Nissan Almera 1.8 Sport

SC04NJN - Grey Nissan Primera 2.2DCi 5 door (bag o'shite, my last Nissan. The DCI sttod for daft cunt inside by the time I finished with it....)

SE02MGO - gold Nissan Primera 1.8SE 4 door (dads car)

SC09FMY - burgundy Nissan Micra 1.2 3 door (mums still current car......)

I may have missed a couple.......... Pics of some somewhere, but god knows where.........

 

Jez I thought I liked a Nissan or 2.

You are right about a Primera GT/eGT  I wish I hadn't sold my ones .. and a Bluebird turbo

[Macscrooge 444]

Jap cars were rare (and rusty) oddities until I was in my late teens. A friend’s dad had a Mk1 Celica in red followed by a 3dr Mk2 in a rather more fetching dark blue. A girlfriend’s mum had a Mk1 V plate Toyota Starlet - she’d previously had a Honda Civic. A much older friend had a Toyota Carina estate which he had from new until it fell to bits.

My dad only had two jap cars (out of 2 dozen) - a ‘97ish Mazda 323 and a (Swindon built) ‘00 Honda Accord. 

By contrast, two-thirds of my current fleet is from the land of the rising Yen and were I spending my own money on a new or even newish car I’d struggle to look past Jap or Korean brands. Funny old world. 

[Out Run 811]

11 hours ago, StescoG66 said:

Why oh why have I taken sooo long to find this thread...... I loved these (not that colour though.....), and did flirt with the idea of trying to find one not too long ago. I remember seeing one a maroon outside a cottage near Drumoig a few years back, by the time I got round to going to enquire it was gone........ Rarer than an honest politician it would seem.......... Love the old Japanese stuff and have quite a history of Datsun/Nissan in both my history and the family. 

Warning - Long boring list alert......

HGA679N - Datsun 120Y 2 door saloon

TGE414R - Datsun 120A FII Coupe in pale metallic green

GGA788T - Datsun 140Y Coupe in metallic jobbie dogleg 5 speed and reverse buzzer -cool as fuck to the 10 yr old me....

Sold to make may for YSU 689S Sherpa camper, less said the better.......

Then a succession of 910 Bfuebirds

VGG766W - Silver 4 door 1.8GL 4speed

FGD515X - Dark blue 4 door1.8GL 5 speed

PGA655Y - Light blue big bumper 1.8GL 4 door

C495SSG  - Nissan Bluebird 2.0GL 

then I started driving

E509XYS - light blue NIssan Sunny 1.3LX 3 door

E754ASU - white Nissan Micra 1.0L (mums car)

G125SGD - white Nissan Sunny 1.4LS 3 door (that 1.4 12 valve engine was a little treasure....)

G303THS - dark green Nissan Sunny 1.6GSX 5 door (dads car - 1.6 12 valve that was nowhere near a sweet as the 1.4 I had)

J210FGE - red Nissan Sunny 1.4LS 3 dr 16V that was a bag of shite - carb and cat couldn't be made to run right. Horrendous misfires.

+ J613ESU - black Nissan Sunny 1.6GS 5 door (dads car - strangely no cat on this one......)

H303CNS - grey Nissan Primera 2.0eZX 4 door - absolutely fantastic car, I should never have sold it........

R651MRS - Black Nissan Primera 2.0GX 5 door (dads car)

N268JFC - burgundy Nissan Micra 1.3GX (H303 sold for this due to impending house purchase)

L390XSU - red Nissan Primera 2.0eGT 5 door (written off by driving like a total fanny.........)

X507FBL - Silver Nissan Almera 1.8 Sport

SC04NJN - Grey Nissan Primera 2.2DCi 5 door (bag o'shite, my last Nissan. The DCI sttod for daft cunt inside by the time I finished with it....)

SE02MGO - gold Nissan Primera 1.8SE 4 door (dads car)

SC09FMY - burgundy Nissan Micra 1.2 3 door (mums still current car......)

I may have missed a couple.......... Pics of some somewhere, but god knows where.........

 

Nice list, mate.

eZX, eh? I still have the badge from one. I bought it to use as an engine donor for my P11 Si. The SR20DE in them was closer to 160BHP, compared to the catalyst equipped eGT, IIRC?

It was certainly sprightly in my car and used to laugh at Cavalier GSi's.

[gtd2000 933]

On 1/2/2021 at 3:31 AM, Austat said:

Mitsubishi Colt Galant GTO:

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

The only place I've ever seen one of those in the flesh, was when I was based in Cyprus, during '88 & '89.

Cyprus turned up some Japanese cars I'd never even heard of, let alone spotted.

These spring to mind:

The pickup variants were quite popular.

And

 

[gtd2000 933]

On 1/2/2021 at 7:31 AM, Austat said:

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

 

I drove one of these (in maroon) when I was in Zimbabwe in 1994.

It had one functioning brake on the front right and the throttle used a length of string pulled by hand - quite an interesting concept... 

[gtd2000 933]

On 1/2/2021 at 10:22 AM, StescoG66 said:

 

C495SSG  - Nissan Bluebird 2.0GL 

 

 

Interesting, my Dad bought C505SSG (2.0: SGL) new from Sighthill in Edinburgh given to me after my dad passed away in '88.

Here it is in East Germany - Magdeburg.

 

[gtd2000 933]

One of my favourite and possibly most fun Japanese cars:

[StescoG66 14]

On 1/2/2021 at 9:44 PM, Out Run said:

Nice list, mate.

eZX, eh? I still have the badge from one. I bought it to use as an engine donor for my P11 Si. The SR20DE in them was closer to 160BHP, compared to the catalyst equipped eGT, IIRC?

It was certainly sprightly in my car and used to laugh at Cavalier GSi's.

Yes the main difference between the eZX and the eGT was the missing catalyst and other emissions control shite on the eZX. It wasby far the better of the two I had

[StescoG66 14]

17 hours ago, gtd2000 said:

Interesting, my Dad bought C505SSG (2.0: SGL) new from Sighthill in Edinburgh given to me after my dad passed away in '88.

Here it is in East Germany - Magdeburg.

 

Ours was bought at Belmont Nissan on Kirkintilloch Road, Bishopbriggs. Was a bloody good car actually........

I see you took out the shitty standard stereo too - tape deck rear speakers and radio front as I recall......... I replaced ours with a Clarion M622 (how can I remember this pish............and not remember what I had for lunch)

[hairnet 11735]

anyone know where i can buy one of these in this country?

thanks

 

Quote

 

 

[Barry Cade 9493]

On 1/2/2021 at 10:22 AM, StescoG66 said:

Why oh why have I taken sooo long to find this thread...... I loved these (not that colour though.....), and did flirt with the idea of trying to find one not too long ago. I remember seeing one a maroon outside a cottage near Drumoig a few years back, by the time I got round to going to enquire it was gone........ 

 

I remember that car, and speaking to the owner.. it was Wormit at that time, then it moved. I'll have a nose the next time I'm passing. There's a guy in Fife with loads of odd Jap stuff, and I reckon he's got a load of Datsuns tucked away. He's not very approachable though, but has a long line of strange jap stuff parked in a public car park,  and other stuff dotted around. 

[StescoG66 14]

2 hours ago, Barry Cade said:

I remember that car, and speaking to the owner.. it was Wormit at that time, then it moved. I'll have a nose the next time I'm passing. There's a guy in Fife with loads of odd Jap stuff, and I reckon he's got a load of Datsuns tucked away. He's not very approachable though, but has a long line of strange jap stuff parked in a public car park,  and other stuff dotted around. 

Last I passed it was gone. Thats not to say it isn'tin his garage though. There was an Allaggro Vanden Plas outside in that fetching contents-of-baby-nappy brown green shade last time I passed,

 

[alcyonecorporation 6101]

Still have my pre-Lotus Piazza Turbo. 

It needs some work to the head to see the road again.

[Conan 911]

That is, by far, the greatest wheel design in automotive history.

[Bradders59 1736]

Ive had a realisation while reading through this thread. In 43 years of driving, I have never owned a Japanese car !

Owned numerous Jap bikes but never a car.

Came close in 78/ 79 when I was offered a 240Z for £70. Yes really.

Went to have a look at it and decided that the only reason and hadnt actually dissolved completely was that no-one had attempted to move it for quite some time. I think a tow rope on the front would have seperated the front from the rear, so left it where it was.

It cant have been much more than 8 years old I suppose.

[StescoG66 14]

Wow. Post facelift Violet (pre facelift they were still badged 140J/160J if I am not mistaken). Rarer than hens teeth. Malta or Cyprus may be worth a try for one of these, There are only 5 left across all Violet variants according to How Many Left.......

 

[gtd2000 933]

17 hours ago, StescoG66 said:

Ours was bought at Belmont Nissan on Kirkintilloch Road, Bishopbriggs. Was a bloody good car actually........

I see you took out the shitty standard stereo too - tape deck rear speakers and radio front as I recall......... I replaced ours with a Clarion M622 (how can I remember this pish............and not remember what I had for lunch)

Yes, it also came from Belmont - think I've still got some Belmont folders somewhere in the house too?

I kept the standard stereo and simply spliced in the rear speakers to the existing rear wiring - was too much effort at the time to change it due to the factory system.

[inconsistant 8691]

Superb thread, PROPER AUTOSHITE content! Never thought very much of Japanese cars growing up, I didn't like their flimsy feel, their crap dashboard plastics and the feeling the were for people who didn't really like cars but needed one. I was wrong, obvs. Never owned a Jap car, but did learn to drive and took my test in a driving school Sunny saloon in 87. 

Don't know if these are too Jazzy for this thread but I like these RX7s and you don't see them that often, I think they just crept in before the Gran Turismo generation of cars.

Nice Celica spotted last year in a fab green, way brighter than it came out in the pic.

 

My Clubman and chum's Corolla, mid 90s

 

Corolla BIG WORDS edition

 

 

Proper Honda Civics

 

Proper Honda Accord

 

G plate Mitsubishi (Colt?) just barely fulfils the 80s brief.

 

This is very early 90s but too good not to add.

 

My chum's older brother had one of these Toyotas in the mid 80's, except his was primrose yellow, black interior. It didn't have a badge on the back other than 'lift back' like this one so I never really knew what it was and he didn't care enough to find out. I suppose it was a Corolla of some sort but never saw another one around at that time so maybe not a common model? Loads of us, maybe 6 or 7, used to pile into it and head to the pub. The boot was tiny and an odd shape. It wasn't that powerful but he used to drive it like an idiot, I'm surprised we, and the car survived. This one was at a local show a couple of years ago and it's the only other one I've ever seen. 

 

70s and 80s Jap cars are the sort of thing I make a beeline for at car shows these as there are so few about and they make a refreshing change from the rows of similar Fords/MGBs etc.