VENTS: Japanese Classic Car Show 2010, Part 04

We have so much coverage from JCCS that we’ve skipped the Friday Video this week and spilling the final installment into the weekend. So like a fleet of ported rotaries roaring down the 710, let’s tear right in!

As we mentioned before, this year’s JCCS drew record attendance, and a Datsun 510 with an S15 SR20DET swap is always a crowd pleaser.

It’s hard to believe there were only four years separating Leo del Cid‘s 1964 Bluebird with the iconic 510, but the pace of Japan’s industrialization was steaming forth at record pace. This is actually a PL312 from the Bluebird 310 series.

But don’t confuse it with the Datsun 310, an early Nissan Pulsar with the N10 chassis code. This front-wheel-drive car is actually ancestor to the modern-day Nissan Versa.

The 510 is one of the few cars in which the wagon body style is as stylish and popular among enthusiasts as coupe and sedan versions. Hey, Snoop Dogg owned one.

We spotted this amazingly clean Datsun 521 in the parking lot. Though the two are unrelated, one can see the styling resemblance to the 510 in the front end. Companies would kill for this kind of cross-platform branding nowadays.

Vic Laury‘s Datsun 2000 Roadster looks fantastic wearing SSR MkIIIs and a solid vintage pale yellow.

Though this Datsun 280ZX appears plain in appliance white from afar, a second glance reveals details like smoked scoop covers, purple wheels and rainbow Frankenstein stitches in the air dam.

Some may call it sacrilege, but this Mazda RX-4 had a 2JZ swap and its stock leaf springs swapped for a full Lexus IS300 independent rear.

The Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE differentiated itself from other first-gen Sevens with special wheels, different interior trim and a fuel injected 13B. Despite their popularity, it’s still fairly uncommon to see an example this clean nowadays.

Some Civic owners are downright quirky, and three of them with matching trailers drove in like ducks in a row.

The crew from Norm Reeves Honda had this rare second-gen JDM Honda City on display at their booth. Though kitted out with questionable aero bits, it’s a rare sight in the US, a predecessor to the modern-day Honda Fit.

Long before deep dish SSRs and hippari stretched tires migrated across the Pacific, the “proper” way to modify a Datsun 240Z was with polished slot mags so this is period correct, right down to the root beer metallic hue.

Nowadays, one can guess the age of a Z owner with fairly decent accuracy based on wheel choice. In descending order, it would go slot mags, Panasports, then SSR MkIIIs.

Like SSRs, black Watanabes and flares suggest a Nintendo-era owner as well.

Gotta love the 1970s, the era of metallic brown and dealer-installed vinyl roofs on your Mazda RX-2.

Remember when these were everywhere? Most of these solid-front-axle pickups have probably been driven into the ground by now, so this Toyota Hilux in classic light brown with period-correct stripe decals was a rare treat indeed.

Will the 1967 Toyota 2000GT ever be dethroned as king of Japanese classics? Perhaps a Fairlady Z432 or genuine GT-R could take the crown as they gain more traction in the US.

If you’re looking for JDM decals, T-shirts and accessories like fender mirrors for your Toyota Crown, the crew at Mooneyes are the ones you need to talk to.

Last time we saw this Celica liftback, it was on stock steelies. Now it’s set off by a set of rare Hoshino Impuls.

JNC super reader Toyotageek is a JCCS regular with his bone stock Celica liftback. Believe it or not, it he got it because someone walked into Cabe Toyota one day and traded it in!

2TC/3TC inline fours can be modified to create insane power, a favorite among drag racers. If it wasn’t for the roll cage and fat slicks on the rear, this TE71 Corolla would be a total sleeper.

The Japanese call them ninanas. Filipinos call them mangos. We simply call a TE27 on TOM’S Igetas classic.

Even a two or three years ago, MX73 Cressidas were still a common sight on the west coast. Sadly, Toyota’s pre-Lexus flagship is slowly going becoming an endangered species. They exhibit a subtle beauty from every angle easily emphasized with a modest drop and SSR meshies.

The Honda CR-X was too popular for its own good. Just like drifters have made a good AE86 nearly impossible to find, 90s tuners have pushed bone-stock CR-Xs to the brink of extinction. Many already consider them to be the next big classic.

But if there’s anything rarer than an all-original CR-X it’s a clean, complete Mugen CR-X Pro kit. Mega JDM points for this one.

Along with this silver hot hatch from Aichi, it was like being in the middle of bubble economy Tokyo. As 80s cars continue their march into history, we’re sure to see more cars like this stunningly mint Toyota Corolla FT-S FX-16 at JCCS.

Japanese rally legend Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima can usually be found screaming up Pikes Peak behind the wheel of his 900hp Suzuki, but his very first rally car was a Mazda R360. It’s hard to believe he could have fit inside! And with that we bid JCCS 201o sayonara.

Ur-Turn: On The Death Of The Classic Car

Ur-Turn is your weekly opportunity to contribute to TTAC. Every Saturday we select a different piece submitted to our contact form, and publish it as a showcase for the diverse perspectives of TTAC’s readers. Today’s contribution is a a meditation on the coming classic car crisis, from reader Matthew Betts.
Classic cars have been part of American car culture since the 1950s, when rat rods roamed the evening streets and gas contained heavy metal. As years have passed, those classics have given way to the over-restored muscle car and the garage queen time capsule. Those cars have held the spotlight for quite some time, probably because the kids of the 80s lusted after the cars of the 60s, much like their parents. The next step in the progression of the classic car will be Japanese and turbocharged group from the early 90s. This new wave can already be found creeping into auctions with prices on the rise.
After this wave passes, what will be next, if anything at all? While this may seem like a crazy question at first glance, there are several drastic differences between the cars of the last 10 years and the cars of yore that will make long-term car of them a nearly impossible goal. Some of these differences strike at the very core of classic car culture.

Complexity
Mechanical complexity is not that big a deal to a classic car lover. Some relish in the clockwork symphony of multiple carbs, or the sublime cacophony coming from a multi-cam, high-revving engine. Modern engines, while only moderately more complex mechanically, are vastly more difficult to maintain in the long term due to the control systems used. Can you imagine trying to resolve a software fault in a modern car in 10 years by yourself, without the required 10k dealer-only computer or any software documentation?
Serviceability
Previously, virtually all cars were able to be maintained using a fairly fixed spectrum of tools. Sure, there were specialty tools to make life easier, but they were shortcuts, not requirements. The biggest change here is with the aforementioned dealer computers. In the early-to-late 90s, the specialty computer was used primarily as a diagnostic device, rather than a vital tool. Modern cars cannot be serviced without these computers, as the computers are used to fix software problems directly that cannot be remedied any other way.
Integration
One of the core concepts in classic car ownership is customization, making it your car. This used to be relatively easy to do, as each system was independent. Changing the drivetrain just changed the drivetrain. In a modern car, however, every system is interconnected. As an example, a BMW 335i owner recently found out the hard way that changing the radio prevented him from having his transmission serviced. How are these systems related? They aren’t, except the chassis computer wouldn’t let the transmission software be updated unless all systems were validated first. Lacking the original radio, that system couldn’t be validated, so the car couldn’t be fixed. Eventually, the owner found the original radio in a closet, but otherwise, he would have had to buy a new OEM radio to the tune of 700$. He couldn’t use another used OEM radio because the OEM radio had to be uniquely paired to the car first, an operation that could only be performed once. When changing something as basic as the radio prevents major systems from functioning, that makes the car a single unit, rather than a collection of modular systems.
So how will the kid of today get their dream Jaguar XF in 20+ years? Some of the more technologically-advanced classic cars are showing the way: specialization. As the dealers move on to the next generation computer and tool set, they liquidate the old stock, which is required to fix the old cars. Some of these units will be picked up by independent shops. Even fewer of these shops eventually become known as the “gurus” of that particular car in a particular geographic area. They remain the sole people actually able to fix the car as it was originally meant to be fixed, as they alone will have the skills and tools to do so. Current examples of this include the BMW E9 coupes, the Volvo P1800, vintage Mercedes, and vintage Porsches. These cars often have one or two shops in the entire US dedicated to just that car type. They have all the original tools, original documentation, and the contacts to find all the NLA parts nobody else seems to find, or they make them in-house.
While specialization will ensure the cars will live on, there is a dark side: cost. Being the only gig in town (or the country) gives the shop the ability to call the shots in a way most indys could only dream of. This drives up the cost of restoration to the point of being well outside the capabilities of most Americans. Gone will be the stories of a kid and their dad bringing a car back to life, as dad won’t be able to buy a good used engine control computer without cutting into the kid’s college fund. A classic car will no longer be the result of blood, sweat, and copious swearing, but of shipping it to the other side of the country to the only shop that still has a working diagnostic/interface computer. Classic cars will no longer be testaments to the owner’s mechanical acumen, but of the size of their pocketbooks. This key change is the killing blow against the very core of the original car culture, who customized what they could afford with their own two hands, making the best of what they had.

Classics Racecars on Display at the Simeone Foundation

The Classic Car Cruise In Has Been Canceled

UPDATE: The Classic Car Cruise In scheduled for Saturday, August 14, 2010 has been canceled due to the probability of strong or severe storms.

The Rome Downtown Development Authority will be hosting a Classic Car Cruise In on Saturday, August 14. It will be held on 1st St. between 2nd Ave. and 3rd Ave.

 

Any vehicle that is 25 years old or older qualifies as a Classic Car. Any cars participating in the event should enter from 2nd Ave.

 

There will be prizes, vendors, and live entertainment featuring The Rome Antics and The Back Street Boogie Band.

 

World’s oldest Mercedes treks 1,600 miles from Seattle to Pebble Beach

The world’s oldest surviving Mercedes has finished a 1,600-mile drive from Seattle to California to compete in Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, one of the world’s premier classic car shows.

The 28-horsepower 1902 Mercedes Simplex was among two-dozen  classic cars winding their way around mountains and through valleys for the eight-day trip.  The Mercedes will vie for a trophy Sunday in the show’s “antique through 1915” category along with seven other rare vehicles in that class. 

What’s it like to drive a 108-year-old car with no windshield and no heater around Mount St. Helens, along the Columbia River and down the Pacific Coast?  “It’s exciting, it’s exhilarating,” said the British restorer and driver, John Bentley.  “Its top speed is only 45 to 48 (miles per hour), you’re quite high up and it’s quite an exciting drive.  When it gets to 35 or 40, it really has some power and is able to maintain that speed.  It’s a remarkable experience to be behind the wheel of a car this age that is still so spritely.”  He said he hopes the next long trip for the Mercedes will be the UK’s famous London-to-Brighton classic car run.

Bentley said the Mercedes – considered a technological marvel in its day -- performed flawlessly, requiring only the daily draining of an oil sump and other minor maintenance.  He found the car for California collectors Arturo and Deborah Keller, who bought it in 1993 and also took turns at the wheel on the long drive.  With much research, as well as help from the manufacturer, Bentley then did a painstaking restoration so it could be shown at the 1994 Pebble Beach Concours.

Not always so flawless were the mountain weather conditions during the recent trip, as driver and passengers wore goggles and bundled up with layers of warm clothing.  Said Bentley, “There were a couple of mornings that were really cold and we had brain freeze.”

Classic car 32 Ford Hotrod

Classic car Custom Impala

Classic car Custom Caddy

Classic car Caddy Eldo

RM Sells Over 35,000 Horsepower at San Diego Auction

102 cars were sold recently at the RM Auctions Classic Muscle and Modern Performance event, including a $231,000 1969 Chevrolet Corvette 427/435 Convertible and a $401,500 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88. The full release from RM Auctions can be found below:

SAN DIEGO, CA (June 21, 2010) - A total of 102 automobiles, including many high-horsepower Detroit muscle cars combined with a selection of AMG Mercedes-Benz and M-Powered BMWs, crossed the auction podium today at RM Auctions' Classic Muscle & Modern Performance event, resulting in $6.9 million in sales and a 100 percent sell through rate.

"Overall, we saw some very strong prices for both select, rare and outstanding muscle cars as well as on the like-showroom-new, late model cars, and it was very encouraging," Ian Kelleher, President and COO, RM Auctions.

Detroit Muscle entries were led by the Corvette marque's overall solid showing at today's auction, including achieving the top-seller of the day with a super-rare, tire-shredding 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 selling for $401,500. Other Corvette highlights include a 1969 Chevrolet Corvette 427/435 Convertible out-performing its high pre-sale estimate by fetching $231,000, and a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/435 Roadster realizing $214,500. The late-model BMWs and Mercedes-Benz also enjoyed a strong performance.

RM's San Diego event continues the company's strong presence in California which has included a string of highly successful private collection sales in recent years.

RM's busy summer season continues with two of its annual events: the Vintage Motor Cars of Meadow Brook held in conjunction with the Concours d'Elegance of America at Meadow Brook in Rochester, Michigan on July 24; and, the Sports & Classics of Monterey event in California, August 12 - 14, 2010.

Complete results of the Classic Muscle & Modern Performance event are posted online at www.rmauctions.com

About RM Auctions RM Auctions is the world's largest auction house for quality automobiles. With over three decades of experience in the collector car industry, RM's vertically integrated range of services, from restoration to private treaty sales, auctions, estate planning and financial services, coupled with an expert team of car specialists and international footprint, provide an unsurpassed level of service to the global collector car market. RM proudly holds five of the top 10 - and more significantly, four of the top five - all time records for the most expensive motor cars sold at auction. RM's restoration division has achieved unprecedented accolades earning "Best of Show" honors at the world's top concours events. For further information, visit www.rmauctions.com.

World's Largest Collector Car Auction House To Offer Iconic Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa In Monterey

One of the headliners of RM Auctions' 25th anniversay Sports & Classics of Monterey Event will be a rare 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa. For more on the car, check out the complete release from RM Auctions:

BLENHEIM, Ontario (June 10, 2010) - A rare 1958 Ferrari 250 'Pontoon Fender' Testa Rossa, serial number 0738 TR, will be presented at RM Auctions' 25th anniversary Sports & Classics of Monterey event in August, making it the most significant and valuable motor car ever offered during Monterey's famed collector car auction week.

Considered one of the most highly-sought-after and iconic of all Ferrari racing cars, the beautiful and unmistakable Scaglietti-designed 'Pontoon Fender' 250 Testa Rossa was produced from 1957 to 1958 during which only 21 were constructed, including 0738 TR. Delivered new to Brazilian Jean-Louis Lacerda Soares, 0738 TR was raced for several seasons in South America under the Esquardari Largatixa banner where it recorded a number of successful finishes. For the past 14 years its current owner, a gentleman racer, has extensively campaigned 0738 TR in its yellow and green Brazilian racing colors, recording numerous wins and podium finishes at the world's most prestigious historic racing events. (Estimate Available Upon Request).

"RM's recent record-breaking Monaco sale coupled with the steadily improving economic climate demonstrates the ideal time for the debut of this rare and coveted Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa at auction in Monterey this August," says Rob Myers, Chairman and CEO, RM Auctions. "In May 2009, during a period many considered the depths of the global recession, RM set the current world record price for a car sold at auction with another pontoon-fender TR selling for $12.4 million. That result was a true testament to the demand for these iconic Ferraris and is indicative of the strong potential for this example to set yet another auction record."

Continuing RM's global leadership in the presentation of historic Ferraris at auction - holding seven of the top 10 all-time auction records for the marque - 0738 TR is joined by no less than 22 other exceptional vintage Ferraris in Monterey. Notable entries include: a highly-desirable, covered headlamp 1959 Ferrari LWB California Spyder, s/n 1489 GT, (Est. $2,750,000 - $3,250,000) delivered new to Prince Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia; a rare 1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica, s/n 1323 SA, (Est. $1,600,000 - $2,200,000) one of only 12 Series III Superamericas built; a fully-restored 1957 Ferrari 250 Pininfarina Spyder Series I, s/n 0979 GT, (Est. $1,600,000 - $1,900,000); and a stunning, multi-award-winning 1966 Ferrari 500 Superfast, s/n 8565 (Est. $800,000 - $1,000,000).

1936 4.3 Litre Alvis Headed to Goodwood Festival of Speed

 

Long before Sir Alec Issigonis served up the Austin Seven, later known as the Mini, he was a member of the Alvis Company, a British automaker whose history traces back to 1919. Alvis' tenure in the U.K. auto industry lasted through 1967 and, more than 40 years later, the company's remains will re-introduce its famous, pre-war 4.3 Litre model at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed. The 4.3 Litre Alvis will draw upon the original blueprints from 1936 but utilize modern components including emissions-control equipment and fuel injection for the inline-six engine. The 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed is open to the public starting July 2.

The press release may be found below:

 

21st Century future for legendary Alvis model

The Alvis Car Company will be using the Goodwood Festival of Speed next month to announce details of a unique project to re-introduce a renowned 1930's Alvis model using the original technical drawings, allied to the latest CAD/CAM technology.

Red Triangle, the well-established Alvis service company, which owns the Alvis cars brand and trademarks, has evidence from the original Alvis company board minutes that 77 of the chassis that were officially sanctioned for production were never fulfilled because car production had to be suspended in 1940. The newly formed Alvis Car Company will announce details of a continuation series of these cars at Goodwood and will be displaying on their stand a brand new 4.3 Litre chassis and engine. These are the first steps towards the reintroduction of the famous Alvis 4.3 Litre model, 71 years after the last 4.3 Litre Alvis was produced.

The 4.3 Litre Alvis was the fastest non-supercharged production car of its day, and the continuation series will live up to that heritage. Manufactured from the original drawings, the 4.3 Litre Alvis in-line six cylinder engine will be faithful to the 1936 design, in maintaining all its period character and quality, yet by utilising modern technology it will be emission compliant. Moreover, by using modern materials, fuel injection and engine management, this powerplant will deliver even more horsepower.

"This is part of our overall business plan," said Alan Stote, Red Triangle and Alvis Car Company proprietor: "to maintain service to existing Alvis owners but also to reintroduce selected authentic Alvis models in line with the vision of the Alvis Board all those years ago. Visitors to Goodwood will be able to see the first stages of that plan."