Classic Japan 2012 :: Bigger, Better, Best!

Classic Japan 2012… What an event!!
This year it was held at Como Park using two full sports ovals, allowing for more than twice the amount of entries than that of last years show. The turnout was absolutely fantastic and the crowd was perfect!!


The event was hosted by the Toyota Car Club of Australia and entries were open to all Japanese makes/models manufactured before 1987.
All the proceeds from the event went to Beyond Blue so the event was raising money for an extremely good cause.

On the top oval we spotted a heap of Suzuki Mighty Boys, Nissan 240Z’s and this perfect red AW11 MR2.

Looks like this little Mighty Boy could deliver a lot more tofu than the original delivery car from the famous anime series.

One of the most iconic classic Japanese cars to receive the modifiers touch, the Datsun 1600 has been a favourite with enthusiasts both young and old.

This tidy blue example was sporting an SR20DET engine swap. So with a few extra ponies under the hood, this little sedan would put a massive smile on the face of just about anyone that got behind the wheel.

In a long line up of Corolla’s, this AE82 was looking great thanks to a little lowering and a set of period appropriate ROH wheels.

Further down the line we found ‘We Heart Cars’ competition winner Justin and his track attack Corolla, one of a few cars wearing one of our stickers on the day!
Get yours here > http://store.gripshiftslide.com/

After a quick walk around the event I think I can safely say that I am now infatuated with Datsun utes!
This rat rod inspired 1000 ute was a crowd favourite thanks to the matte paint and side exit exhaust.

Directly opposite there was this shiny green Datsun that won me over, it almost looked like a standard affair at the front.
Business at the front…

… Party at the back!
While the pipes might not work for everyon,e it does pay homage to the crazy place all these wonderful cars come from and here at GSS we welcome more influence from some of the wilder trends in Japan.

We have never seen so many 240Z’s at a single event before, with numbers close to the double digits it was an impressive sight.
Some absolutely stood out from the crowd though, like this immaculate red zed!

There was a touch of VIP on the bottom oval thanks to this Toyota Cressida.

Chrome low rider wheels worked a treat for the four door cruiser.

Brown is not a colour that comes rushing to mind when thinking of Japanese cars for me, here on this Corolla wagon however it actually works very well.
Also worth a mention was the showroom condition RX7 sitting by its’ side. I had a full walk around the car and it was perfect!

This two tone DR30 Skyline had me sucked in for awhile, like a moth to a light bulb there was no escape!!

Inside it was full of 80’s charm wherever you looked: ribbed gear boot, hard lines/angles and champagne gold/silver colour coding.
This is my kind of cockpit!!

The classic Japanese town car… The RT40 Toyota Corona!
This white beauty was covered in lashings of chrome and white walls, everything you could ever want in a 1960’s sedan.

Warning: This photo may cause increased heart rate and blood pressure in many of our readers, this is perfection at it’s finest!
This Datsun Fairlady 2000 roadster would be one of my ultimate choices for driving the famous Californian coastline…

… Manufactured from 1967-1970 it was ahead of it’s time as far as Japanese automobiles were concerned – reaching speeds of nearly 200Kph and a red line of 7,000RPM! Thanks to a lack of emission restrictions here in Australia at the time, all models delivered here came standard with the ‘competition’ upgrade which included duel carburetors and a performance camshaft.
This stunning beauty was matched with ridiculous performance for it’s price tag, at the time it was the cheapest in it’s class and continually won races against it’s more expensive rivals!

This is one of my ‘hero’ cars from the picnic at Hanging Rock event earlier this year! This club racer inspired Datsun 1600 really got me excited by all of these older chassis and made me appreciate the milestones they achieved in terms of affordability, performance in their time when compared with more expensive European and American cars.

KE70 friends!!!
One clean and one not so clean. The one on the right is the kind of car you wouldn’t let your daughter go out to the movies with.
Running a 4AGE 20v engine in RWD configuration mated to a Supra gearbox with a turbo for good measure, this small sedan runs rings around newer cars thanks to a healthy 147kw at the wheels.

Brandon and Dave’s Cressida’s were stars of the show with many older enthusiasts taking the time to see what the younger generations take on what an older Toyota should be.

Steve’s Sunny ute was looking great with all the other classic pieces of metal scattered around the oval.  There were so many cars using the ‘rising sun’ to add a bit of character to their cars but none quite as large as Steve’s cover for his tray.

Hamish’s 240Z was definitely the shiniest car at the show thanks to a fresh paint job. only days earlier courtesy of DT Panels.  With the paint now sorted, Hamish has a few more things to tick off his list before really showing it off.
With any luck in six months time we will be showing you a lot more of this car.

Heath’s 260 wagon came back for its’ second year at the Classic Japan show, now with new wheels and a lower ride height the wagon was looking better than ever!

Nothing comes close to wood grain interiors in terms of classiness.

The rear facing seats are still such a unique feature, this is our car of choice for the drive in movies next time.

Now for something on the rarer side, a Mazda Capella looking great on some dished out wheels!

Spotted a clean white AE86 with some Shockworks coil overs. These guys are quickly becoming  a very popular choice for suspension amongst Toyota enthusiasts.

Nicks’ RX7 with massive fender flares, running a 12a turbo motor making this Mazda a little two-door rocket!

It seems classic car fans come in all shapes and sizes and even species!!

Now this is something we all enjoy… The mighty Nissan Skyline, the original circle taillights we love so much!

As a bonus this year there was a massive motorbike display in the middle of the oval, the same rules applied to the bikes.
Japanese makes and pre 1987 production only.

The Honda S800, Honda’s final roadster for thirty years until the recent S2000.

Automatic is for chumps… This is Hondamatic, the transmission of the future!
Well at the time it was very impressive stuff as it still maintained engine braking thanks to a unique design.

This was one of the most impressive cars on show all day, this KE20 had it all including a rebuilt motor, turbo, tough wheels and fender flares, you name it!

A name fit for a king!
The Toyota Crown received all the extra’s and was the pride of Toyota’s production line.

This little guy believe it or not is Toyota’s first ever sports car!
The Sports 800 was equipped from factory with a monstrous 34kw and could reach 160kph on a racetrack!!

One of the ‘S’ chassis underdogs, the Nissan S12. Sold locally as a Nissan Gazelle, we’ve never seen one as clean or as modified as this one!
This really is one of the shows not to miss so please keep your calendars clear for next years Classic Japan Show, with wonderful cars and a good cause there is no excuse to miss it a third time around.
We would like to thank all the organisers for inviting us to come down and take photos and sell some merchandise at the show, we had a blast and will see you all next year!
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.