W/NW - Classic Cars

I don't know if they will someday be regarded as classics, but in 2021, my area seemed to experience a "overland" craze, as exemplified by the Winnebago Revel (top left, bottom left). The Airstream people also got into the act (center, bottom). The Mercedes Sprinter van seemed to be the most popular starting point, though less frequently, I'd see one of these beasts built upon a Dodge Ram or Ford Transit chassis.
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Compared to the other cars on the road this Chevy Impala looked like it was 50 feet long.​
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Sony A7III, Voigtländer 50mm f2 APO-Lanthar Aspherical (Sony E-mount) lens
Yokohama, Japan - May 2022
Image is lower resolution than original​
 
Seems to have been a wave of "exuberant" styling in the late 1950's, and at the same time increasing interest in compact and mid-size cars like the Corvair, Chevy II, and Chevelle, a longer lasting trend I think. My parents had a '59 Chev like above but a 4-door hardtop Bel Aire, a pretty turquoise and cream color. As I recall it had poor handling, felt like a sloppy pivot in the middle upon steering input. My pink '59 Dodge 4-door hardtop handled much better.
 
Doug said:
Seems to have been a wave of "exuberant" styling in the late 1950's, and at the same time increasing interest in compact and mid-size cars like the Corvair, Chevy II, and Chevelle, a longer lasting trend I think. My parents had a '59 Chev like above but a 4-door hardtop Bel Aire, a pretty turquoise and cream color. As I recall it had poor handling, felt like a sloppy pivot in the middle upon steering input. My pink '59 Dodge 4-door hardtop handled much better.
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Doug, did your parents' Bel Aire have this paint scheme?

Chevrolet Bel Air (India Ivory / Tropical Turquoise)
Parked at Nihon Odori Boulevard - Yokohama, Japan (October 2022)
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Sony A7III, Sigma 90mm f2.8 lens
Std. Color JPEG
Image resized smaller than original
 
Yokosuka_Mike said:
Doug, did your parents' Bel Aire have this paint scheme?

Chevrolet Bel Air (India Ivory / Tropical Turquoise)
Parked at Nihon Odori Boulevard - Yokohama, Japan (October 2022)
DSC07542.JPG



DSC07544.JPG

Sony A7III, Sigma 90mm f2.8 lens
Std. Color JPEG
Image resized smaller than original
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Mike, yep same color scheme as that '57 2-door hardtop. Nice shots. Guy I worked with had one like that only a 4-dr hardtop. Looks like someone else with a camera in that second shot got you on film, er, sensor!
 
About 25 years ago my wife and I restored this 1971 Karman Ghia. Unfortunately most of the before images are lost but have the after.

It started out in pretty good physical shape for having been under a tarp in a barnyard for more than a decade. There was only a tiny spot of rust and one dent where a golf ball hit it but the interior was pretty rough and engine needed a rebuild. It had factory air and that had to be rebuilt. Basically we did a full restoration inside out.
 

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Mike, since you live in Japan, can you tell me if there are a lot of vintage japanese cars? I myself admire japanese cars from the mid 80s to mid 90s but here in Europe, because of the salt used in winters to de-ice roads, a lot of them have been wrecked due to corrosion damage (unfortunately they seem to be especially prone to corrosion). IMO japanese cars from that era are mechanically the pinnacle of car design! The engines are so good, even rubber materials don’t seem to detoriate.
 
santino said:
Mike, since you live in Japan, can you tell me if there are a lot of vintage japanese cars? I myself admire japanese cars from the mid 80s to mid 90s but here in Europe, because of the salt used in winters to de-ice roads, a lot of them have been wrecked due to corrosion damage (unfortunately they seem to be especially prone to corrosion). IMO japanese cars from that era are mechanically the pinnacle of car design! The engines are so good, even rubber materials don’t seem to detoriate.
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Being right hand drive some of the more interesting ones find their way to Aus/NZ and UK. I don't know where you are but here (in the UK) there are dealers who specialise in this. We also re-import cars once exported to Japan, Minis and the like.
 
santino said:
Mike, since you live in Japan, can you tell me if there are a lot of vintage japanese cars? I myself admire japanese cars from the mid 80s to mid 90s but here in Europe, because of the salt used in winters to de-ice roads, a lot of them have been wrecked due to corrosion damage (unfortunately they seem to be especially prone to corrosion). IMO japanese cars from that era are mechanically the pinnacle of car design! The engines are so good, even rubber materials don’t seem to detoriate.
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Santino, there are fewer Japanese classics on the road here than there are American and European.

The Japanese classics that I do see the most of here are the Nissan Skyline, Fairlady Z, and the Honda S600 and S800. My personal favorite are the old Isuzu cars. They’re my favorite because of their Italian styling and the fact that I rarely ever see one.

Here’s a Honda S600 for you that I photographed yesterday (Sunday, May 21, 2023).

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Sony A7III, Sigma 50mm f2.8 DG DN Lens
Sony in camera color JPEG
Yokohama, Japan - May, 2023
Image is lower resolution than original​

All the best,
Mike
 
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