Japanese Classic Car Show 2011: Part One

by Matt Willis; Photos by Matt Willis and Tim Wong

Whew! Here’s the last of the coverage from last weekend, a two-parter for the JCCS (Japanese Classic Car Show). After seeing coverage from past JCCS gatherings on other sites, I knew I couldn’t pass it up this year. Originally, I was supposed to be in Norcal for around two weeks, but with the prior emergency in Alaska, things got switched around and I was able to attend. This is an annual event that stirs up the best-of-the-best in retro Japanese vehicles. Hondas, Nissans (or Datsuns, rather), Mazdas and Toyotas make up the bulk of it. There was a lot of true heritage on display, but simultaenously I saw a lot of mixing between old and new components, or coupling new trends in design with older vehicles. And I’ll be honest — around 95% of the cars there were at the top of their game. There were a few vehicles that were “out of place” or “under construction”, but nothing truly noticeable. Overall it was a great event and I’ll be sure to make it out again next year.

Now onto the photos…enjoy…

We arrived at the Queen Mary around mid-morning. Thankfully, the weather was still relatively cloudy…

There were several prototype and early-model Japanese bikes on display, like this “Motocompo”. Never seen anything like it. Definitely interesting to look at and to see how motor bikes have evolved as a form of personal transportation…

Loved these Hiyashi wheels…

I haven’t seen it run, but supposedly this Prius was running at Bonneville last month.

This red first-generation CRX was one of a few “mint condition” Hondas on display. I love seeing this, even more than the craziest of builds. There was a time when these cars had zero miles and were sitting on dealer lots all across the nation…

Check out the retro sidemarkers…

First-generation Integra…

CRX “Spyder” build…

…with an outstanding interior…

Bisi and his iconic turbo wagovan in attendance…

This black CRX was flawless. It had a decent amount of miles on it, but the owner did not make any restorations…just love and care. Look at those original wheels!

Here’s the interior…

This wasn’t what I thought it was. It is the 4-rotor GTP prototype, but not to be confused with the 4-rotor Le Mans 787B chassis. This car was originally designed to run in both the FIA and IMSA sanctions, but later the FIA banned the use of rotaries, thus bringing the project to an end with only three of the RX-792P’s built. Still awesome to see. The tires on this thing were immense!