Posts Tagged ‘japanese’

Royal Estate – 1974 Toyota Corona Mark 2

September 16, 2014

As more and more car nuts are noticing, the time when Japanese manufacturers were trying to find their way in the North American market are rather interesting – really a truer expression of their country of origin than the later cars, which were fully adapted to North American tastes, and often designed and built there. Early Japanese efforts in the 1960s and 1970s had themes like funky futuristic styling or bizarro-world interpretations of American and European design themes, looking familiar yet unfamiliar. Check out this 1974 Toyota Corona Mark 2 wagon for sale for $1500 in San Diego, CA.

1974 Toyota Corona Mark 2 left front

(more…)

A Bit of a Stretch – 1993 Mazda Miata

September 15, 2014

Some say that Mazda’s Miata is the perfect modern interpretation of the classic sports car. But with the Miata going on 25 years, and the 4th generation just unveiled, there are plenty of old beater Miatas out there, which means they’re a great creative canvas. They’ve been used for Lemons racing, converted to different powertrains, converted to look like other cars, and just made into things that are plain weird, like station wagons. With all the limo services in the US, you’d think a few would have been converted into stretch limos, but as it turns out a roadster does not really lend itself to convertible conversion. So if you want one, the pickings are slim, but this 1993 Mazda Miata stretch is for sale for $3400 in San Diego, CA.

1993 Mazda Miata stretch left front

(more…)

Rotary Pair – 1978 Mazda RX-7 plus bonus 1979 RX-7

September 13, 2014

While most RX-7 enthusiasts seem to aspire to the top-spec 5-letter GSL-SE with its 135hp 13b engine, there’s something very appealing about the simplicity of the original RX-7 – the funkier wheels and dual tail light rear end give the basic wedge (which shares a lot with the Porsche 924) some character. As with many 1970s versions of cars which were sold through the 1980s, the earlier cars probably weigh less and are less insulated, giving a purer, more raw experience. Oddly enough, the New York market has sprouted a couple of sweet examples of these cars – check out this 1978 Mazda RX-7 for sale for $3500 in Bridgeport, CT.

1978 Mazda RX-7 right front

(more…)