Car Spotting

Special Kei

April 6, 2011

Petrol prices are rapidly approaching NZ$2.50 a litre for the “good stuff” (read: 98 octane) and public consciousness is once again turning towards small fuel efficient vehicles as a form of personal transport. While I still love my daily driven supercharged AW11 MR2 and wouldn’t give it up for a newer car in any great hurry, I’ve warmed to the idea of importing an ’80s kei car to take over everyday duties if the MR2 ever gets sold. But no way an hell am I gonna settle for something with less power than a wet fart, so I did some interwebs trawling and came up with this:

Presenting the CC72A Suzuki Alto Works RS-R.

550cc of fury.

Publications all over the globe have spent years waxing lyrical about the kei car phenomenon, and the Japanese penchant for shoehorning the latest technology of the time into the most compact and mundane of things really shines through here. Where else in the world could you find Grandmama’s Little Shopping Cart with a twin cam, turbocharged, injected, intercooled 3-cylinder engine with full-time 4WD? Even better when you consider this was all the way back in 1987.

If you haven’t already read Autospeed’s 2004 writeup on the Alto Works, I suggest you go read it post haste. And then go watch some of the nutty Japanese videos on youtube. Those 3 cylinder engines sound AWESOME!

And if forums all over the web are to be believed, you can get 100kW out of the damn things with a bit of effort.

Though I’d have one without the hot pink interior, thanks.

5,472km. Probably one of the least travelled EB1s in the world.

According to the ad this car was on display at Honda’s head office in Manukau for a number of years, and I can corroborate that story as I used to drive past the place a few times every week. Always wondered what the deal was with the little red Civic sitting in the showroom window…

Then one day about three years ago it mysteriously disappeared, only to be replaced by a new Accord and then later an Insight. I guess this explains where it ended up.

Brings back fond memories of a certain 'little red gonda'

Honda Civic Hondamatic 1977 for sale on Trademe »

Car For Sale: Nero Turbo

February 27, 2011

When it comes to the subject of ’80s turbocharged Japanese ferocity, these are indeed a rare sight.

Isuzu Piazza Nero Turbo, tuned by Irmscher. Sweet rims too.

Marketed as the successor to the cult 117 coupe, styled by Giugiaro, tuned by Irmscher, and with a 2 litre turbo donk under the hood powering the rear wheels, once can’t help but feel that the Isuzu Piazza should be heaps popular, given the resurgence of ’80s nostalgia in the last few years. Unfortunately, they just aren’t.

Being sold in Australia and New Zealand as a Holden probably didn’t help either.

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Giz these rims NOWE

February 2, 2011

I’ll just leave this here.

AW11 on 15 inch Linea Sports

Time to hunt myself down a set of Linea Sport rims ex Japan…

Toyota MR2 1.6 G for sale on Yahoo! Autos Japan »

I recently received an email from Matt (of JNC fame) providing me the link to an “oddball ‘hatsu” .. how could one not click it?    I love me an odd car.  So I did just that, the inner workings of google chrome sent messages backwards and forwards and relayed to me, this mighty fine 70′s delight.  PLACE BETS.. NOW! (answer after “More”)

what manner of 70's Daihatsu is that?!

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