World Classic Car Festival in Tokoname City

"Nakazoto" (Nakazoto) 04/01/2018 at 22:13 • Filed to: None

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This last weekend was the World Classic Car Festival in Tokoname City, put on by my good friends at Classic Car Nagoya. I have a job in Okinawa coming up next week, so this was an excellent opportunity for me to fly to Nagoya a bit early, check out the car show and hang out with friends and family here. In the words of an absolute legend, “I love it when a plan comes together.”

Without further ado, time to let the pics do the talking! (And since I’m an Isuzu addict, they’ll lead the charge.)

Isuzu Bellett GT-Type R

Isuzu Bellett GT-Type R

Isuzu 117 Coupe (Zenki handmade model)

Isuzu Gemini (with G180W twin cam engine)

Alpine A110 (Flavien actually took pictures of this car and the Renault R8 Gordini next to it in his earlier post at the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

Alpine A110 engine

Renault R8 Gordini

Lamborghini Countach

Lancia Delta Integrale

S110 Nissan Silvia

Subaru Alcyone (or XT in the States)

My buddies absolutely mental rat-rod (I actually road in this death trap before he lowered the roof to the height of the rear tires. Once was enough for me.)

Toyota Corona 1600GT (with the twin-cam 9R engine)

Alfa Romeo Junior Z

Suzuki Fronte Coupe

Suzuki Fronte Coupe engine

Ginetta G4 (I think it’s the G4, my Ginetta game isn’t that strong)

S54 Prince Skyline

DeTomaso Pantera

Nissan Silvia (first generation handmade model)

Alfa Romeo 1600GT Junior

Lotus Esprit

Morgan Three-wheeler

H130 Nissan Cedric (This was actually my ride into the show. What an absolutely fantastic machine - so comfortable, so supple, so smooth. The want was strong with this one.)

Aston Martin Lagonda

This is just a fraction of the cars that were there. There were over 200 cars in the show and the parking lot was another show in and of itself. It was a good day indeed!

f86sabre > Nakazoto 04/01/2018 at 23:02

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Impressive mix. That rat rod is crazy short

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Nakazoto 04/01/2018 at 23:10

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That Alfa!

Me want. Need gib now.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Nakazoto 04/01/2018 at 23:14

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Man those Belletts are gorgeous...your build and pics of amazing ones like that really make me want one. They were actually built (right in my province!) and even sold here in Canada back in the day in VERY limited numbers, but I have never seen one in person, nor hadn’t even heard of them until your build a few years ago. Very pretty cars! :) Really loving that orange one...

Also SO much want for that Alpine A110...a Bburago die-cast model of one is sitting on the shelf to my right as I type this, haha!

As much as I love the Alpine though, my love of weird and quirky cars means I think I would take the Fronte first out of the three though....I mean, come on! 2-stroke triple and rear-engined! Plus they just look epic...I mean, look at the front wing mirrors! :D

Nakazoto > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/02/2018 at 01:04

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The Bellett just ticks all the right boxes for me. Near Italian styling but with that special Japanese flair, an engine that’s nearly unkillable, lightweight, decent handling, and just tons of fun. I’m always surprised to find out where they sold the Bellett, I knew they were available in Canda, but didn’t realize they made them there! They were also hugely popular in Finland I think.

The A110 is one of hte all-time beautiful cars on the planet. I will say though, you better be a small dude if you want to drive it. At 6'4" I’m fairly certain I haven’t got a chance of fitting. The interior looked tighter than the interior on my Honda Beat.

I very nearly bought a Fronte Coupe, but I just couldn’t fit in it. If I were about 4" shorter, I think I could have swung it, but it was just too tight inside. It was a shame cause it’s my favorite 360cc era Kei car. Giugiaro designed too, which is why it looks so brilliant.

Nakazoto > f86sabre 04/02/2018 at 01:09

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The car was originally built in California as a rat rod and then bought by a shop here and imported. He picked it up and immediately set out on the goal of making it as low as possible. In the last year he went a bit insane and chopped the roof to near nothing now. The seat is custom made and you practically lay flat in the car, with your feet up where the pedals are and your head and shoulder next to the diff (remember when I called it a death trap).

In Japan, when a car is approved for import, it’s approved in it’s current condition, so even though it would never have a hope of passing Japanese inspection, it was alright because that was how it was imported. However, now the windshield is so short, it doesn’t pass anything anymore and will soon be road illegal. So, he’s thinking of selling it and buying another project sometime soon.

Probably a good thing cause thing is death on wheels, haha.

Nakazoto > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/02/2018 at 01:10

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They’re both sexy, but I’m partial to the 1600GT over the Junior Z. Although, if someone was handing out Alfas, I’d be more than happy with either one!

pip bip - choose Corrour > Nakazoto 04/02/2018 at 04:46

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SO MUCH WANT!

great pics!

Nakazoto > pip bip - choose Corrour 04/02/2018 at 05:05

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Thanks! It was a really good turn out of all things. I love events that have a great mix like this.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Nakazoto 04/02/2018 at 07:23

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That’s a very good way to describe the Bellett - Italian flair (even though it was Japanese designed)...it does look very Italian. I didn’t known they were produced here in Nova Scotia either until a little while ago - was a huge surprise to me, although not many of them were built here. We had a Volvo plant here as well from 1963 until December 1998 - I remember passing it as a kid whenever we visited the city!

As for the A110, I’m 5' 7"-ish, so hopefully I would fit! I keep trying to convince Flavien to get his dad to give his to me, but so far have been unsuccessful! :P I think they are one of the prettiest cars on my list as well, and the fact they are rear-engined and were so phenomenal on the world rally scene is a fun, quirky plus as well!

I think the Fronte is tied for my favorite Kei from the 360cc period. I THINK I like the Honda Life Touring (similar to the one you had) just a tinge more, but there are so many cool cars from that period. I also really like the ‘73-75 Daihstsu Fellow Max (especially the Coupe) in terms of looks (at least the front end).

The back end isn’t quite as interesting though - sortof bland...would still rock one though!

I love the Mazda Carol as well, like the one you sent back for your friend....did he ever finish that project, by the way? I would love to import a classic kei car at some point, but parts would be my worry, and finding them in good condition for cheap is not easy (sadly, I don’t have the restoration skills you do!)

I also REALLY like the Minica generation of your car in wagon/van guise (not a big sedan guy in general, so not the sedan versions as much), and have thought that actually may be the best route to go, in a way. Parts would also be hard to find, but being a 2-stroke means they have pretty simple and reliable engines to maintain and troubleshoot, and motorcycle parts (like your coils) can be substituted in a pinch for some things...

That being said Honda N600 parts seem to be easier to find here as they were sold in the US and there are a few shops that specialize in them. The Honda Life shared a similar engine, and I seem to think I had read somewhere that the larger 600cc engine from the N600 bolts into the Life almost due to the similarities? If that’s a case, a N600 -> Life engine swap would be a neat idea not only for the slight performance gain, but also for the sake of parts / maintenance. :)

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Nakazoto 04/02/2018 at 07:31

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The 1600 is the one I was so excited about.