"Aloha Milkyway" (alohamilkyway)
02/03/2014 at 11:58 • Filed to: Japan
5
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"Aloha Milkyway" (alohamilkyway)
02/03/2014 at 11:58 • Filed to: Japan | 5
| 12 |
It was easy to see the appeal of these things. Big on luxury, equipment and velour. Unlike its Western contemporaries though, they weren't that big on price. These were perhaps the default cars for those who wore suits to work, carried a briefcase and probably owned a Motorola Brick phone. As I mentioned before, the pool of full sized pure japanese cruisers has slimmed down quite a lot. The only attainable full sizer is the Crown and the Century is the last full sizer with royalty still in its blood. A lot more manufacturers had a stab at this market starting with...
Honda
Honda was pretty late to this party. With established names such as Cedric, Crown and even Debonair, the Legend had to be different enough to be distinct but not in a way that will alienate potential buyers. Honda then made a car that's driver oriented enough for the high earning salaryman to enjoy but still pamper him coming home from a very long board meeting.
The Legend was released in an era where turbos were being experimented on. Yes, Honda dabbled with turbos in their production cars that long ago. The turbo Legend probably has one of the most 80's monikers ever. The Honda Legend Wing Turbo. Yes, Wing Turbo.
The turbo models got the bigger grille (and the turbo badge, duh)
My personal favorite is the second generation model. Why? Just look at it.
Also, it's fun to say you own a car that Senna did.
Mazda
Mazda will always be different. That didn't mean they won't have a piece of the big cruiser market pie. They were going to sell these big sedans and, knowing Mazda, give the customer of having a Rotary stuck in for good measure.
The Luce has, for a long time, been Mazda's big car. Introduced in 1969, it was always different from the other big sedans of the time. Just take a look at the rear. There's a hint of Triumph Dolomite in there somewhere. The idea of being different didn't stop there. By the third generation, it looked like a mish mash of of 70's styling cues from American cars.
A little bit of Plymouth Fury in the front I see?
Mazda's madness didn't stop there. They went as far as sticking one of these
In these
Needless to say, that didn't work out so well.
Mitsubishi
Debonair. As silly as it sounds, it somewhat works for this car. Introduced in 1964, the car was virtually unchanged for over 20 years. Sure it got cleaner burning engines but it was still the old, reliable and familiar car that came out in '64. It's like a trusty butler (if you have one of those). Gentle, courteous and nonchalant. Pretty much describes the word Debonair as well.
Finding a picture for the 80's model was largely irrelevant, as it was the same thing for 22 years.
Eventually, it needed a restyle. So in 1987, the world got this model.
It also spawned one of the weirdest collaborations of all time
So those were the big cruisers that didn't come from Nissan or Toyota. While not the staple of the usual consumer, they were sure different enough for some of us to remember. Sadly, among the cars above, none of them survived shifting consumer tastes. Perhaps it's only the Legend that lives by the name of the Acura RLX. Will it be as well received as the Legend? Only time will tell
Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh
> Aloha Milkyway
02/03/2014 at 04:53 |
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Nice writeup, looking forward to the next part. And I must say that ever since I was a young lad I've wanted a second gen Honda Legend, a dark blue one in fact.
gmctavish needs more space
> Aloha Milkyway
02/03/2014 at 04:55 |
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I was actually just thinking of doing a writeup on the AMG Debonair! That's awesome that you included it, I got lazy because there's so little info handy about it haha
PanchoVilleneuve ST
> Aloha Milkyway
02/03/2014 at 06:17 |
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Debonairs are awesome and cheap cheap cheap, since if anybody is going to buy a big, luxurious Japanese classic, they'll get a Crown, Gloria or Cedric, or go all out and get a Century or President.
http://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/MITSU…
They also tend to attract the same buyers old Crowns do, and as such, tend to be modified in the same ways:
They aren't quite as popular with the "we love American classics but can't find them here in Japan" crowd as the Crown is, but Mooneyes does make a fair bit of parts for them.
theuserformerlyknownasaluminumfoil
> gmctavish needs more space
02/03/2014 at 08:01 |
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That would be awesome!
thebigbossyboss
> Aloha Milkyway
02/03/2014 at 08:50 |
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Ludacris also owns a vigor.
TheCraigy
> Aloha Milkyway
02/11/2014 at 15:18 |
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My Acura Legend was a great car.
I think if they took the 91-95 Legend and gave it a fresh look it would be much more successful than the RL / RLX.
Timeforjeans
> Aloha Milkyway
02/11/2014 at 17:01 |
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Call me a simpleton but what's wrong with just a basic radio and HVAC? A few large buttons and a dial or two. You really don't need all that touch screen and mouse stuff.
Also, I look forward to Part 2. . Once I convince my wife I need to import a >25year Century from Japan.... I doubt I'll be able to convince her.
The World of Vee
> Aloha Milkyway
02/11/2014 at 18:46 |
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The Legend V6 coupe came with a 6 speed and was an amazing machine.
d3v
> Aloha Milkyway
02/11/2014 at 22:59 |
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Wait. Isn't the RLX still being sold as the Legend in Japan?
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Aloha Milkyway
> d3v
02/12/2014 at 03:40 |
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Sadly, no. The last Legend in Japan was in the form of the last Acura RL. Shame. The last RL/Legend had that nice SH-AWD System. Shawd for short. The only sedan Honda sells back in its home country is the Accord Hybrid. No more Civic, Inspire or Legend.
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d3v
> Aloha Milkyway
02/12/2014 at 03:49 |
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Wait, but I thought the new 2014 RLX was going to be sold outside of the US as the Legend. At least that's the impression that seems to be coming from these "debadged" test mules that have been caught running around.
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Aloha Milkyway
> d3v
02/12/2014 at 03:54 |
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Didn't see a Legend in the Japanese website of Honda. It's possible that the Legend will be back in Japan as a Hybrid though. That would be great. They need to keep this class alive! I love these cruisers