Author: banpei (Page 20 of 318)

Rustheap junkyard – Japanese rustoseums

November 7, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

According to Daniel O’Grady from Wasabi Cars, rusty cars are slowly disappearing from the streets of Japan. This is mostly due to the increase in the price of steel and people actively knocking on people’s doors and offer to take them for free. Luckily I still have heaps of Japanese rustoseum photos in my drafts folder, so I have many more to post here on the blog before I run out of them!

This week we have a junkyard in the Kami district in the Miyagi prefecture. According to the blog poster, the owner doesn’t see it as a junkyard, but as a treasure trove!

Hearty swapped Carina GT-TR with lots of love – Carina Sightings

November 6, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

Hearts and love surround this Toyota Carina GT-TR TA63. Let me explain to you why! I was split between posting this in Carina Sightings and Family Album Treasures, so I’ll post it in both.

First heart: the girlfriend

In this first photo, you can see a girl posing next to the Carina GT-TR. Her name is Kobayashi Koto (小林古都) and according to the ex-owner of this Carina in the 1990s she used to be a model in the 1980s. She was most famous for being the model featured on the 1987 Bridgestone calendar. We can only assume she used to be his girlfriend as she has her arm wrapped around him. Or at least, as much as we can see of him in that photo. She is clinging to him so much that she must have loved him very much. Unless he was in her friendzone…

Soaring Toyota Soarer GZ10 Baby – Family Album Treasures

November 5, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

These two family album treasures prove a car doesn’t necessarily have to be the highest trim level to be cool! Seriously, I would have loved to have a cool dad with a Toyota Soarer like this baby!

According to the Minkara user, his dad bought this Soarer new before he was born. The Soarer is an early VR trim level, which means it is powered by the Toyota 1G-EU engine. There is absolutely no shame in that as the only other engine choices of the early Soarer were the 2.8 litre 5M-GEU and the turbocharged 2.0 litre M-TEU.

At first Keiichi Tsuchiya doubts the Magical Fuse

Max Orido’s Magical Fuse: is this a snake oil scam or a magical wonder product? – Deepdive

November 4, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

Last week I came across a box of Max Orido’s Magical Fuse in one of the blog items of the AE86 Black Limited in the AE86 Wall of Shame. I had never heard of this product, but the name intrigued me very much. Max Orido is a well-known name in the AE86, 86 and GR86 scenes and he must know what’s good and what’s not. But magical sounds too good to be true! So is Max Orido’s Magical Fuse just a snake oil scam or is it really that wonder product that he claims it is?

Max Orido's Magical Fuse: snake oil or magical wonder? — Max Orido’s Magical Fuse: snake oil or magical wonder?

What is Max Orido’s Magical Fuse?

Let’s begin with what it is. Max Orido didn’t create the Magical Fuse himself. A company called Magicalfuse was the one who developed and created them. Orido just sells them in his shop. The Magical Fusebox is nothing else but a box full of fuses. And this box costs well over 130 dollars. Yes, really! Those fuses are expensive! But why?

Casual drive through Otsuka and Koishikawa in 1988 and 2023

A drive through Otsuka and Koishikawa – Friday Video

November 3, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

This week Kamepo posted a new video of a side-by-side drive through the Otsuka and Koishikawa districts in Tokyo. I had no clue where exactly this is, but according to the map, this is part of Bunkyo and nearby the Shuto Expressway C1. That means it can’t be too far away from the centre, right?

According to the various sources I read, the Otsuka neighbourhood is transforming itself into an area with a mix of traditional Japanese culture and modern foreign influence. It’s also the last place in Tokyo where you can find tram lines. This tram line, the Toden Arakawa Line, is unfortunately not on the route driven by Kamepo.

The Koishikawa area is known for the Koishikawa Korakuen garden which hosts beautiful plum and cherry blossoms in springtime. It’s also hosting various University buildings including the University of Tokyo, which also takes care of a large botanical garden. The drive will pass the University at 3:30 in the video and the botanical garden at 4:35.

Can you count all these Nissan Leopard F31s?

Are You Able To Count All These Nissan Leopards?

November 2, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

Are you able to count all these Nissan Leopards present at the Customer Appreciation Day 2012 by Leopard specialist Car Shop Friend?

To make it a bit easier, here is another photo taken from the rear of that whole lineup: