Category: down on the street (Page 2 of 13)

Down on the Street: Nissan Micra Gogomobile

Nissan Micra that likes to Tango a March – Down on the Street

December 16, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

Apparently, ten years ago I was wrong about a particular Nissan Micra I found parked down on the street. Very wrong. The Micra in question featured a retro-styled front end and I thought, back then, it was some bodykit for the March in Japan.

Apparently, it is a Nissan March Tango produced by Autech in 1996 and 1997! So how did I manage to finally identify this front end after 10 years? And what’s the Autech March Tango? Are there others as well? I’ll try to answer all these questions today but a follow up has to come soon!

Connecting the dots

When I was on a voice call with my friend in Japan Daniel O’Grady (Wasabi Cars) talking about his awesome Mitsuoka Ray, I briefly mentioned encountering this car over ten years ago. He asked me to send him a picture, which I did. Modern life is so convenient: While talking to each other over WhatsApp, I was able to search my blog, find the post in question and send the photos. When Daniel saw the Micra in question he told me it was a Tango, a March Tango. Boom! Mind blown!

Can you think of a longer car name than Toyota Estima L Aeras G Edition?

Not so boring Toyota Estima L Aeras G Edition ACR30 – Down on the Street

December 9, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

I have a nose for out-of-the-ordinary cars and today’s Toyota Estima L Aeras G Edition ACR30 is a prime example of that! While driving through the parking garage I noticed this minivan making an attempt to park in a very tight spot. Even though it has the same shame, it didn’t match the ordinary Toyota Previa that we’re used to over here. When I drove passed it, I noticed the different tail lights and front. That’s when I knew I had to take a small detour one level down after I managed to parked my car one deck above.

Is that Toyota minivan interesting at all?

Following the nose

My suspicions confirmed, it was indeed a second generation Estima and not a Previa. Not that it differs on the outside that much from the Previa, but the Estima was a JDM only model. Walking more up close I noticed the badges stating it is an Estima L and the Aeras version. But what does that mean? I’ll run you through all this Japanese goodness that we didn’t get!

This B310 van used to be a true workhorse!

A tired workhorse: Nissan Sunny B310 van – Down on the Street

December 2, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

I was under the impression I posted this Nissan Sunny B310 van a long time ago, but apparently, I didn’t! I photographed it over 12 years ago and it has been sitting idle on my backup drive for an almost equal amount of time.

Spotting the Sunny van

I spotted this Sunny B310 van being parked near my garage, but back in 2011, I didn’t rent that space yet. It must have been one of my long bicycle journeys that took me past this van and I decided to take a photograph of it. The photo isn’t skewed, but the road is actually sloping down to the right. I kept the houses in the background horizontal to create this skewed effect. I really liked the amount of fog- and auxiliary-lights on this car and also the two slats on the grill painted in gold!

Stolen camera gear

This Toyota Carina AT171 is a fusion of cultures!

Japanese, French and German fusion: Toyota Carina II AT171 – Down on the Street

November 25, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

Earlier this year I had a job that required me to commute by car every day. Even though it was normally only a 17-minute drive, it meant I was stuck in a traffic jam every day. One day I noticed an interesting car in my rearview mirror and I immediately took my phone out of my pocket. As it passed by in the other lane, I could enjoy this fusion 1992 Toyota Carina II AT171 very much!

What’s the (con)fusion?

If you’re wondering why I call it a fusion car, that’s simply because it is half-JDM inspired and half-German inspired. In my rearview mirror, I could see the headlights were replaced by yellow bulbs. The yellow headlamps are actually a French thing and I did a video about yellow headlights that a long time ago. Lately, the VW and BMW scenes adopted the yellow headlamps as well as a cool retro thing. So if this Carina has yellow headlamps, it’s definitely not JDM but French.

Mitsubishi Pajero Pinin on a double dirty secret! – Down on the Street

November 18, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

I found this really bizarre Mitsubishi Pajero Pinin in my hometown and you really can’t come up with this if you wanted to! But more on that later! I’ll first dive into the Pajero history and, if you haven’t figured it out already, explain why this is so funny to begin with!

This inconspicuous Pajero Pinin holds a double dirty secret

The Pajero name origins

Just around the corner of my home: Lexus LC500h – Down on the Street

November 8, 2023 / banpei / 0 Comments

Earlier this year I peered out of the window and my eye caught a brand spankingly new Lexus LC500h parked in front of it: